I volunteer with the Ballymun Patriots Volleyball Club as a Public Relations Officer & I have been a volunteer for 2 years and 6 months now.
I am proud to say that from my involvement, the club has expanded and strengthened its social media presence, increased virtual engagement, and received a large influx of new members. With my help, the club was able to win 1st place at a city-wide social media challenge which gave €2,000 worth of equipment funds. These funds were used to redesign the logo, and buy new equipment and sportswear. The junior members were especially delighted by this as they took part in the project!
Volunteering with the club has improved my mental health. I can confidently say that it has been intrinsically rewarding and has helped boost my sense of social connection.
It has also helped me manage time better – during the pandemic, I was juggling between working as a frontline nurse and volunteering with Ballymun Patriots. It was during this time that I was able to learn how to prioritise different projects and how to be more efficient with my time. When I was looking for a job, time management was a topic that was regularly mentioned. I knew I could confidently talk about this because of my experience volunteering!
This is something I would really love to thank the club for, as their patience proved invaluable while I was learning the ropes and figuring out how to better my time management skills.
I would 100% recommend volunteering to my family, friends, and colleagues. I have met so many wonderful and talented individuals that I would not otherwise have met had I not decided to volunteer. I have also grown both professionally and personally in an environment that allows for innovation and learning. Volunteering nurtures this, so I invite everyone to take that step forward and reach out to communities that need you!
I would like to say thank you to the staff at Co Wicklow Volunteer Centre for facilitating my involvement with Ballymun Patriots Volleyball Club. With their help, I was in contact with the club very quickly, and they made the whole process very smooth and easy. They also checked in to see how I was doing, which made me feel less nervous as this was my first time volunteering ever!