Dan Pothecary

Active Student - a volunteer's experience

Dan is an Education and English Literature student, based at the Hastings campus.

Dan recently won a Hastings Youth Award for his work in the community.

Why did you first look into volunteering?

To gain experience in a primary school setting and take part in such an exciting project. I also took part in the Felt Making Project that ran at the start of my Year 1 working with elderly people at the WVS in St. Leonard's.

Where have you volunteered through Active Student and what does that organisation do?

Guestling Bradshaw CE Primary School, working on a reading project with boys in Years 4 and 5 to try and encourage them to read.

What do you do in your volunteering role?

I attend the school weekly and work with a group of select children and read books with them and take part in other activities to engage them with the books we are reading.

What does a typical volunteering session for you involve?

Meeting with the Deputy Head and discussing what she would like the session to achieve and talking about any concerns we may have. Then I pop in to the class and speak to the teacher and see if they have a group they want me to take out first. I spend about 15 minutes with each group of boys listening to them read, sometimes longer, when it is longer we have various activities to test the boys' understanding of the text and ways to involve them. For example, one person will read and the others will draw a picture showing what is happening at that moment in the story.

What do you get out of volunteering? Any particular skills/knowledge?

I gain an understanding of what it is like to work in a school and it has helped my confidence in working with children and other teachers.

What do you enjoy about volunteering?

I like the fact I know I am helping the children develop their reading skills and this is worthwhile for me. Getting them interested and excited about reading makes me realise how worthwhile the scheme is.

How has Active Student supported you with your volunteering?

They helped me source my placement and provided me with assistance when another placement I was looking at undertaking failed.

Would you recommend volunteering to other students and why?

I would, it is really helpful in providing an insight in to how different places work and  gain experience in career specific areas – in my case, a school. It is also a great way to network and get your face out there for when it comes to looking for placements and, in the future, jobs. It’s also great on your CV and would provide you with the edge when in an interview situation as you have the wider experience that employers love.

If you were to sum up your volunteering experience at this organisation so far, in one sentence, how would you?

"My volunteering experience has been invaluable, enjoyable and entertaining."