Volunteers being celebrated at Shropshire youth charity
“Nothing makes us happier” - that’s the message from people at a Shropshire youth charity which is celebrating its volunteers as part of a national campaign.
SYA - All About Youth runs and supports youth clubs all over the county, providing young people with a safe space to grow, learn and simply hang out with their friends.
The charity employs qualified, experienced youth workers to run activities and advise community organisations, but also relies on volunteers to help provide a range of sessions for young people.
Chief executive of SYA, Richard Parkes, said volunteers were an essential part of every youth club and deserved to be celebrated.
He said: “Volunteers Week runs from the first Monday in June to celebrate and recognise the contribution of volunteers - both to say thank you and perhaps to inspire others to get involved too.
“The beauty of volunteering with youth groups is the sheer variety of activities you can help with, from spending a couple of hours showing young people how to sow seeds, to being a regular volunteer running a club on a weekly basis.
“We also have a longstanding volunteer who helps with office administration and produces the SYA newsletter, which is hugely valuable and much appreciated. The choice is yours depending on your time commitments and interests.
“We are always happy to hear from anyone who is keen to get involved - just send an email to info@sya.org.uk or visit the website at sya.org.uk for more information.”
Sarah Durnall volunteers at Hadley Youth Club, helping SYA’s qualified youth workers with a range of activities.
She said: “I volunteer to provide young people with a safe place to learn life skills, to have fun, try new experiences and to grow in a positive environment.
“Nothing makes me happier than supporting or helping people to grow, whether it's to enable them, teach a new skill or be there to cheer them on when they are achieving.
“It gives me pride to know that I am helping towards bringing youth provision back into Telford and learning new skills along the way.”
Another volunteer, Yvonne Carter, started helping at Hanwood Youth Club as a way to meet people in the community after moving to Shropshire from London during the Covid pandemic.
She said: “As a volunteer, I help local young people in our village to take part in activities and socialise in a safe and engaging setting.
“As a small village there isn’t much for young people to do locally so the youth club is beneficial for them to explore, learn and make new friends.
“Young people from the village primary school are able to interact and make friends with older students from Mary Webb Secondary School in Pontesbury, which I find encourages positive relationships and a smoother transition between Year 6 and Year 7.
“Volunteering helps me to contribute to the local community and I have made friends at the same time. I have learned new skills, had new experiences and also found enjoyment helping our young people to grow and learn.”
