Developing professional skills through volunteering
Noha
Noha, an undergraduate in London, tells us how volunteering this summer gave her an opportunity to develop her professional skills, broaden her career horizons and learn more about her own heritage.
In June 2020 Noha, an undergraduate studying English at Kings College, found herself at home after university had finished for the summer. The easing of lock-down had begun but the situation was unpredictable and insecure and she was eager to find an activity that was both challenging and rewarding.
Finding the right role
I didn’t have a clear idea of what I was looking for, but I knew Team London would be the best place to start. I’ve been using the site to source volunteering roles for about four years now. Team London always have a really good range of opportunities to choose from and I knew that remote-working roles would give me a much broader range of options.
The Content Creator role offered by Together in the UK (TGIUK) really stood out for me. They were looking for someone to capture stories, experiences and write reviews and articles about the immigrants they support and with my English background this sounded right up my street. I am a second-generation migrant and was brought up on stories from my family so instantly felt their values were aligned with my own history.
I love the work I’ve been doing with them. Not only do I help with articles and reviews I also now help out with their social media. I thought I’d only have access to this kind of experience via an Intern role. It has turned out to be such a great opportunity and I am now seriously considering it as a career path.
When did you start volunteering?
In year 11 my school encouraged us to get involved in volunteering as part of extracurricular activities and to help and give back to the community which I was always enthusiastic about. I found the Team London volunteering site myself and found they always had a lot to offer - it quickly became my go-to site for interesting and stimulating opportunities.
How did you apply and what happened next?
After registering my interest through the Team London website I quickly received a response from one of the founders. They interviewed me over Zoom and I started the following week and was given my first writing assignment immediately. The first project I worked on was a review of the ‘British Bangladeshis’ episode of the BBC TV series ‘A Very British History’. It was very tailored to me, my interests and my background. I learned so much and enjoyed it. Read the article here.
As volunteers we were updated on a weekly basis about the work and impact we were achieving at TGIUK. I was excited that my article had even attracted interest from Downing Street! Through volunteer networking and workshops I was invited to write an article about the Windrush generation too.
Volunteering for TGIUK has been very rewarding. I found myself learning about really important events, people’s lives and recording the vital history of so many of them. I was also able to expand my knowledge and skills of how to use Twitter, such an important marketing platform in today’s digital environment and I have received positive feedback. This has been another way for me to develop and contribute.
What are the benefits of volunteering?
As well as all the real experiences I can add to my CV and talk about in any future interviews, there has been the really unexpected balance between personal fulfilment, education and training in new skills and opening up a possible new career path.
Noha is 19 years of age and lives in Greater London.
Together in the UK is an organisation committed and passionate about sharing the stories and insights of migrants' experiences of coming to the UK.
Take a look at the roles available on the Team London website and start your volunteering journey today.