Spring Party Reflection
As part of the Active 18 in person events, we had a Spring Party last Saturday 2nd March 2024! There were a variety of activities during the day which included creating bumblebee or sheep pom poms, as well as an assortment of wordsearches, colouring, and karaoke to get everyone in the party spirit!
As a volunteer helping throughout the day, I would encourage anyone to get involved due to the wide range of skills you utilise and the experience you gain from taking this chance to get involved in something new. Firstly, the party itself was very well organised by Liv, the current A18 Project Coordinator, with everyone delegated different tasks to help set up for the day and she was always very friendly and approachable if you needed to check anything. This event, and the project, is a great way of building self-confidence. By meeting new and experienced volunteers, as well as the service users, you are placing yourself within a network of people who are very welcoming and friendly which will do wonders to make you feel comfortable in this new environment.
Additionally, it is a great way to work on your leadership and teamwork skills. As part of A18, you can provide support to service users, both literally and emotionally. A highlight of the day for me was as simple as sitting down and completing a wordsearch with a service user, engaging and working with them to complete it. Even by just having a conversation with a service user can go a long way in providing them enjoyment and hopefully you too! You make this difference as an individual but also as part of the wider Discovery team to support as many people as we can! The commitment is all agreed beforehand and flexible to your studies as a student provided you speak to your PC.
Finally, your volunteering does not always have to be limited to providing support needs for others. During the day I also volunteered alongside this as part of digital media where I took photos to be posted onto the Discovery social media and this blog for the website. Don’t be put off if you feel overwhelmed in the beginning, supporting 1 on 1 constantly throughout the event might not be for you, but there are plenty of other opportunities throughout Discovery to get involved and make a difference. So why not give it a chance?!
If you would like to volunteer with Active 18 join Discovery here: https://volunteering.discoverysvs.org/
Written by Willow Browning
