Active 18 Blog
If I had to sum up Active 18 in a sentence, it would be “ unique, interactive sessions for members of the disabled community”. My favourite part of the project is that every session is different, but the atmosphere between the Discovery staff and service users is always friendly and welcoming, making it something I look forward to every Monday. What I get from volunteering is the chance to meet new people and improve my skills, but most importantly, I see it as something I really enjoy that compliments my student life, with the commitment being something I can manage alongside my studies.
Top 3 Moments for this Semester
- The Christmas party. We had lots of different activities – arts and crafts, word searches, food and games and we had a great turnout. Despite some people coming for the first time and being initially hesitant around so many people, it was wonderful to see everyone being welcoming, wanting to get involved and try something new. As Project Coordinator, it was also great to see my volunteers and the service users really bond, and we found activities that suited everyone!
- Observing the interactions between the service users and Discovery volunteers, where everyone was very helpful to one another. There was one instance where we did interactive word searches together in our Zoom sessions, and I was struggling to navigate it successfully. I was given help and encouragement by one of our service users, and it was a way for us to get to know each other better too!
- Working alongside my volunteers and the Discovery staff. They really helped me to find my feet and gave great suggestions and ideas for sessions, and I would be unable to do my job as a PC properly without such great support!
How to Get Involved
The Active 18 Sessions run every Monday from 2 to 3 on Zoom. There is also the opportunity for in-person activities like the Christmas party to get involved with. If this really speaks to you and is something that you would like to find out more about, then please look at https://volunteering.discoverysvs.org/ or email active18@discoverysvs.org to get further details about how you can join.
Thank you!
Written by Willow Browning
