It's National Volunteers Week 3-9th June - did you know according to ONS research 16.3m people formally volunteered last year and almost one in five (17%) people reported volunteering at least once a month! The voluntary sector contributes about £20bn to the UK's GDPbut more than that it helps to improve millions of lives.
Mark Johnson is a retired professional who had a senior role in a local youth offending team. He was aware of one of NE Youth’s programmes Odysseus Mentoring Project (OMP)- when he retired and felt it was the perfect opportunity for him to offer meaningful support in the community without all the paperwork and responsibilities that go alongside being a member of staff.
Mark uses his love and passion for sport and fitness to be a role model and motivate young people to change their attitudes and behaviour for a more positive future for themselves.
Mark commented: “I was aware of a programme (OMP) through my professional working career and understood the model in terms of how it worked and knew it would be a good fit for me in retirement. I act as a mentor for a young 16 year old boy and it’s the second young person I’ve worked with within the Odysseus Mentoring Project. Mentoring is about advising, befriending and guiding. It’s not about being an authority figure but supporting someone and leading by example.
I have an interest in helping so the mentoring project as a voluntary interest is quite a good fit with me. I am not involved in the formal case management of the young person or assessing risk, but with the experience that I’ve got, I am able to provide him with a platform and good sounding board for anything he wants to discuss.”
Volunteering is very rewarding. There is something about how much involvement you have with the young person but to actually see the model working in terms of what I bring from consistent contact. There are some really good discussions and reflection on his part, with the changes in the way he thinks about things and how I can support that. The way it makes me feel is really gratifying and very rewarding in terms of capitalising on the experience I had in my working life previously. Volunteering has taken away a lot of the stresses and allowed me to have a really positive affect.
When asked about any advice Mark would give to someone thinking about volunteering- he suggested: “You should be realistic about what it is you can achieve but don’t underestimate the fact that the value and importance of what you actually do bring such as life experience. Sometimes in a subtle way, to be able to influence, direct and shape a young person’s thinking is an absolutely crucial role. Where the volunteering with NE Youth fits in is that there’s work done in terms of the referral and how the young person is prepared for mentoring. Each part of the system works really well and it is a superb opportunity for anyone.”
There are also a lot of young volunteers in the region- like Ava, who is 14, she volunteers at DAY – Durham Area Youth who provide youth provision across several villages on the outskirts of Durham.
Ava said when asked about her volunteering role: “I love volunteering at junior sessions and events at Durham Area Youth. I help staff set up and support young people to engage in group work. I also help those who don’t want to take part in activities. My role is a support youth worker. I really feel I get something out of it like giving back to the community. I would encourage people my age to have that conversation about volunteering- it will make you feel good.”
neyouth.org.uk
www.durhamareayouth.org.uk J