To celebrate Volunteers’ Week the DofE is focusing on the inspirational young people who make a real difference to the elderly in their community.
The Volunteering section of the DofE is all about making a difference to other people's lives. From conservation to youth work to fundraising for a favourite charity or caring for animals, there's an endless list of the types of projects young people can get involved in. But it’s not just the individual that benefits. DofE participants’ voluntary work is worth over £13.5m to local communities across the UK each year. What’s more, 61% of Gold Award holders continue with volunteering work after they have completed their programmes.
Volunteers' Week is a national celebration of volunteers and volunteering which takes place from 1 – 7 June this year. This year, Volunteers' Week is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Gold DofE participant, Laura Arblaster chose to volunteer in a residential home because she was deciding to study medicine at the time and thought it would help her make a decision, she said: “I would say one the main things I gained from volunteering was there was such a wealth of new knowledge, as the residents really had done and seen so many things that I was unaware of and it helped to open my eyes to the world outside of sixth form and gain a more realistic perspective on life.”
She added: “The staff were incredible, but always run off their feet, so it was so nice to have been able to devote just an extra hour or two to individuals each visit, they often are so lonely and a chat would brighten up their day. Building up such a good relationship with residents over my year there was rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable, I really did get very involved with some residents and still pop in when I am home from University to see how they are getting on.”
DofE participant, Eoin Dore volunteered at a residential home for a year, he said: “I realised how much of a difference a few hours of my time could make to people. I mean all I really did was going there every Sunday and have a chat to the residents. Nothing too difficult, but being the only person someone really interacts with in the day, learning someone else has travelled the world 50 years before you or finding out the quiet elderly man in the corner doing crosswords represented England for cricket is a fulfilling experience; and more importantly when I look back on it is something I'm proud of.
He added: “Other positive experiences I gained when I volunteered included one day when I came in with a massive black eye from playing rugby the day before and talking to one of the residents and finding out it was a much dirtier game when he was playing. It was fun working out which biscuits people liked, which may seem trivial, but took me two months and debating issues in the newspaper with the older people.”
DofE Gold participant, Tom Blackmore, said: "Working at the residential home was a really rewarding experience. I found it both interesting and humbling to learn more about the lives of the residents. I'd recommend working with the elderly to anyone struggling for ideas for their DofE volunteering. It's not just a helpful role for the residents but a fun and rewarding way to complete your volunteering section."