The difference four days can make, volunteering with the Boys and Girls’ Club
(Fake names have been used for the purpose of this case study)
The journey of a young volunteer with one of the Volunteering Wales Grants funded projects, The Boys’ and Girls’ Club, which is one of 15 projects that has been funded to exclusively support volunteers aged 14 – 25.
Boys’ and Girls’ Club – the journey of Owain
There is no doubt that young people gain invaluable experiences, life skills and confidence through volunteering opportunities offered to them. On many occasions, it has been witnessed that such experiences and skills learnt from being involved in volunteering at adolescence begin to define and shape an individual into a positive and active member within their communities transitioning into adulthood.
One specific example of this development can certainly be said for one of our volunteers Owain, who has been an incredibly active and involved young volunteer with us for almost one year now.
Owains’ first experience of volunteering
Close to the beginning of Owain’s volunteering journey with us, we invited him on our annual 100 Mile Canoe Test; which is a four day residential whereby all of our volunteers and staff members camped along the River Wye, completing 100 miles in a canoe in four days. Although a massive lover of sports and exercise, Owain was extremely nervous and shy at the start of the experience, only engaging in group activities and being involved in discussion after some encouragement. However, by the end of our 100 miles, Owain had not only found a great belief in his abilities, but had become a strong leader of our group; expressing great motivational skills, being a support to any person who needed it along the river and had made friends for life. A far cry from the young person we brought along four days earlier!
After the canoe test was over, it wasn’t long before Owain showed far more of an interest in being involved in everything he possibly could be. With a new-found self-confidence, Owain has recently been involved with a fantastic project with Prince’s Trust – ‘Get Started in Urban Spaces’; a new challenge which required Owain to work in an environment significantly out of his comfort zone, with a new group of people unknown to him. This was a gardening project for a local school, where all participants where renovating a wild flower garden and building a base for a shed; all skills Owain had never come across before! By the end of the week, it was clear that working together effectively and efficiently as a team was vital in order to complete this project, all of which Owain now excelled in.
Owain goes to Germany
Lastly, in August, a group of young people from our youth clubs across the whole of Wales travelled over to Germany with our staff members to participate in an Annual Youth Exchange. Owain was one of these young people. Having never been abroad before, it was safe to say Owain was showing signs of apprehension, especially so as he was travelling without his parents, with more individuals he didn’t know! Across the two weeks the youth exchange lasted, Owain was faced with new challenges and activities, such as yoga and mountain climbing; which at first made him feel quite uncomfortable and uneasy, but by the end was the first to suggest new activities and involve everyone in the process.
Thank you Owain!
Over the past year, Owain has grown incredibly as an individual. Now one of our most admirable, confident and encouraging volunteers, Owain has challenged his beliefs and attempted new opportunities to build on his skillset. Having also completed his Level 2 Sports Leaders UK qualification with us, it is proof that he will go on to be a very active and competent member of his community, putting skills and abilities into practice that he never would have developed if it were not for his time volunteering with us.