Autumn Newsletter 2011

"I enjoyed my internship at The Baytree Centre very much and it was very hard for me to leave. I am sure, that all the experience, which I have received during my internship, will be very good for any further employment. The work at The Baytree Centre in general helped me to open my mind and to develop new perspectives. I loved to speak with the women about their lives and to listen to their personal histories. The women are very lovely and very thankful and you get more back from them that you have invested yourself. It is nice to see, that your work has a real impact in improving the lives of these women. This experience helps me to decide that this kind of work, which The Baytree Centre delivers, is the right direction in which I want direct my further personal profession.

I improved my language skills very much and I have learned a lot about myself. I have discovered new abilities, like leading qualities, and interests, like how I enjoy teaching adults.

In general I can say that I had a great time and a lot of fun at The Baytree Centre because of the kindness of all the lovely women, who are working or volunteering at the Centre. The Volunteer Coordinators did a great mentoring job during my internship. They helped me wherever they could, they were very patient in explaining things (sometimes more than one, two or three times!) and they gave me the great feeling to be a real member of the team. I can say that I will never ever forget the time and the experience in The Baytree Centre."

A very dedicated student, she quickly progressed in both of these areas and decided that she would like to further develop her professional skills/job market potential by volunteering internally. Tania took on a role assisting several of the new students upon their arrival and providing key administrative support to the Volunteer Service.

Childcare expenses would have prevented Tania from continuing her development at the centre, but thanks to crèche reimbursement offered by the Volunteer Service and funded by the National Lottery grant, she was able to continue progressing week by week.

 
For further case studies...

• Click here to read after school Art Club volunteer Jodie's case study on the Volunteer Westminster website.
• Visit the U-Explore website at: www.u-explore.com/volunteerwithv and go to the 'What is Volunteering?' section to watch a short video about volunteering and the Baytree Centre.