We Are Celebrating Volunteers Week
Volunteers’ Week 2024, celebrated from 3rd to 7th Jun, is a time to recognise and appreciate the invaluable contributions of volunteers across the UK. Charities and organisations nationwide take this opportunity to celebrate the dedication, compassion, and hard work of their volunteers who make a significant impact on communities. As we honour these unsung heroes, let’s look at some inspiring stories and ways to get involved.
The 🩷 Heart of Our Communities
Volunteers are the backbone of our organisation, offering their time and skills to support various causes. From helping at local food banks and animal shelters to providing companionship for the elderly and mentoring young people.
Touching Safe Ground is supported by four amazing women of different ages and different backgrounds; Shamsa, Regina (our changed name for Olivia), Christine and Shreya. They are incredibly dedicated and turn up for 2.5 hours every week, helping with everything from logistics to supporting small groups with English conversation to dealing with the unexpected. We literally couldn't run the project without them. Our office is supported every week by Tom, who takes care of all our finances - and makes sure everyone gets paid!
Following a recent Touching Safe Ground session, volunteers were asked to participate in a questionnaire and give some comments. Take a look at some of the comments:
The women participating in Touching Safe Ground sessions are a mixture of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. An interesting fact is that some of our current volunteers have been in the same position as our current participants. This helps our volunteers and women connect with each other, enabling a beautiful experience at each weekly session.
The women participating in Touching Safe Ground sessions are a mixture of wives, mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts. Through various unfortunate circumstances, some have been disconnected from these familiar connections in life. The weekly session has become another area where they can feel a sense of belonging as they continue to feel safer in the family-like environment.
It is important to us to support our volunteers in developing existing skills and learning new skills. By being exposed to various initiatives and interactions with our programmes, our volunteers learn more about themselves.
We appreciate the time that our volunteers give to ensure that we can successfully run the critical programmes that support isolated and lonely people in Tower Hamlets. This is why we are committed to building a strong community and support in areas where we can help our volunteers help us.
Thank you to GCP Volunteers!
Volunteers’ Week is not just about recognising existing volunteers but also about inspiring others to get involved.
Let’s take this Week to celebrate the incredible efforts of our volunteers and acknowledge the positive change they bring to our society. Their selfless contributions remind us of the power of kindness and community spirit. Whether you are a volunteer, aspire to become one, or wish to express your gratitude, this is a time to celebrate the heart and soul of volunteering.
Happy Volunteers’ Week!
Can you help us further our reach?
We are on a mission to widen our reach so that no one is left behind. Building connections and helping individuals is a vital part of our mission. By supporting us, you are becoming an integral part of our community. We invite you to join our growing community by subscribing to our newsletter, Subscribe to GCPConnect.