International Volunteer Day commonly known as IVD is celebrated on 5 December every year. It started as an international observance mandated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. It’s a day where volunteers are acknowledged and the spirit of volunteerism is promoted at the local, national and international levels.
Today, we'd like to share stories from our Volunteers across Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside, highlighting the essential work they do and their commitment to the community.
Meet Connie Long
Whilst visiting Alexandra Park’s Community Food Growing Hub, Connie kindly stopped to have a chat with us about her Volunteer journey.
Connie is student at Oldham College and decided to do her voluntary work placement at the hub, as she loves being outdoors and giving back to the community!
As part of her Volunteer role, Connie undertakes tasks such as, harvesting plants and cleaning around the allotments. In the past she has also been involved in some park maintenance.
Connie shared, “I feel a lot more confident because I’m happy when I’m helping out and learning new things.”
Connie also shared advice for people looking to get into volunteering, "Take your time to find somewhere that you feel happiest, because when you do it feels really good to enjoy your role, whilst helping your community!”
Meet Michael Traynor
Michael wanted to look for something to increase his confidence, get himself out of the house and he wanted to socialise more in his local community. He was also keen to find something that was outside and in the fresh air as he enjoyed the outdoors.
He decided to look into volunteering as there were lots of opportunities in the local area of Oldham and knew the benefits of volunteering would help him a lot.
Michael found a volunteer role with Alexandra Parks Gardening Hub. He attended for a couple of hours to try it out and he really enjoyed his experience. He gets involved with harvesting, weeding, watering the plants, composting, maintaining the yard area and a lot more.
Michael volunteers every week and enjoys his volunteering role.
Michael says, “Finding this volunteering role has been a god send, it makes you feel good when you go home. Its therapeutic. It has increased my confidence, gets me out of the house and I meet new people all the time. I would say to anyone, try something new because its good for you”.
Meet William
William’s volunteering journey started a quite a long time ago. He decided to volunteer because he wanted to meet people, use his transferable skills, and at the time, it looked good on his CV whilst looking for employment.
William connected with the Action Together’s volunteering team over eight years ago where he booked an appointment and met with one of our Volunteering Officers to talk about suitable volunteer roles. At the time, William attended one of our volunteering presentations and from this, he gained more ideas on the types of volunteer roles he could get involved in.
With the support of our volunteering officer, William then decided to apply to volunteer with Alexandra Parks Gardening hub and with Side By Side counselling service’s as a Committee Member. William had a regular visit to Action Together to keep the team updated on his volunteering progress which was always great to hear.
Meet Jon
Jon was referred to Action Together's Voluntering team by Middleton Job Centre. He was very keen to do something and was eager to get a full-time position, but Jon wanted to take on a role that involved cleaning.
Jon shared with us his positive experience volunteering at Hopwood Hall Estate, where he works for two days a week, contributing to various tasks around the estate, including cleaning, gardening, sweeping, clearing drains, and removing weeds both inside and outside the grounds.
Jon expressed how much he enjoys the role, saying, “It’s a wonderful place to work. I’ve built good relationships with my colleagues.”
Meet Adeela
Adeela met with our Volunteering Support Officer, Asma, as she sought experience as a teaching assistant through volunteering. Adeela was looking for a role where she could be flexible and balance work and home life as she had a young daughter.
Asma was able to support Adeela in getting a volunteer position at GFS which not only provided the flexibility she required but also allowed her daughter to participate alongside her.
"I feel more confident and gaining work experience, even as a volunteer or intern, can help prepare you for a career in your chosen field and provide valuable accomplishments that you can include on your resume when applying for future positions and I really appreciated how you listened to my concerns and validated me. I feel like I can approach you with any sort of problem and know that you’re invested in helping me find a solution I just want say thankyou so much!"
Adeela also shared the tasks she enjoys within her new volunteering role,
- I Engage with Girls Weekly
I spend time listening to and supporting girls to help them feel valued, confident, and inspired to try new activities. - I Show Respect and Kindness
I treat every girl with kindness and help her feel proud of who she is. - I Help with Activities
I assist in running activities by organizing materials, setting up, tidying up, and managing refreshments. - I Plan with the Team
I participate in termly planning meetings to create an exciting activity program, using resources and guides from the GFS website. - I Lead Activities
I take the lead on specific activities as agreed with the volunteer team. - I Share Feedback
I collect and share the girls’ ideas and feedback with the Group Leader/Coordinator to ensure the program reflects their interests. - I Support Safety and Practical Needs
I assist with tasks like First Aid or Food Hygiene as needed. - I Prioritise Safeguarding
I inform my GFS staff contact about any concerns for the girls’ wellbeing and report safeguarding issues promptly. - I Embrace GFS Values
I follow GFS values in everything I do, being girl-focused, brave, feminist, ambitious, inclusive, and fun.
Start your volunteer journey today!
You can register your interest to volunteer at: www.actiontogether.org.uk/volunteer, and use our online directory to search hundreds of volunteer opportunities currently advertised by local groups and organisations: www.actiontogether.org.uk/volunteering
To find out more, call us on: 0161 339 2345
email us at: volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk