Yesterday evening I once again went ice skating for my volunteer work, and this week I was asked to look after a new boy who had just joined the programme. He was extremely nervous to begin with as he said that he was not very good at ice skating, but after a few minutes of talking I convinced him to try to skate. It turned out that he was a natural, and it was clear that after about 15 minutes of skating he was having a great time. Throughout the session I continued to help him become more confident skating and introduced him to the other members and volunteers. After about an hour of skating though we decided to have a break and we headed to the arcade where a tournament of air hockey commenced,
Showing posts with label moments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moments. Show all posts
Saturday, 16 May 2015
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Volunteer diary 1 - Gone off alcohol
As well as my reviews I am now going to start including my experiences when completing my voluntary work. I have previously volunteered for my local Marie Curie hospice, but I want to experience a wide range of areas and work with as many different people as possible. Therefore more recently I have started volunteering for a local charity who work with disabled children.
I now spend my Friday evenings taking a group of children, most with mild disabilities, though some are severe, with the help of 8 other volunteers ice skating. I can honestly say that it has to be the most rewarding thing I have ever done, because after merely a few hours with these children you leave with a huge sense of accomplishment, knowing you have improved their day.
Obviously due to privacy for the children who I volunteer with I will not mention either there names or delve into too much detail of the conditions, as frankly I think it unnecessary. I will however include on my blog moments that have inspired me, and have taught me something new.
I find it very hard to believe that the children I volunteer with have disabilities, some as extreme as severe autism, because they are the most polite, kind and entertaining children I have ever met, who coincidentally are a thousand times better at ice skating than myself. One of the biggest lessons I have learnt from them so far is that as teenagers we have a tendency to 'sweat about the small stuff' - I believe that is the correct phrase - because these children despite their disabilities always have a smile on their face. To me they are truly inspirational and never fail to make me laugh.
I now spend my Friday evenings taking a group of children, most with mild disabilities, though some are severe, with the help of 8 other volunteers ice skating. I can honestly say that it has to be the most rewarding thing I have ever done, because after merely a few hours with these children you leave with a huge sense of accomplishment, knowing you have improved their day.
Obviously due to privacy for the children who I volunteer with I will not mention either there names or delve into too much detail of the conditions, as frankly I think it unnecessary. I will however include on my blog moments that have inspired me, and have taught me something new.
I find it very hard to believe that the children I volunteer with have disabilities, some as extreme as severe autism, because they are the most polite, kind and entertaining children I have ever met, who coincidentally are a thousand times better at ice skating than myself. One of the biggest lessons I have learnt from them so far is that as teenagers we have a tendency to 'sweat about the small stuff' - I believe that is the correct phrase - because these children despite their disabilities always have a smile on their face. To me they are truly inspirational and never fail to make me laugh.
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