To celebrate Volunteers’ Week 2024 we chatted to some of our incredible volunteers about why they love volunteering for VICTA and supporting children young adults who are blind or partially sighted. Find out what they had to say and join us in sending a big ‘thank you’ to all of our dedicated volunteer team.
Meet Beth…
“I started volunteering for VICTA in 2017, the charity was 1st introduced to be when I started working for Highfield and thought it sounded like an amazing charity that did so much for people.
Since my 1st volunteering trip doing a family weekend I have done several events and trips every year since. And I absolutely love it, it is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things I have ever done.
I love seeing how much each event and activity means to young people and seeing their confidence grow day by day. Also getting all the amazing feedback from the young people and parents is amazing and I can’t think of a better way to spend my free time!
One of the most stand out events I have done for VICTA was the Italy trip in 2023. Seeing the confidence in the young people grow as the week went on was so rewarding and one I will never forget.”
Meet Ellie..
“I got involved with VICTA in March 2015 through work and attended my first family weekend. I had the time of my life. Since then it hasn’t felt right to miss a family weekend (aside from covid). The staff at VICTA, the volunteers and of course the amazing families that attend make every trip that little bit more special. When life gets hard, I can always rely on a VICTA trip to make everything better. There is no better bunch than the crazy lot who we share our volunteering experiences with. The most amazing people are involved with VICTA and I hope to continue volunteering as much as I can for many years to come!
Over the years there have been some unbelievably amazing, fearless children I have been lucky enough to spend time with, but traveling to Barcelona in 2016 with a group of 14-17 year olds was a truly unforgettable experience. Being able to visit the most beautiful places and share that experience with a fantastic group of visually impaired youngsters is one I’ll never forget! It didn’t matter that some of them couldn’t see anything at all, the memories we made will stay with me forever and I hope the same for them too.
I’ve been so lucky to get involved with VICTA and I couldn’t recommend it enough to anybody that might be even slightly interested. The friends you make last a lifetime and the memories too! My only advice would be to come and join us and see the amazing time we have; the fun, the laughs, the utterly brilliant children and young people… everything! There is honestly nothing more amazing than being with the best people and watching these young people go out of their comfort zone and achieve so much!
I can’t thank you and the guys at VICTA enough for everything you do for us and all the families. You create memories that can’t be beaten!
VICTA – No.1 charity out there!”
Meet Hattie…
“I started volunteering for VICTA as my sister is visually impaired and I really wanted to help others like her. Since my first trip volunteering at Summer camp 2022, I have absolutely loved everything about being involved with the charity. Everyone is so welcoming and fun have made each experience unforgettable.
One of the moments which have really stood out to me since volunteering with VICTA was the last day of Summer Camp. It was my first time volunteering and I didn’t know anyone but had had a brilliant time over the week. What really was a highlight to me, though, was the feedback from some of the teens on camp. Many had written notes of kindness for each other and for us. It had been amazing to watch them all grow in confidence and to get to know so many. It hit me with a real sense of how amazing these young people were and was heartwarming to be recognised by them for the time and effort we had put into the week.
Give it a go! This felt so out of my comfort zone when I first started and I was so nervous but I absolutely love every minute. I can’t recommend it enough!”
Meet Megan…
“The best part of volunteering is being able to facilitate young VI people and enjoy being outside with them and allowing them to create friendships for themselves and allow them to come back year on year.
A highlight experience for me would definitely be watching Keziah one of the girls on the camp, climbing to the top of the trapeze and jumping off, it took her a few times to reach the top and some guidance but it was so amazing watching her get the top and our group cheering her on.
My advice for someone who hasn’t volunteered before would to just come in and have fun, throw yourself into everything and just be silly! The camp is all about fun and learning new things to give EVERYTHING A GO and you might surprise yourself!” 🙂
Meet Roisin…
“My first VICTA experience was when the VICTA staff came to my workplace Highfield to do training. I found out all about what VICTA was and how incredible this charity was. I decided that this is something I wanted to become a part of and wanted to give something back to the community.
My first VICTA proper experience was summer camp 2022. I absolutely loved it! It was so rewarding to watch kids who came to camp being a little shy come out of their shell and make friends. It made me a little emotional seeing these kids just get on with day to day life, despite having a visual impairment and being so positive and hands on with everything. It really makes you look at life differently spending time with these amazing young people. Not only that but the kids pushing me, a volunteer, out of my comfort zone and doing things I never thought I could do. Volunteering with VICTA has made me a more confident person. Since then I have done another summer camp and a family weekend and have another summer camp coming up in a few months.
If you are thinking about volunteering please do it, not only is it so rewarding but the volunteers and staff are all amazing! It’s like 1 big family. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be a little part of what this amazing charity does. They are literally changing young people’s lives and that is something I am so proud to be a part of.”
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