Here is a space for youth volunteers to share their thoughts and stories about their volunteering experiences:

Alex Evans has recieved his 50 hour, 100 hour and 200 hour Millennium Volunteering Certificates! Well done!

"I have been volunteering at the RSPCA charity shop and am really enjoying the experience. At the very beginning it was daunting meeting new faces and personalities but now I feel more comfortable around the other volunteers. From day to day I carry out tasks such as hang and size clothes, ticket clothing, serve customers and operate a till. I really enjoy working on the till as it allows me to meet many new people who are very nice. While volunteering I have been observing and the atmosphere is very friendly. The best thing about volunteering is the fact that everybody looks after one another, this creates a very good vibe as though it is one big family who welcomes anyone. I hope to continue volunteering at the shop as I feel I have fitted in nicely."

Jordan Noble:

"I've always had an interest in volunteering but never really known where to start, who to ask, or even what I'd do. I got in touch with SCVS and was given great support and advice on my options.

I have been volunteering with a befriending scheme involved in helping disabled children enjoy themselves and take part in fun activities, whilst offering a bit of a reprieve for parents. This is fantastic for me as it furthers my understanding of certain disabilities, also the children are fantastic. Each individual's personality really shines through and leaves a lasting impression. It's a very rewarding experience.

I have also been involved in a scheme aiming to improve literacy levels in primary schools. This is great because you really feel like you are making a difference, especially when you realise you've helped a child learn a new word or achieve a higher reading level.

Finally I'm also involved in a Restorative Justice program, this involves facilitating meetings between the offender and the victim of a crime, within a controlled environment, where the victim can explain how they were left feeling after the offence and how it has affected them since. It gives the offender a chance to apologise face to face and for them both to perhaps work out a way in which the offender can help repair some of the hurt or damage caused. Taking part in this scheme is great because it helps you to better understand the ripple effects of such incidents and it helps the offender understand also.

I'm really glad I've been able to join such interesting and beneficial schemes. It's a really rewarding feeling to think that you may have made a positive difference in someone else's life just by taking a little time out of your day to take part."

Jessica Needs Pritchard:

"I decided to volunteer because I wanted to give something back to the community, but also to gain some life experience and learn new skills and develop my qualities. I am now a 'befriender' for the 'Wassup Scheme' which involves looked after children. I thoroughly enjoy being a 'befriender' to a 14 year old girl. There have been some ups and downs, but this has made me a stronger person, and also built my confidence. My service user has also benefited. She is no longer withdrawn and she can now engage, make decisions and her confidence in public and in herself has considerably grown. I nominated her for the most positive change to life in the 'LAC Awards' recently because her outlook on life is much more positive than it used to be. When she received this award you could tell that she was beaming. Being a student myself I felt that I could help her by showing her ways of revising and this resulted in her passing all her exams this year. It's a rewarding experience and a good feeling that I have made a difference to her life and not only built her skills and qualities but also my own as well. One of the main skills I have developed is that pro-active listening is key in order to make a difference.

After a few months of volunteering for the 'Wassup Scheme', I decided to do panels as well because I wanted to meet different types of challenging young people to provide me with experience of managing difficult/vulnerable young people. Community panels deal with young people effectively and try to reintegrate them back into society by providing young people with relevant interventions, considering their circumstances and what is in their best interests, as well as what is good for the community. It's a good experience to volunteer for youth offending community panels because it gives us, the community, a say in producing effective intervention programmes that ensure young offenders recognise their offence and repair the harm done and are provided with constructive help to prevent further offending."

We asked Julian, a volunteer with Swansea Youth Bank and conservation projects what he would say to other young people who were thinking of volunteering?

"Go for it, you haven't got much to lose, you'll meet new people, gain new skills and make a difference to people that might otherwise not get help."

Nikita Williams:

"Volunteering is the most rewarding thing I've done, I volunteer in supported studies in Swansea College which is a supported learning facility for students with learning difficulties and disabilities. My job is to support the students while in lesson and help take the students in wheelchairs to lunch and get their lunch for them. While in lessons I help them read, write and sometimes help teach the lesson. A lot of the students need one to one support and that is where I stand in. Volunteering has helped my career a great deal and I wouldn't be applying to university without it and it also looks great on my CV. The smiles on the students faces when I help them is a better reward than anything, I do a full time college course, I work part-time and I still manage to fit my volunteering work around all that, so if I can do it anyone can."

Girls Allowed:

“Girls Allowed” established in February 2009 at the Youth Justice Centre. The members applied to become a Swansea Youth Action Network group and received funding to promote the Youth Justice Centre by designing and making a large colourful mosaic as a welcoming feature to the centre, allowing other young people to see the range of activities and learning opportunities available there.

Three members of the group Gaia, Hannah and Kayleigh achieved Gold Youth Achievement Awards for their 5 month project. During their time with Girls Allowed they also achieved Open College Network certificates and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh awards. They are now working towards their Silver award and are getting involved with lots of other opportunities outside of the YJC.

They have successfully applied to Swansea Youth Bank for funding which enabled them organise and host a Christmas party for 50 children. They are currently volunteering at Penllergare Valley woods with the Green Tangent youth task force also funded through Swansea Youth Bank and are also registered with Trailblazers at the Environment Centre which provides taster sessions in volunteering across Swansea's sustainability Trail. Through youth action, volunteering and accreditation Girls Allowed have developed skills, rekindled a love of learning and have big plans for their futures.

Helen Watts:

"I guess volunteering helped get my job - I didn't get the job I applied for (and had an interview for), but the Manager rang me up afterwards and said they were so impressed with my range of voluntary experience that they'd like to offer me another job!
Also as Discovery President I managed a group of 7 trustees, 2 members of staff, 200 volunteers and helped look after a budget of almost £100'000 - how many other people can say they did all that before they're 21!"

Former Discovery (SWANSEA UNIVERSITY VOLUNTEERING PROJECT) president:

"Volunteering in Swansea is a lot of fun. I have met many great people through volunteering and I am still friends with those people now. I am currently volunteering with Circus Eruption (youth worker) and Discovery (admin). Previously I have volunteered with both Barnardos (admin) and Child line (phone operator). I find volunteering both rewarding and hard work. Volunteering in Swansea is one of the best things I have ever done."

Natasha Rainey

Cheryl's Story:

"It has been a pleasure to count voluntary work as one of my hobbies and I've surprised myself at how easy it is to fit in around all of life's commitments with just a bit of planning.

There is great scope for what you can do as a volunteer and I decided to work with patients who've recently been discharged from hospital and need to re-adjust to everyday life once again. Often these people are lonely and just want to see a friendly face with whom they can have a chat and enjoy going out with, perhaps to do some shopping or just to get some fresh air. It's been great meeting new people in this way and the feeling is mutual. The downside is that it can be quite hard to say goodbye to the service user when it all comes to an end, but then you just have to see it as the beginning of another adventure!

I am very glad I do voluntary work in this way and there is something for everyone. Truly I think more people of all ages should consider voluntary work if they have a couple of hours a week to spare. Younger people often have the added benefit of not having a full time job to contest with and will find volunteering not only satisfying and something to put on the CV but also a fun past time!"

Cheryl has been volunteering with Involve on the Singleton Befriending Scheme. In October 2008 Cheryl recieved her 100 hour Millennium Volunteer Certificate at the Swansea Youth Action Event at the Taliesin at Swansea University. Well done Cheryl.

Faaz's story:

Faaz, 16, volunteers for various charities in Swansea including the British Red Cross and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“On Saturdays I volunteer in the Cancer Research UK shop. There I work at the till serving customers and sometimes at the back where I collect the donated goods. On alternating Sundays I participate in a scheme run by Discovery where we take disabled children out for the day and play with them. I'm also a volunteer with the British Red Cross first aid team and I help at events. I'm also with the BRC emergency response team, which means I'm on-call at certain times of the year if something happens. This can be anything from floods to road side accidents, or evacuations. In the holidays I volunteer with the Swansea Multiple Sclerosis Society, which is a day centre for people with MS to meet together. I go out in the ambulance and pick up people and drop them off at the centre. While they're in the centre I talk to them and assist the physiotherapist. I first started volunteering in the summer holidays. I needed to do something with my life so I walked into town and looked for a charity shop.

Volunteering has become a hobby. I'm still at school so I balance volunteering with study. I'm most active during holiday time. I hope to go into medicine so I need to get a lot of experience in a caring environment to show that I'm committed. The experience I get now will help me later on in life. I've learnt loads from volunteering. I've learnt that there are many different types of people. Volunteers and other caring individuals can help make society a better place. It's not just those big emotional hurdles and official skills you get from volunteering. It's the small everyday things you learn by being with people. I like learning new things, not from books and classrooms now, but through vocational learning where everything is made to be fun. Overall, volunteering is a great life skill. You see people you wouldn't see through your normal life. You do things you thought you would never do. Volunteering has a great scope for the future and everyone needs to try it. There's a volunteering choice for everyone no matter what they're into.”

Tracey's Story:

Tracey is 24 and has been volunteering at a crèche. Tracey signed up to Millennium Volunteers as she liked the idea of achieving certificates for her volunteering and has already achieved her 100 hours.

Tracey tells her volunteering story from 2002 when she first became a wheelchair user and the events that followed which led to her becoming a volunteer. Before the Christmas of 2002, Tracey was a qualified coach for football and rugby, coaching her own football team and was asked to train with Arsenal ladies team. After Tracey collapsed at Christmas there was a lot that she had to relearn, such as learning to write and to swim again and she also has difficulty remembering some things from the past.

As Tracey had previously been a keen sports woman, the day centre that she now attended was very supportive in putting her in touch with the National Performance Manager for disabled sports. Through this Tracey was invited to train with the Paralympics team for the shot, discus and javelin. Since then Tracey has achieved many medals from the Belgian championships, the Manchester open championships and the CP-ISRA World Championships. These days, Tracey can be found going to schools giving talks on disability awareness and volunteering at a crèche. This is what Tracey says about her volunteering;

“I decided to do voluntary work in the crèche because I enjoy working with children. I do voluntary work three times a week and since I have done voluntary work it has helped with my confidence and self esteem.

I like helping in the crèche because it is rewarding when you see the children having achieved new milestones. My biggest achievement to date was when a little boy in the crèche had a speaking impediment and found it hard communicating to others, but started talking to me as he gained trust in me. I have learnt how to help with children's hygiene and look after young children generally; this will give me a good basis for when I have my own children. I have also learnt how to work as a team member and communicate properly in the work place as I have to help with the keeping of the daily logs. I have also learnt how to work within the data protection act.

I really enjoy doing voluntary work as I have gained a lot more confidence and I have become a more positive person. I would recommend voluntary work to others as it is really satisfying and rewarding.”