Most of us here in Manchester are inclined to lend a hand, help those in need and support one another when times are tough - but lots of us also just don’t know where to start.
That is where the Volunteer Centre Manchester comes in.
Each Wednesday sees a fresh wave of Manchester folks in one of the Volunteer Centre’s weekly inductions, all of whom are looking to volunteer and give their time to help voluntary organisations in the city.
“This is one of my favourite bits of the job, being able to meet people and, hopefully, get them enthusiastic about volunteering,” says Shanna, one of the Volunteering Development Workers at Volunteer Centre Manchester whilst packing up after this week’s volunteer induction session.
The session is all about helping those people find a volunteer role that is right for them and empowering new volunteers with information they will need before they volunteer. There are 13 people at this induction and it starts with a ‘getting to know you’ session where attendees chat to one another about why they are looking to volunteer.
Muhammed, one of this week’s attendees, really wants to help “mainly young people who may be a bit lost, I want to help them see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”
There is such a diversity of experience and motivation amongst today’s attendees - a second year neuroscience student, a new mum, people who are brand new to Manchester and those just wanting to meet new people and do new things. But all have a single thing in common - they are looking to volunteer.
At the end of the session, when Shanna has gone through the ‘volunteering need to knows’ and shown the group how they can find opportunities using the Volunteer Centre System, all the attendees are wished good luck and encouraged to get in touch if they want more help. There is a few questions, a little bit of anxiety around whether people have the skills and experience to volunteer, but after a bit of reassurance everyone seems to leave happy.
Reflecting on the session, Shanna said: “I think It’s also really nice for people to see that other people are like them and motivated to want to support and help people. You don’t get that so much these days – you know your friends and family are kind people but you never just get to talk to a stranger about how they want to help people”.
