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Lucy
The opportunity to volunteer at First Stop
Darlington has given me the experience needed to pursue the career I
became interested in at university.
I worked with a strong team who gave me the support and
guidance whenever I needed it, to enable me to help others within my
community, giving me a strong sense of achievement, and the
opportunity to meet people from all walks of life.
Not only has the experience undoubtedly aided me
in getting a job recently in drug rehabilitation, but it has also
given me added confidence to be successful in this field of work, as I
was able to gain an understanding of my diverse community.
Volunteering at First Stop Darlington was a great
experience which I found extremely interesting, now two days were the
same and the people I worked with were fantastic.
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| Jack
Following redundancy in Autumn 2004 I decided I needed
a job with a sense of purpose.
Knowing this would mean a complete change of direction so I volunteered
at First Stop Darlington. From my
first day I knew that I had found something that I wanted and would
continue to do. In April 2005 I
was employed as a Project Worker and I could see that First Stop provides
a much needed service to the people of Darlington and surrounding
areas. This is borne out by the
numerous referrals we receive from outside agencies such as Housing
Department, Probation and Youth Services.
We provide information, advice and guidance on various issues from
homelessness and benefits through to reading mail for clients with
literacy problems. We can also act
on an advocacy basis for clients unable to communicate effectively on the
telephone or with people in authority.
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Lesley
I finished my degree and wanted to take a
break from studying. I
had been out of the work place for a number of years looking
after my daughter, so I thought volunteering would be a good
way of getting myself out of student and mother mode and into
employee mode. My
time here has been of immense value to me; I have become more
self-confident, more accepting of people, more relaxed and I
believe more employable.
I gained employment, teaching in prison,
and my needs as a volunteer had been fulfilled, an
volunteering at First Stop Darlington proved to be a
worthwhile and successful experience.
And yet, I continued to volunteer, why? – I loved it!
Being part of First Stop team is great.
Even though we take our work seriously, and the issues
that we deal with are often of a poignant nature, we still
manage to smile, and even have a laugh.
I think a sense of humour is a major asset when working
in this kind of environment.
I enjoyed the challenge of the job and the sense of
satisfaction which I got, regardless of whether I was simply
helping someone to make a phone call, or giving a homeless
person the opportunity to turn their life around.
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