This Volunteers Week is a chance to say THANK YOU to all our wonderful volunteers.
Volunteers’ Week takes place between 1-7 June every year and is a time to recognise and thank volunteers. During an exceptionally difficult year, people from all walks of life around the UK have taken the time to volunteer and made a huge difference to people and their communities – just as they do every year. Volunteers are always active at the heart of every UK community. The coronavirus pandemic has rightly raised the profile of volunteering and more people than ever are aware of the immense contribution being made every single day by the UK’s volunteers. That is why, on this 38th annual #VolunteersWeek and during the #MonthofCommunity, it’s time to say: thank you volunteers!
Waterloo Community Counselling is immensely grateful to the hard-work and commitment of its team of volunteers. From the 50+ volunteer counsellors on placement at WCC to the small team that supports the Monday Meetups activity group, Waterloo Community Counselling could not function without its dedicated team of volunteers.
This volunteers week our Development & Communications officer, Lucian sat down to have a chat with three volunteers who give their time to support WCC.
Veri Seo (VS), who volunteers in the office, Malcolm Nichols (MN), who supports the MECS Monday Meetups group, and Hossain Radvar-Zangeneh (HRZ), a trainee counsellor here on placement.
Q1: What sort of volunteering do you do at WCC?
VS: I suppose I am supporting the administrative staff.
MN: At WCC my role is to support the group’s users in accessing and enjoying the activities. Meetings are held once a month so it’s not a great commitment in terms of time. Social interaction is probably the most important aspect, especially for people who might spend a lot of time alone – making conversation, being interested in them, spending time together.
HRZ: I do counselling and psychotherapy at WCC.
Q2: How long have you been volunteering with WCC?
VS: I think since September or October of last year.
MN: I saw the post advertised on Team London in October last year. We met as a group of potential volunteers in late October and the first meeting happened in January this year, so not long, about 5 months.
HRZ: Just less than a year.
Q3: What makes you decide to do volunteering, and why did you choose WCC?
VS: I’m in a Master Programme for Global Mental Health, and it felt weird to learn that only in a classroom. Plus, I was looking to get to know the London community anyway – whatever that means, I know how diverse it is! I missed my old volunteering opportunities too, I missed the community that gets built around that. I found the refugee group that you [Lucian] were putting together on the London Mayor’s Website, and I think that’s how I found Waterloo Community Counselling. The ethos of the organisation is pretty cool, I don’t have to sell it to you! I think as an American coming into the UK it’s been crazy to see all these social services that are just more available to the community than in many parts of the US.
MN: I retired from full time teaching a couple of years ago and in the lead up to that I’d investigated possible volunteering roles. I was interested in gardening and in working with refugees but the latter often requires expertise in housing, benefits and law none of which I’m any good at. The role at WCC is something I can do – I can certainly talk!
HRZ: Firstly, I am studying psychotherapy at the moment, so to be honest I have to do my placement! There was an opportunity at WCC for me to work in my mother-language, which is Farsi and also to work with asylum-seekers which I think, with my previous experiences, is my niche! I am happy to work with those people who do not have enough support.
4: Do you volunteer at anywhere else at the moment?
VS: Not at the moment but most recently, back in the states, for three years I was a rape crisis counsellor on a volunteer hotline, in Boston… it was different to here but there was a similar community of likeminded social justice-oriented people – and it has been nice to find that again here.
MN: I’m a volunteer gardener at Inner Temple Garden – which is quite formal, and at Roots and Shoots in Kennington which provides training in gardening and retail to vulnerable young people. They’re both a lot of fun, and I’ve learnt a lot in both places.
HRZ: I am also doing counselling and psychotherapy at Mind in Camden. I run a psychology school for Persian speakers around the world – mostly for poor people who don’t have access to counselling and psychotherapy. I run free workshops and courses for them.
Q5: Why do you think volunteering is important?
VS: It is an important way of developing an understanding and appreciation for a new work environment, and a chance to meet new people.
MN: Volunteering is important to organisations both from a financial aspect (affording staff) as well as benefiting from the skills that different volunteers can bring, skills that otherwise might go to waste. From a personal point of view it keeps me sane, I spend time with fascinating people, and I feel useful doing something that I consider important.
HRZ: It is very important. Not to get too political but we are living in a world with individualism and capitalism. Volunteering and charity work helps us to come back together again and to think about society, to help each other and work on improving society. We are lacking this at the moment. Everyone is thinking about themselves, and only their benefit. That’s why we have lots of problems around the world. Volunteering work is necessary and very important in the modern time and is one of the only ways that we can come back together, see each other, feel each other and see each other’s problems.
Q6: Do you think more people should volunteer? If so, why?
VS: Yes, I think people should try to volunteer to a cause that they are passionate about but not necessarily everyone all the time. I think volunteering should be done for the right reasons and maybe we should also learn to volunteer thoughtfully. I think a lot about workflow of the organisation, and how much of a challenge it can be to train up people [who might only be volunteering once a week]. It feels idealistic to say everyone can volunteer all the time because realistically you would want people who are committed to the work they are doing and can grow and change into roles as the organisation needs them too.
MN: Definitely, although there are limits to the time people have while they’re trying to survive financially in a city like London. Now that I’ve discovered the world of volunteering, I’ve realised that there are endless possibilities. It’s more a question of whether more people COULD volunteer.
HRZ: Of course, yes. I think the best way to volunteer is for us to be more conscious about what are the real problems. Its important for all of us to focus on what is important in this world – are we going to survive or not? Any kind of volunteering that helps us be together and be stronger as a society is important for humanity.
Q7: What is / was the best or most rewarding thing about your time volunteering?
VS: Truly, the admin team and everyone at WCC have been so incredibly welcoming, and willing to pause and teach and share reflections on what their work has been like and how Covid has impacted it. I think its nice to sit in an office and see the value of the work you’re doing – its nice to share that excitement in the work. Inspirational!
MN: There’s no one thing. If anything it’s the people I’ve met – wonderful people.
HRZ: Doing voluntary work as an asylum-seeker in this country was a door into society. It’s a chance to feel useful and to be accepted. When you come to a new country and face many things you are grateful to be welcomed and want to ask what to give back. Volunteering gives me freedom and safety.
Q8: What was the most challenging part?
VS: There hasn’t been any too challenging… I wish my schedule had worked out more so I could have had more time here.
MN: So far nothing has gone wrong, so nothing too challenging yet! The main challenge is to think before you speak – to remain tactful and to consider how your questions or opinions might come across to other people. To consider their needs.
HRZ: The most challenging is always the economy. Surviving in London is a full-time job, so when you want to do the voluntary work its challenging to be [financially] stable. I also struggle with the limited funds on offer at organisations and not being able to organise projects that I might want to run.
Q9: What skills or knowledge have you gained through volunteering?
VS: I think I learned a lot about how ‘social’ services also integrate with health services in London. Its amazing to learn about the different services that are available across London – it’s been pretty eye opening. If I was in only doing my Master Programme, learning about Global Mental Health and not volunteering, I definitely would not have gotten to know about London that way. Since I’m a medical student too I’m going to be providing a service for people, in a totally different, yet somewhat similar setting. It’s been cool, as a future health provider, to see what kind of services there could be and to hear about the staff teams ideas and plans for the organisation’s future development.
MN: People skills, empathy, cultural empathy – the kind of skills that aren’t really measurable (and so they’re the most important!)
HRZ: My counselling and psychotherapy experience and working with my clients in a service like WCC.
Q10: What motivates you to stay involved in volunteering?
VS: I miss seeing you guys! It makes a huge difference having a supportive administrative team and supervisors. The social aspect is a big part of it and getting to see inspirational people in the weeds – doing the work. The second part is of course getting to know London and an understanding of the refugee and asylum-seeker experience in the city.
MN: The fact that it only gets better – my knowledge, friendships, relationships skills; being part of something important; the kind of work that I might have chosen as a career if only…
HRZ: I know many charities are struggling in terms of their funding. This motivates me to stay. I am an activist and I want to fight for these services. It is important now to stay and ride the wave. Fire motivates me to stay here, my fire. We have to fight for it.
Q11: What contribution or achievement are you most proud of?
VS: Oh hmm… You tell me! Showing up?
MN: Just the fact that I’ve managed to turn up! But also, that the group is now established and will grow and having being part of that.
HRZ: I think I am proud of my increased self-confidence in society which has grown as I have had the chance to be involved with charities and do voluntary work. In counselling of course the experience of seeing the clients is a great chance to sit with real people and grow with them.
Q12: What volunteering would you like to do more of in the future?
VS: Maybe once I have actual health or psychiatric skills, I would like to volunteer my time. I recognise that I have got a lot of education and training opportunities that other people haven’t so why not use the skills I have. I think once I am trained and certified as a health professional, I could provide patient / client facing volunteer services.
MN: I’d like to get more involved with the organisations where I currently volunteer – I’d also like to travel again now that it’s possible and explore volunteering opportunities abroad, perhaps some more teaching.
HRZ: I will continue this work as a counsellor and therapist and a big part of my work will always be with people who can’t pay, and I want to continue working in communities and charities. I would like to do more work in political and environmental activism. We need more power. We cannot sit here and say that we cannot do more than this, we have to, and the time is now.