Life as the Active 18 Project Coordinator
Hi! I am Willow, a third-year student studying History and I was the Project Coordinator for Active 18. It was my first ever genuine experience volunteering, so I very much took a chance to dive into this opportunity to boost my skills and meet new people. Active 18 is a project where you will be responsible for deciding on the themes for aimed at improving the wellbeing of disabled adults and young people within the local community. The commitment is quite relaxed, everyone involved in Discovery is very understanding of the workload we face as students.
In total per week, I would commit a few hours a week to Active 18. One hour a week on the Zoom call as we used to do Zoom calls at a set date and time, and two in my Office Hour where I discussed plans for the term and was able to ask any questions and get advice from the Discovery staff. I recommend taking up this opportunity for many reasons. Firstly, there was the diversity of people I interacted with. I was involved in managing a lovely group of volunteers who I oversaw from their introduction to Discovery, to involvement with our events, to being optimistic interacting 1 on 1 with our service users and I could certainly say the same of myself. My confidence and communication skills have grown vastly since joining, and I can now interact with a wide range of people with different support needs and personalities with a self-assurance I did not have before. Secondly, the range of experience I gained from my responsibilities as a PC. When it comes to my employability, I can give examples of my leadership, experience planning events, safety checks through risk assessments, adapting to the needs of others, and representing Discovery, all without too much extra commitment outside of the agreed hours. Finally, there are opportunities for further development including training programmes on First Aid, financial wellbeing, and disability awareness so the possibilities are endless!
One of my favourite events was during a Pottery Painting session that I had organised, everyone had a wonderful time, and it was a privilege to see everyone enjoying themselves and having not just a physical representation of the day but memories they made with friends they had met through Discovery. If any of this sounds fun to you and you would like to know more, please look out for upcoming PC recruitment. Take this opportunity and you will not regret it as the friendships and positive team spirit within Discovery will help you grow and there will always be support there for you on this journey!
If you would like to be on of the Project Coordinators for 2024-25 sign up here: https://discoverysvs.org/lead/
