Why I volunteer: Emily Symonds

We interviewed Emily Symonds, our Talent Acquisition Lead, to find out why volunteering is important to her. Emily has participated in a range in activities such as working in a Soup Kitchen at Providence Row for vulnerable homeless people, mentoring in schools and supporting disabled people in sports.‍

1. What type of volunteering do you do and why?

I have volunteered in a range of areas before, in schools providing mentorship, aiding people with disabilities within sport and recently providing cooking support in a homeless shelter.

2. How has WeShape supported your volunteer efforts?

WeShape have provided me with vision across different volunteering options, providing clear oversight of volunteering options available each month, so we can make informed decisions and have knowledge about what local areas need support. A good example is the recent Soup Kitchen Volunteering I completed in a homeless shelter, which was a really interesting experience. I wouldn't have known about this and it being round the corner if it wasn't for WeShape informing and allowing me to take time out of my working day to volunteer.

3. Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and if so why?

YES, without a doubt. I personally took a lot from the recent experience at the Soup kitchen, although my responsibilities for the day were solely cooking and serving food, throughout the day we we learnt a lot and got a lot of exposure across the entire services. How they support the Homeless around IT services, Mentoring, Gardening - so opening up in future areas they may need support in. Overall as a whole volunteering gives you another layer of understanding of different communities, others adversities, giving you another perspective and new ideas of how you may be able to help.

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