Volunteers’ Week 2021 – The Importance of Volunteers

It’s Volunteers’ Week 2021 (1-7 June). All this week we’ll be sharing stories of our volunteers to showcase the amazing work they do.

Volunteers are the life blood of most local community organisations without whom we simply would not be able to provide the services that we do. We rely on the enthusiasm, time and skills of our volunteers at Katherine Low Settlement. They are core to the delivery of our community services and the governance of our charity. They tell us that they find the work very rewarding, and get back as much as they give. Volunteers add loads of value to community work, enabling us to work with more local people, stretching our resources as far as they can, and enriching the quality of our services.

People choose to volunteer with us for a variety of reasons. For some it offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them. For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge. Regardless of the motivation, what unites them all is that they find it both challenging and rewarding.

In the film below Nadine, our Homework Clubs Manager, talks to Diana, Battersea Volunteers Manager, about the importance of volunteers:

Here’s what some of our volunteers have told us about volunteering:

“I feel that I am ‘coming home’ when I come to KLS. I have been a KLS ESOL volunteer for two years so I’m familiar now with the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the centre. Over this time I have seen how much goes on at KLS and how hard everyone works to support the wellbeing and education of the local community. I appreciate, too, how KLS has created and supports a community for volunteers.”

Liz, volunteers with KLS as an ESOL volunteer teacher

“After working with my mentee for several months, she tells me that she enjoys maths now and she is confident. We have learned tables, time and using money which are skills for life and she would not have learned otherwise as they are not going to be repeated in school.”

Feedback from a KLS volunteer Learning Mentors who supports a local refugee young person’s education

“I enjoy being with the Elders, it’s such a rewarding job, taking them to chair exercises and chair dance…singing on the bus and helping out in the reception area with them. To see a smile on their faces makes my day. KLS is a friendly and caring environment.”

Patsi volunteers with KLS’ Elders Team

Come and volunteer with us

Our volunteers are truly amazing. They help us run all of our community services.

If you’re interested in volunteering then please fill in our ‘Volunteer Application Form’.

Our volunteers help with:

  • mentoring for an hour a week to support a refugee young person
  • supporting one of our GCSE study groups that meet for 2 hours a week in Battersea
  • helping out at a Homework Club on a Wednesday or Thursday from 4.30pm-7.00pm
  • being an escort for older people on and off our minibus during the day Tuesday – Thursdays
  • supporting older people as a ‘Fone Friend’- a telephone befriender with local older people
  • teaching in our ESOL (English/Maths/IT) classes as a volunteer teaching assistant 
  • help with fundraising
  • strengthen our communication and marketing 
  • and so much more.

Do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

Support our family

We are committed to building stronger communities and enabling people to challenge themselves and find ways out of isolation through our varied community projects. There are so many ways you can support our work and help us to deliver our services to even more people.

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