My first experience of volunteering was as an interpreter at the Maryhill Integration Network. As soon as I went along to my first meeting, a whole world opened up before me.
Up until that point, I had been completely ignorant of refugee and asylum issues. Now I educate others by running workshops on behalf of the Scottish Refugee Council at community events, which is part of the work that I’ve been doing for the fundraising team since last September.
Indespensable
But when the Head of the Refugee Integration Services learned that I had a Masters degree in Arabic, I suddenly became indispensable interpreter to the frontline client services. After learning more about the work of the Policy and Communications team, I then started travel to Glasgow twice a week so that I could also gain valuable experience as a media and communications volunteer.
The fact that the Scottish Refugee Council is involved is such a variety of work means that they are often able to cater for whatever work-related experience their volunteers are looking for, from the life-saving advice services to fundraising , or women’s policy and advocacy work to community engagement. It’s meant that I’ve been able to include many more relevant, valuable skills on my CV, and I’ve had several interviews since I began volunteering.
Vital advice
But the best part is being able to do something useful and rewarding alongside my part-time employment. Two weeks ago, I was chatting with a regular customer. I told him how I’d been called away from my communications role to help with an Arabic-speaking client whose benefit had been accidentally cut off and was facing a weekend without electricity or food. The client had a wife and baby at home, and was understandably distressed.
I sat speaking Arabic with him for two hours, helping fix the bank’s administrative error that had led to the problem. Eventually, I was able to make sure that the client had access to his funds, and he shook my hand and said thank you with such genuine gratitude that I will never forget it.
Make a difference
The customer looked at me and said, ‘I have never been able to do something so immediately useful and helpful for another human being in my entire life.’ And neither had I, before I started volunteering at the Scottish Refugee Council.
