On Friday afternoons a group of young volunteers aged 14-18 organised and ran activities for the service-users at Gilbertson Day Centre. Sometimes they would chat and play games, and other times they would make crafts together or take part in quizzes.
Many of the people who go to the centre live alone and in a degree of isolation. Meeting others at the centre helps to reduce any feelings of loneliness and the visits from our young volunteers gave them the opportunity to interact with a generation that they do not necessarily get to engage with very often. One said:
They (the volunteers) are like a breath of fresh air… They are keen to be involved and come with good suggestions… The young ones are learning from us and we are learning from them.
The young people also felt the benefit. Daisy Cooper, one of the volunteers, said:
I started volunteering here because it was a really good opportunity to get to know people of a different generation and chat with them.
The staff also value the input from the young volunteers. Kirsty Wallace, Day Centre Manager said:
There have been so many new friendships made which is hugely beneficial. A lot of our service users do not have the opportunity to mix with the younger generation through being socially isolated and unable to access any social events outside their own homes.
Of the regular volunteers, 3 were looking to pursue a career in medicine. Their volunteering placement at Gilbertson Day Centre gave them experience that strengthened their applications and prepared them for their careers. Daisy said:
It’s definitely helped me to understand older people and the problems they might face, and how those problems mean you might interact differently with them.
