volunteer stories
At COVEY, we are incredibly grateful to our volunteers, who dedicate their time to improving the lives of our children, young people and their families. Some of our valued volunteers recently shared their rewarding experiences.
David
Beginning as a one-to-one befriender, David helped seven children before moving on to work with groups. Most recently, he began working with the ANGELS group in Lanark, where he supports young people with Additional Support Needs to access opportunities. Reflecting on his various roles within COVEY, David remembers his time as a one-to-one befriender and the sense of reward this has brought him.
“I was once a befriender for a young boy when he was around 8 or 9 years old. We would do activities with COVEY, like building drystone dykes, and he started saying he wanted to do it as a career. The things I was doing with him were making him think about his future. I met him ten years later. He was married with children. This wee boy who once needed my help has now grown into this man, with a family. I like to think I played a part in that.”
Katie
“The most rewarding part of volunteering with COVEY is making a difference to a young person’s life, whether that’s being someone to talk to, making them laugh or just being a friendly smiling face. It has been lovely to see the positive development and progress of young people over the years and to see, firsthand, the amazing impact COVEY has had in their journey is incredibly rewarding.”
Eilidh
Beginning her volunteer journey at the Additional Needs Gaining Experience in Life Skills group (ANGELS) in East Kilbride, Eilidh only intended to stay to complete her volunteering requirement for her Duke of Edinburgh Award. However, on getting to know the wonderful young people she was supporting, she remembers how she simply ‘couldn’t leave them’.
Eilidh’s dedication to her role saw her move from attending one group to two groups a week. She wanted to continue supporting the young people as they moved to their ‘transition’ group. Watching the members of ANGELS progress and develop was incredibly rewarding for Eilidh:
“I've seen some massive transformations in some of the young people. When they first start, sometimes they don't speak or interact and six months down the line, they are taking charge of a game or helping other new young people thrive. It really is amazing to watch.”
Jemma
Jemma describes her descision to volunteer with COVEY as "one of the best decision I ever made". Reflecting on her volunteer journey as a Befriending Volunteer, Jemma explains what she finds most rewarding about her role:
“It made me so happy when my young person told me that our outings are his favourite part of the week. You don’t just get a snippet of information, you actually get to invest in a young person. You see them come through challenges, develop passions and enjoy outings. You get to be their listening ear and actually become an important part of their lives. It’s so rewarding.”
