Lucy started volunteering with Forward because she wanted to help people. During the placement year of her Sociology and Criminology degree, she was looking for some hands-on experience to contribute towards a future career.
Lucy’s main role is with the Recovery and Resettlement Team. She has been working with clients to carry out welfare checks and get essential supplies sorted for their new homes. Lucy has met so many people that I’ve connected with. That’s why, even though she was supposed to finish her placement in April, she decided to carry on.
Lucy also works on Forward’s online live chat service, Reach Out. Sharing her experience of volunteering at that service, Lucy says:
“Before now, I’d never dealt with vulnerable people in the real world who had such complex issues. It’s allowed me to see first-hand how desperate people are, and how much we as a society we need to help them.
“The situations and conversations I’ve found myself in during my time with Forward have been challenging, but the training I received made me well-prepared.
“My mentor has been extremely helpful, and I’m certainly not short of ongoing support from my teammates. Everybody’s so supportive and it makes the job so much easier.”
Applying knowledge as a volunteer in a future career
Lucy’s experience volunteering with Forward has taught her how to apply the things she is learning in university, which Lucy hopes will help her achieve her dream career in a deprivation service. She feels much more confident about working with vulnerable people now and is certainly in a better position to help them:
“The number one thing I’ve learnt through volunteering is how to communicate with vulnerable people. Previously, if someone came to me with a problem, I would probably just encourage them to be positive about it. But now I can address things more professionally.
“I’ve learnt that it’s okay for people to be upset; the focus should simply be on being there for them and giving or guiding them to the right help."
