This volunteers week at Paisley YMCA, we are paying tribute to our wonderful youth work volunteers who gladly give their time and expertise to enrich the lives of young people, helping them along and showing them the benefits of STEM learning in our space every week.
One of our young leaders, Erin Black, is a former young person who regularly attended our sessions as and has since become a volunteer for other young people to hold as a role model in our space. She tells us;
“I’ve been volunteering for 2 years. For my caritas award and because I already knew people here. I knew all the young ones and staff, so it was easier to transition into a volunteer role. It’s been fun! I found my friends here and I feel I can help young people find out who they are through this, helping them find out what they like. There are a few young people here that I’ve seen change because they’ve been here, becoming more confident and outspoken. Even I’ve gotten more confident volunteering here.”
We also interviewed another of our long-term volunteers Debbs Lilley, who is a regular at our STEM Girls group every Wednesday. She brings a great sense of fun and energy to our sessions, with her technical knowledge and expertise in all things nerdy!
- How long have you been volunteering with us?
I’ve been with Paisley YMCA since 2015. I started teaching the coding block from the website Scratch, as they used to partner with CoderDojo.
2. Why did you want to volunteer at Paisley YMCA specifically?
I started volunteering at Paisley YMCA because I needed to do something after college to get to know Paisley. I used to volunteer at CoderDojo club in Inverness. I heard YMCA Paisley had one and I joined. It was fun helping the library with the club and all the STEM. It was a great way to find a job.
3. What has your experience been volunteering with us since you’ve began?
Experience volunteering with YMCA has shown me that I’m resilient, passionate, and want to help make a difference while somehow finding time to relax. But I love learning new hobbies, alone or teaching a group slightly into the same hobby. It’s amazing my hobby became a paid youth worker, teaching disabled adults film making, 3D printing to libraries, beginning coding to children and craft though my cosplay.
4. What motivates you to volunteer to work with our young people?
I used to work with children at church and what better way to keep on going? It’s not easy to be paid for a permanent job in the creative industries. But it’s a great hobby to teach young people tech, radio, film, sewing, music and more when you’ve got Grade A in HNC creative industries.
5. Would you describe working with us as a positive experience? If so, how?
If a club makes you happy in the 3 weeks, it is best to stay. You never know what opportunities lay behind the corner.
We would like to thank Erin, Debbs and all our wonderful volunteers who assist with our weekly youth work activity and provide a great example for young people they interact with. Their presence greatly helps to show other young people the benefits and responsibilities of helping their community at Paisley YMCA. We couldn’t do it without you!