Hi, I’m Freya and I have been involved with Thatcham Youth ever since I was 9. It started off by going to Vision on a Friday with my friends at primary school, I loved it so much and I tried out so many new things I never thought I would try; like playing the guitar and playing football with loads of new friends.
A year after I finished attending the club, I got involved by helping set the centre up before the activities and did this for a few months and then was offered the opportunity to volunteer actively at Vision Youth Club and any other events Thatcham Youth ran. I did this for around five years, and it rather quickly became the highlight of my week after long days at school. When I explained that’s what I did to friends they were all a bit confused why I wanted to do it if I wasn’t being paid, but I just said to them, I really enjoy volunteering at the club that helped me when I was younger and also explained it never felt like a chore either because of all the fun that was had there, the staff always put in effort to make sure there was something for everyone and the vibe was lovely.
I gained lots out of volunteering, certificates for online courses that helped me feel confident at the sessions, as well as helped me to even lead some of the sessions and also gained invaluable people skills. That’s what I love the most about volunteering- it can, without you even knowing teach you so much! Volunteering at the youth club helped me realise what a beautiful thing volunteering is and even though I became a paid staff member I still volunteer my time at a new charity in Newbury that I absolutely adore and I definitely would not have had the confidence to go there and help out if I didn’t help out at youth club. My skills developed through volunteering and Thatcham Youth have both helped me progress on to the next stage of my life which unfortunately means (for now at least) I will be leaving Thatcham Youth.