DofE was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had with my school, Ribston Hall High School and perhaps the most rewarding was the time I spent volunteering at Gloucestershire Young Carers. It is required of DofE participants to volunteer at a charity or do charitable work and I chose to volunteer at GYC. This is because, not only does GYC raise money for a cause which I believe is extremely important, but their fundraising and marketing manager, Jane Dyer, is also my best friend’s mum!
I began my volunteering by transcribing a series of videos such as the promotional video for ‘In the Bag’ and a video which details the daily routine of Kenzie, a young carer. I learnt that transcribing a video is surprisingly difficult!
In December, GYC raised money by bag packing at Sainsbury’s, in which I met many other volunteers, some of whom had begun volunteering, like myself, for DofE, while others had been volunteering at GYC for years. It was wonderful to meet so many people who gave their precious time to help volunteer. It was also lovely to meet and discuss the charity and what they do with the costumers of Sainsbury’s, whom we packed bags for!
Volunteering at GYC has taught me many skills which will no doubt help me in the future. For example, I developed my research and team work skills when both my sister and I did research on Twitter which would help Jane and her team reach out to schools to ask for their support. I have also learnt many valuable washing up and cake baking skills when volunteering for the Tewkesbury Tearooms! The Tewkesbury Tearooms is one of my favourite places to volunteer. Washing up, serving tea and cake and chatting with costumers are just some of the ways we help out there, not to mention having a giggle with my fellow volunteers, lots of whom are my own age.
Even though my DofE has ended, I’m going to continue volunteering at GYC and look forward to meeting new people and helping a good cause!
