Before university
I volunteered before I came to Durham and was passionate about continuing this when I came to university. I started volunteering in primary school with sports days and school open days to get a better sense of my community, and then I progressed onto sports coaching and police cadet volunteering as a teenager.
Now
Now, I am a volunteer boxing and powerlifting coach in my hometown which supports local gyms with coaching adults and children. We provide sessions for a range of abilities accommodating for those who require adjustments such as those who are neurodivergent, have disabilities or language barriers. These sessions are structured and safe to provide a comfortable environment for everyone.
I am also a representative for Nike’s Alpine Run Project, which I completed in its first year of 2023. The project focuses on getting young adults from deprived backgrounds into trail running with the ultimate goal of running the YCC or ETC UTMB. I now represent the project, liaising with the company FBB to create strategies and recruit new people.
I involve myself in the community in other ways, not just through sports, as I was a volunteer police cadet in secondary school which led to being elected the high sheriff cadet representative for my region where I would attend events, work with the High Sheriff, and help the community.
While I have graduated from cadets, I am still passionate about helping the local community as well as those further away from home. I am doing a youth empowerment project in Fiji next summer working in a village to encourage young adults to become engaged in their local community and wider society.
Balancing volunteering with my personal life and studies
I use any tools that I can including online calls, attending sessions when I can, getting involved in Durham clubs and constantly learning about initiatives and programmes that are being put in place locally.
For example, as I am passionate about getting people involved in sports and I love running, I am currently undergoing a Run Leader course so I can volunteer at local running clubs alongside my own training.
I find fundraising projects good for time management where I can dedicate a period of time towards a specific goal for a charity such as running the Great North Run for Mind Charity and Cancer Research UK or collecting resources and Christmas cards in December to donate to charities, hospitals, and shelters during my breaks away from university.
Volunteering opportunities at Durham
Around Durham, you can get involved in local groups such as Go The Distance charity which is set in the community not far from the city centre, or get involved with university run projects such as clubs, sports teams, bake sales or college events. For example, my boxing team has something called the ‘Movember spar’ which aims to raise money for Movember by putting on a charity bout for students to come and watch.
Why should you consider volunteering?
Volunteering gives me a purpose to channel my passion into projects that mean a lot to me, and it is my way of giving back to the community or getting other people involved in projects I love.
You do not need to be affluent or privileged to volunteer or get involved which is something that is very inspirational as anyone can do it. It also makes you grow as a person and develop your soft skills and awareness.
Discover more
Find out more about volunteering at Durham here
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