Volunteers’ Week Blog 1: Marie
June 1, 2021Marie writes about the sense of achievement that volunteering as a befriender gives her.
I currently volunteer for Mind in Bradford in a befriender role.
Over the last year I began noticing how isolation was affecting people, with limited social experiences and interactions and the reduction of face-to-face support, especially within mental health. This made me think about how I could help someone to hopefully feel that little bit better.
I approached Mind in Bradford and became a volunteer. I was matched with someone who I now contact weekly.
Some weeks I’m just listening, some weeks I’m offering encouragement and best of all some weeks we spend the time laughing!
Each week I feel a sense of achievement that I took a small part of my day to be there for someone else. It’s not all about giving, it’s also what you gain from volunteering. You develop listening skills and understanding, build a rapport over time and share stories.
The post Volunteers’ Week Blog 1: Marie first appeared on Mind in Bradford.
