How Volunteering Saved My Life

At different stages and places I have found myself, volunteering has proven to be a potent source of inspiration and opportunities to accomplish great things. I guess one could say that volunteering is freely offering one’s skills, talents, time or just taking off your gloves and getting involved with an organisation or a project without expecting payment.

I traced back my volunteering journey to when as a young adult I volunteered with the youth wing of my then church. Attractive visuals and “fresh” outlook always make an impression on me, and I recall helping to refresh the look of the meeting space every weekend and the invigorating impact it had on the young people.

One of my most memorable experience with this group was when we decided to carry out a social action project from zero budget. A bunch of mostly high school teenagers led by an unemployed high school leaver. Out of all the suggested projects, we managed to settle for the hardest to achieve: Revamp a disused library of a local high school in the community.

And just in case you are probably wondering how we got on, well here is what we did:

1. We washed every church member’s car on a Sunday for donations.
2. We used the donations to design and print Easter greeting cards that we sold to members, family and friends.

3. We then used the funds to pay a decorator, an electrician and a woodwork man for repairs at the library while we did the hard labour of cleaning and removing unwanted items from the room. We recreated the space good enough for students to go in and read and that was joyful.

4. We even had time to share our faith with the students at the end of the week.

I know I am making a case for volunteering and you may want to ask how volunteering saved me, I wasn’t actually dying in the real sense of it, but as a young person who had somehow lost zest and motivation, this volunteering experience as well as many others I undertook, steered me in the path of renewed commitment to my Christian faith and a firm believe that I can make a positive difference in my life and that of others.

Lanre Olabode

LOOKING FOR A UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP?

A SIMPLE GUIDE TO UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS?

Scholarship is a grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievements (Google, 2016). These opportunities are offered to both home and international students to study in the recipient’s home country or abroad.

The big question is: Who qualifies for a scholarship?
i. Individuals who display excellent academic prowess

ii. Exceptional performers at sport or one with obvious potential

iii. Active participants in social action

iv. Students who excel at examinations set by awarding bodies and
v. individuals from deprived backgrounds who have shown willingness to study.

While sourcing for available scholarships may be demanding, you have to decide: 

What course do you want to study?
Where would you want to study? or where would you have to study?
What are the requirements?
How do I meet these requirements?
What actions do I need to take now?

In case you are asking: “What do I do now?” I would recommend:

Start researching today.

Start planning early.

Believe in yourself.

Remember to share your story to inspire others

See links to more scholarship information below:

University of Central Lancashire Scholarship

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/fees_and_finance/bursaries_scholarships.php

Guide to UK Scholarship

http://www.thescholarshiphub.org.uk

Lanre Olabode

Unforgettable Memories, Made in Cyprus

Wow! The UCLan Global Youth Solution’s training for facilitators at Cyprus has been an unbelievable experience in many spheres. 

As a participant, I can boldly say the GYS approach to youth leadership training and community intervention is the best I have been part of.

Completely engaging, fun, reflective, fosters effective team work and team building, there is absolutely no “death by PowerPoint”.

Saving the best for last. Yas, the training lead took us to her favourite “chippy” in Lambros by the very salty sea. 

We had the best fish and chips ever, good enough to instantly rejuvenate us. We went for a walk by the water and a kick-about that left us all soaked to the briefs.

When we returned to the hotel, Vicky, Jo, Jamie and Taahirah thought it will be a bright idea to jump straight into the pool as we were all already wet, actually it was delightful!

Finally, we had to leave and although the training has been a huge success and the adventures epic, we were all ready to take a break from the holiday. We look forward to our next experience.

Lanre Olabode