How did Nina start volunteering?
Nina started volunteering through a friend who was involved with the work of Healthwatch during the Covid period. Her friend was helping Healthwatch carry out a survey on new mothers and their maternity experiences. Knowing Nina’s background and skill set, her friend felt she would be a great fit to help with the surveys.
Nina is an antenatal teacher with experience running programmes and organising training, and she holds an MA by research.
She began volunteering with Healthwatch on the Enter and View team and has continued to support the team when needed, contributing to various surveys such as the early discharge from hospital survey. Nina has also volunteered with Wandsworth Care Alliance, helping to collect data for the team following a referral from Max at the Healthwatch Wandsworth team.
What motivated Nina to volunteer?
Nina was motivated to volunteer with Healthwatch Wandsworth because she was interested in the topic of parents and maternity experiences, and it connected well with her research background. She explains that a friend recognised that she could contribute and would likely enjoy the work, which encouraged her to get involved.
Although she had not specifically planned to volunteer with Healthwatch Wandsworth, the opportunity came up at the right time and felt like the right thing to get involved with.
What challenges did she notice while volunteering?
Through her volunteering with WCA, Nina recognised the challenge was not speaking with people but rather getting through to them, as many organisations and individuals are busy. She acknowledges that this can be difficult to overcome because people’s availability varies.
How does Nina feel about her impact as a volunteer?
Nina says she feels very pleased when people say she has made an impact. She believes that the work she has contributed has been appreciated by the teams she has supported.
For her, the word “commitment” is important. When she volunteers, she approaches it seriously and with purpose. She explains that she does not volunteer simply to try something out she volunteers because she believes it is the right thing to do.
At the same time, she feels that volunteering is not only about what she gives but also what she gains from the experience. She enjoys taking on tasks, doing them well, and making the most of the opportunity. Nina also emphasises that she genuinely cares about the people she works with.
Has volunteering helped Nina feel closer to the community?
Nina says she has learned a great deal through volunteering with Healthwatch Wandsworth because of the projects she has been involved in.
One of the most recent projects was a mental health project where volunteers visited Hollybourne to carry out interviews. Nina found this particularly challenging. Although she had previously worked with people experiencing post-natal depression, she had not previously had conversations with individuals who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Despite the difficulty, the experience gave her valuable insight into an area she had not encountered before.
Will Nina continue volunteering?
Nina says she plans to continue volunteering with the Enter and View survey team for the immediate future. She also enjoyed spending two days working in the office, noting that it had been a long time since she had worked in an office environment and that it was nice to experience that again.
If new projects arise, Nina says she would be happy to get involved and contribute again.
To discover volunteering opportunities please visit our volunteer service page here.
