As a recent university graduate in criminology, I found myself working full time in hospitality and struggling to find a job that would advance my desired career path – specifically, working within the criminal justice sector. I decided to pursue volunteering as a way to develop new skills, gain some experience in the sector, and give back to others. I found a volunteer position at InsideOut within the Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea.
This role interested me, as it involved working with people with criminal records to provide support, help them to achieve their goals, and reconnect with their communities. I have been working once a week with Angus, the InsideOut Coordinator, for the last 8 months. I have really enjoyed the experience, and I have learnt a lot. It has been such a great experience to work with Angus and the rest of the team at VCKC.
Through my volunteering role with InsideOut, I have gained lots of experience doing a wide range of things. My main responsibility was to support Angus by conducting in-depth research to help his clients achieve their goals. This included finding employment opportunities, courses to develop their skills, volunteering roles, or providing general information to help clients make important choices. I really enjoyed doing this research, and it has been very interesting to learn so much across a wide range of areas. I also really valued the experience of working directly with clients. This included helping them to draft a CV or disclosure letter or directly checking in with them to support their needs. I have learnt a lot working with InsideOut at VCKC.
It has been interesting meeting people from all walks of life, understanding how I could support them, and following them through their journey. It has felt very fulfilling to help people in this way and to know you are really
making a difference for them. Although I am sad that the project is coming to a close and my volunteering placement is ending, I have built many new skills and I have built my confidence a lot. I am excited to apply what I have learnt to my future career. I am grateful for VCKC, the InsideOut project, and for my volunteer coordinator Angus for being so supportive and providing me with such an interesting, fulfilling, and positive volunteering
experience.
While InsideOut is coming to an end, VCKC still has many other interesting and inspiring programmes that focus on helping others in the local community. Everyone that works here is very passionate about what they do, which has been very motivating to be around. From meeting other volunteers and reading past case studies, it is clear that the projects here at VCKC make a massive positive influence on the lives of people living in the community.
VCKC is currently fundraising to make sure these essential community projects can continue. The aim is to provide meaningful support to disabled people to encourage greater independence and belonging in their lives. If their mission resonates with you, here are a few ways you can support their programmes.
