My reasons for being a volunteer
There are many reasons that I would like to be a volunteer, the key aim is helping others with a focus on the local community.
I am a master student studying Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations from Hong Kong. During the covid-19, I have more leisure time at home and more availability to concentrate on my life experiences and career path. In 2019, Hong Kong experienced a large-scale protest which affected the daily operation in Hong Kong. This showed me the importance and power of social media and mass media and how it can influence the public. The protester and COVID-19 are reminders to me that I should live each day and not regret life.
Now that I have decided to change the direction of my life, I would like to try different things and meet new people as much as possible. Although I have worked as a volunteer in Hong Kong before, I feel volunteering with Discovery will teach me new things, I will learn about a different culture and target group of service users.
If you never try, you’ll never know what you can gain, sometimes it may have an unexpected outcome.
Development and Experience
I joined the Discovery team in September 2021. It offers different types of training which can strengthen your knowledge on that specific topic. For example, The Start Here Training, provides volunteers with an overall view and safeguarding requirements for doing voluntary work.
I have also participated on one of the projects, Digital Media Project which provides volunteers various opportunities to practice the skill in marketing and content creation. This project is related to my study and will help me develop my skills, while focusing and taking care of the community.
In the UK, there has been a recent rise in drinks being spiked. This has even happened in Swansea. The project allowed me to create posters on this subject to encourage students to take care when out socialising.
Most importantly, volunteering at Discovery, provides a chance for me to practice English which is important for an international student. It includes all areas, reading, listening, speaking, and writing, as such this blog, I can summarize the experience in these two months, and express it in English. Therefore, being a volunteer can help me to learn more, practice more and communicate with the community.
In addition, due to pandemic, it changes the mode for the voluntary work and training. It combines with both online and in-person opportunities. It has become more flexible and easier to fit into my busy schedule.
For the Future
Since the voluntary work provides training and opportunities to strengthen my skills set and explore more, it can enhance my CV and make me more employable for future career prospects.
In my experience, I have not had many opportunities to practice media skills and English, so my CV is quite simple. This means it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. I am hoping that my volunteering with Discovery will enhance my CV and help me to develop my English skills in both written and verbal communications.
Also, it can provide a range of content for my portfolio, this will allow me to have examples of work which I can show to future employers. Finally, this voluntary work, can provide a reference which is intensely useful to apply for jobs in the future.
Connect with Discovery
To find out more about our volunteering opportunities, check out our website at https://discoverysvs.org/ or send us an email at discovery@swansea.ac.uk.
Also, don’t forget to follow us on social media!
Facebook = /DiscoverySVS
YouTube = Discovery Student Volunteering Swansea
Instagram = @DiscoverySVS
Twitter = @DiscoverySVS
by Lok Man SHEK – Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations, MA student.