Inspiring Stories

Harry, 67, volunteers for The Foundation.  His duties range from helping HIV sufferers with daily chores such as dealing with social services, to providing them with the emotional support that they need to deal with their condition.  Harry has been interested in social issues since he was a child and always felt very strongly about protecting vulnerable people.

"People need a champion at some point in their lives - someone to fight their corner. Someone has to defend vulnerable people from exploitation."

He always felt he had a "blessed childhood" and wanted to give something back.  Active in his local community as a volunteer organist and film projectionist, Harry also fundraised for St. Richard's Hostel and it was there where he saw a sign asking for volunteer befrienders for The Foundation, a charity supporting people with HIV.

After receiving thorough training in the areas of confidentiality, disease progression, drug therapy, injection control as well as stigma, prejudice and attitudes, befrienders from The Foundation spend time with people with HIV, visiting them, going for walks or accompanying them to medical appointments. They are also involved with advocacy work, helping to negotiate with other bodies, such as social services.  

“There are so many things you take for granted in your own life. It’s good to share your skills with people that are struggling with the pressures of life – it gives them independence and you a warm glow."

“You get so much positive feedback from volunteering. All you need to do is just be yourself.”

Aimee (18) decided to take a gap year from her studies. She always wanted to be a youth worker and thought it would be a good idea to try some volunteering work in order to gain some professional experience in the field.  She started volunteering for the Cumbria Youth Alliance's Youth Club, offering her friendship and support to other teenagers going through difficult times.

She had been involved in volunteering work before, when she joined a regeneration programme in Poland, where she helped restore a house.  

"I found myself giving support and having to comfort a couple of team members who started to feel homesick and disorientated."

She soon became very popular and her skills were increasingly appreciated at the Youth Club in Cumbria. Now, some of the people she went to school with are turning up seeking her friendship and advice, which she finds very challenging and at the same time very rewarding.

"Young people would always prefer to talk about their problems to someone their own age."

Thanks to her volunteering experience at the youth club, she has been offered a part-time paid job, mentoring and befriending people her own age.

Lucy thought she would be able to offer more help to a young person by being directly involved with service users, and that is how she became involved in the one-to-one befriending programme for teenagers.

“I spent at least three hours per week with Azad, a 10 year old Asian boy who had been excluded from mainstream school. I collected him from home and then we would go and do some kind of pre-arranged activity such as a trip to City Farm, playing in the park, swimming, go-karting, cinema and other activities suitable for a kid of his age."

“It was very interesting to experience the relationship and trust/respect developing. We were quite wary of each other to begin with but once we’d found our feet we really got on well and had quite good banter. I found that I had to be realistic in my expectations of what the relationship could achieve. While the aim is to have a positive impact, you cannot work miracles. I had been keen to work with someone who was having difficulty at school and Azad went to a special school for children with educational and behavioural difficulties. However he would never talk much about school so it was difficult to develop any knowledge of his educational experiences. I did go to watch him perform music and poetry at school once and he was genuinely chuffed that I was there which was brilliant for both of us. His mum was working so she couldn’t make it. I also got to know Azad’s mum well and realised what a huge help it was to her that I was there to give her some respite time (they had quite a strained relationship at times). She also found it helpful to have someone else with whom she could share her thoughts about her son.”

“Whilst I was befriending, I discovered that I was expecting a baby. Azad was brilliant and supportive of me at that time, and very understanding if I didn’t want to get in a go-kart or on a fun fair ride! He and his mum both came to visit me and the baby when I was on maternity leave which I thought was a really lovely way to conclude things.”

Lucy found that building a one-to-one relationship and seeing a young person develop is an incredibly rewarding experience as well as a very good way to help young people directly and that befriending can have a really positive impact in their lives.

Kai is a child from a disadvantaged background who also suffered from ADHD and was desperate for some personal attention. Thanks to SOVA Lincolnshire Mentoring Programme and Robert's efforts , Kai achieved the unimaginable, both at a personal as well as academic and professional level.

Kai was diagnosed with ADHD and came from a disadvantaged background, living under enormous pressures at home. He was desperate for some personal attention and for someone to respond to his needs. Kai was in luck because not only did Sova have a volunteer mentor available, but they had the ‘best-fit’ volunteer for him!

Robert supported, encouraged and challenged Kai to believe in himself and to stretch himself. The strategy Robert worked to, was to offer Kai his undivided attention in their meetings, to keep contact at critical times via the telephone, to engage Kai’s interest in the things he enjoyed doing and to introduce him to activities that were new to him. No magic formula, just consistent care and the provision of constant encouragement and stimulus.

The result was a lad who began to believe in himself and who started to push through his own boundaries in search of personal achievement and success. And achieve he has, in style! Kai achieved six grade D’s at GCSE, three grade C’s, 1 grade B and 1 grade F. He also secured a good job and is – quite rightly – feeling very proud of himself!

His success is a result of his massive respect and trust for Robert his volunteer, and of the value he placed on his support and advice. The degree of sheer effort and time devoted by Robert to support this lad cannot be underestimated.

(Names have been changed).

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