Volunteer Recognition Day
It’s Volunteer Recognition Day, and we want to take some time to honour all of our incredible volunteers who dedicate their time to helping out and making a difference to the people we support.
We chatted with Sabiha in London, who is an Activities Assistant Volunteer. Sabiha is a psychology student, who took on volunteering in her spare time to use some of her skills during 1:1s and activity sessions.
Why did you first start volunteering with Creative Support?
“I wanted to gain practical experience in social care as I am majoring in psychology. I thought it will be an excellent opportunity to see how I can use my knowledge in real life. For example, helping the residents with one-on-one talk sessions, or providing daily fun activity sessions to make them feel for active in their daily lives.
Creative Support definitely has helped me to open my career path and see for myself how to act in real-life situations.”
What’s your favourite thing about your role?
“One of my favourite things about my role is providing the residents with new experiences. Although they like to do the same kinds of activities, for example drawing, I like to come up with different ideas and themes. So far we’ve done sessions for Valentine’s Day and Eid, and we decorate the wall with their art so the residents can see their work. We also do bingo sessions with prizes included for the residents which they enjoy the most, as well as, music quizzes.
I love the fact that as a volunteer my opinions are heard and taken into consideration too, which makes me feel more involved and part of the team.”
What skills have you learned during your time as a volunteer?
“The most important skills I have learned so far are to be resilient and patient, to help my understanding of the resident’s point of view. These skills have been allowing me to be more consistent with what I can provide to the lovely people at the care homes & be more creative with my choices of activities for them. ”