Gill’s story: Volunteering has given me another dimension

Starting her volunteering journey

Gill began volunteering with Centrepoint 4 years ago, after she took early retirement following a varied career in HR. She knew as she entered retirement that she wanted to do something with her newfound free time that would not only be purposeful to her but could bring purpose to other people’s lives.

“I was fortunate enough to be able to take early retirement and I knew that I wanted to do something worthwhile. I wanted to do something - I didn't want to just go out for lunch. I felt very strongly that I wanted to feel like I really live a purposeful life.”

She felt a personal connection to Centrepoint and the cause, as her husband had been a dedicated supporter during his life. He was deeply moved by a poster he saw on the train during his commute, and afterwards he began to regularly donate.

After he passed away unexpectedly nine years ago and as Gill entered into retirement, she was looking for ways that she could continue on his memory and found a volunteer role at Centrepoint that meant she could use her expertise to give back.

“My husband died unexpectedly nine years ago now. And he been a Centrepoint supporter. Because he died so quickly, we had no opportunity to talk about his wishes or what he wanted. I decided I wanted to continue his support. I wanted to do it in his memory.”

Taking on her first role

Gill’s career in HR meant that she had developed a range of interpersonal and communication skills, which when beginning to volunteer, especially with young people, can be hugely beneficial in building relationships and creating a supportive environment. After searching the volunteer portal, she was able to find a coaching role, which felt like the perfect fit for her. 

“They were looking for coaches. My background is HR, and I was a trained coach where I worked. I thought this was just the perfect opportunity for me to volunteer for Centrepoint.”

Gill began her volunteering journey during lockdown and so to begin with, her sessions were taking place over the phone and WhatsApp video. Her meetings were with young people who were looking for guidance and support on taking the next steps in their journey – whether that be with their career, their education or a life decision they are struggling with. 

“With coaching you don't give people answers you help them. You know it's a bit of a journey you help them along the way, so they come up with their own their own solutions”.

She has fond memories of working with a young asylum seeker, who couldn’t decide which type of engineering course he wanted to study. She remembers talking through his options, helping him to weigh up the different choices he had and what he wanted to do in the future, so that he could take the informed decisions he needed for his next steps. With her support, he was able to pick the right course for him. “He said he would always remember my support, so that meant a huge amount to me. It was that was hugely rewarding.”

Alongside working with young people in a coaching capacity, Gill has also taken on opportunities supporting with ESOL, employability training, volunteering at the Chelsea Flower Show and at the cheer stations during different sporting events, like the Marathon. She’s enjoyed the varied options she’s been able to take on through volunteering and how flexible it can be around her life and commitments. 

When thinking about the opportunity she has enjoyed the most, it was the chance to support young people with their employability skills. Knowing that she’s been able to use the skills she learnt through work to able to help young people secure roles or feel more comfortable entering the working world has been really beneficial for Gill. 

“I think what I did recently with the employability training sitting down one on one with the young people and helping them. I think that stays with me, drawing on my HR background and doing something with it and using my brain again - I thoroughly enjoyed that. The cheer volunteering is fun, it’s really high energy and it’s a great atmosphere. But more than anything, I think it’s just working with young people”.

The impact of volunteering

When reflecting on her volunteering experiences over the last five years, Gill enjoyed the opportunity to have a space to think about all of the things she has done with the team, all of the young people she’s worked with and the positive impact it has had on her. It’s clear that her volunteering has been fundamental for a lot of young people around Centrepoint in different capacities, although she humbly only sees herself as a small part of their journeys.

“Well, I think I’m probably just a small part, but if it makes a bit of a difference then I'm happy.”

For Gill, volunteering has given her a sense of purpose and direction, which in her retirement she wasn’t sure that she would have had. Being able to give back, not only for herself but in her husband’s memory, and using her experiences and background has been a force for positive change.

“It's rewarding. I'm glad to be able to use my skills with the coaching. For me it's given me another dimension. Now I'm retired and I could just spend my time doing nice things, which I do but it's given me a dimension that I needed where I'm giving back in some way, and I'll do it in memory of my husband so, it's a win-win.” 

Gill recognises the impact that volunteering has also had on opening her eyes to young people’s experiences and direction their life could go without the support of organisations, and volunteers, there to help them. 

“What I’ve learned? Just how important the work that Centrepoint does and is and what difficult lives some young people have had and how very, very different their futures could be or could have been, without the support of Centrepoint.”

Advice for future volunteers

For Gill, her biggest piece of advice for anyone thinking about volunteering but not knowing where to start, would be to speak with people who are volunteering now. This can help new volunteers to understand what they get out of it and what to expect from the experience. 

“Don’t be frightened – I get a lot out of it. It's been good for me. Maybe speak to somebody already who volunteers who could tell you real life experiences. Go out and speak to volunteers if you’ve got any concerns”.

She also appreciates that as someone who is in retirement, she has a lot more time on her hands, but that volunteering can be open to anyone and everyone who wants to be involved. She suggests for people who don’t have much time or who are worried about having to commit a lot of energy to this, to reach out to volunteer teams and explain their situation. 

“If you've got concerns, speak to them. If you're concerned that you haven't got enough time, explain any limitations to what you can bring and what your concerns are. But just speak to people at Centrepoint.”

She remembers sharing similar concerns when she first started her experiences with Centrepoint, but that the volunteer team were easily able to put her mind at rest. Before starting volunteering with Centrepoint, she hadn’t taken on a volunteer role in the past and so was grateful for the support of the team to guide her through a new experience.

“At the beginning, I thought, oh, gosh, I've been retired for a couple of years, can I do this? But I was very, very supported by the volunteer team at Centrepoint.”

We are so appreciative for all the support that Gill has given during her time as a volunteer and are so excited to continue getting the opportunity to find even more ways for her to get involved!