Kayla McLean

Your volunteering role(s):

I took part in a range of short-term volunteering roles, these include:

Activity Volunteer – Young Hustlers for Hockley Hustle. Created a welcoming environment by assisting young children with art activities.

Festival Assistant – with Nonsuch Studios at Mansfield Takeover Festival. Working the children’s silent disco and supported the performance stage.

Science busking – Ignite at Notts Pride. Assisted at the Science busking stand, demonstrating science activities to children and families.

Student Volunteer – sorting gifts for charities for NTU's Winter Collection campaign.

Event Assistant - UniDays Christmas Club. Helped to set up and welcome attendees to the event and supported young people who experience loneliness over the Christmas period.

Your biggest volunteering achievement:

I would say taking part in Mansfield Takeover festival (Nonsuch Studios) as an events volunteer would be my biggest achievement whilst volunteering.

It was a rewarding time during the festival, seeing the joy me and my peers brought to the children and families who attended. I managed the performance stage, ensuring the children arrived to the stage on time and they put on a great performance for the audience.

I was proud to see how my volunteering role contributed to making this possible.

Why do you volunteer?

I have always been passionate about helping others and so when I started at NTU I heard about the volunteering opportunities we could get up to as students and I knew I had to find out more.

In my case, my course is quite practical and so for me the short-term opportunities fit best around my university schedule.

What impact has your volunteering had?

I have helped boost people's well-being, whether through giving them a joyful experience at an event or through teaching them new skills or donating and providing people with useful resources.

Volunteering boosts my own wellbeing too, as helping others makes you feel good and you are able to meet like-minded students through volunteering opportunities as well.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering volunteering?

No matter how short the time you are volunteering for, you still are making a huge difference.

If you are interested in helping and supporting your community, eager to meet like minded individuals or want to learn new skills, then volunteering may be for you!