Name: Abigail Davey                                                                          

Course: BA Hons Social Work

Volunteer Role: Course Rep

"Volunteering as a class rep, I am always using organisation skills to manage my time, patience and communication skills to support others"

What are your main duties and how do they benefit others?

As a class rep I gain feedback from my cohort and take this forward with staff and lecturers. I also support the lecturers to share important messages via our cohorts group chat which I set up and administrate. This role benefits others because we are able to share what's working well, and ask for adjustments where there are issues to try and improve things for the good of the whole learning group. I feel it also supports students to feel connected and included during this isolating year of Covid-19!

I also (alongside some other students in my cohort) helped organise and carry out a foodbank ration challenge to raise awareness of food poverty and money for the Trussell trust!

What have you enjoyed most about volunteering?:

I like helping others, it is what has drawn me to the social work profession. I feel that having a joined up learning experience really supports our learning community and we have good channels of communication so no one misses anything.

What skills have you learnt and used during your volunteering?

Organisation skills, communication skills and patience!

What are your future career aspirations?

My career aspirations are first and foremost to be a social worker. In particular, I am hoping to become a forensic mental health social worker or an Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP), which is a specialist role in mental social work.  By volunteering as a class rep, I am always using organisation skills to manage my time, patience and communication skills to support others..... something I will most definitely need a lot of in my future career, so the opportunity to practice these is fantastic.

What inspires you to volunteer?

To make a difference in peoples lives, however small... and to help with my employability in my future career!

What is your favourite volunteering memory?

It was really lovely to see my fellow students taking part in the foodbank challenge and we made over £900 for the Trussell trust... and possibly have some news coverage on its way for everyone's hard work! Which i helped with the article for!

Why do you love volunteering?

I like volunteering because I genuinely enjoy helping people, helping them to feel included and to make the most out of any experience. I also volunteer as an Independent visitor with a child in care... and i am now considering to apply to become an appropriate adult with open road! Needless to say, i also like to be busy!