Beata is a qualified social worker, who – after moving to the UK from Poland – chose to volunteer with YCC’s Child Contact Services to get back into the social and education sectors, and to improve her English language skills.
We caught up with Beata in May, who told us a little more about herself, and her experience volunteering with Fresh Futures.
- Name: Beata Walkowicz
- Tell us a little about yourself: My name Beata. I’m 52 and I come from Poland. In my free time I read books and meet with my friends. My friends say I’m creative, funny, outgoing and curious about everything. My greatest joy is helping other people.
- Explain your volunteering role: Through my social work I have experience working with families who are experiencing problems and going through difficult times. I gained a lot of insight and understanding of all the various types of problems that families can experience, for example substance misuse, illness in the family or financial problems. I understand the stress that can put on people and families, and how much of a positive impact that services such as the Children’s Centre can have on families and children.
- What made you want to start volunteering with YCC? I like to volunteer to put my existing skills into practice as I am passionate about helping vulnerable people and those in need. It is my dream to get back to working in a role like this, and I see volunteering as the first step on my journey to achieving this. Also a key thing that I want to do in my volunteering is to improve my language skills by exposing myself to a different environment to my current workplace. I chose to apply to Fresh Futures because I love working with children. I am really interested in the type of support and services that the Children’s Centre provides and the families that they support. When I lived in my family home I also spent a lot of time looking after my niece and nephews and since moving to the UK that is something I have been missing as well.
- What advice would you give to people considering volunteering with YCC? Helping others is not only good for them and a good thing to do, it also makes us happier and healthier too. Giving also connects us to others, creating stronger communities and helping to build a happier society for everyone. And it’s not all about money – we can also give our time, ideas and energy.
THANK YOU BEATA – SO MUCH – FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR YCC!
YCC’s Child Contact Centre is currently recruiting for more volunteers to help us deliver our services across the community. To learn more about the role, please check out our available volunteer positions on our website, or contact our Volunteer Development Officer directly on 07849 398829/01484 415465/ [email protected]
