My volunteering journey by Natasha Murphy

My name is Natasha Murphy and I am a 19 year old administration volunteer for Dimensions Cymru.

I was looking for some work experience in administration, as I was unsure about what I wanted to do. Luckily, at the time, Dimensions were piloting their volunteering service and Locality Manager Kathryn explained that there would be opportunities within the Cardiff Office.

Following this, we got in touch, filled out an application form, and it was very quick to get started.  I had always been keen to work in an office, but had no experience and not much self-confidence. This seemed like a great opportunity for me to try it.

The flexibility of volunteering is great. I can set the hours, days and times that suit me, and if something crops up then it’s easy to swap or change a day.

I wanted supported work experience, somewhere I would receive help if I didn’t know how to do something; somewhere people would be patient and show me how to do things. Dimensions have allowed me to ask questions, work at my own pace, and have showed me how varied office work can be.

My role is mainly to support the Volunteering Officer, but I have also had the opportunity to work with Locality Managers by typing up notes or minutes from meetings.

I have learnt a lot, especially in terms of organising events. Recently I got the chance to manage a large event – helping with invitations, delegate lists, directions and budgets. I have also worked with Better Impact, the Volunteer Management System used by Dimensions to deal with volunteer applicants, logging hours and contacting current volunteers.

Dimensions has taught me a lot. I’ve learned that I can talk to people, in particular people I have never met before.  It has helped me to grow and given me the confidence to do things I would have previously never done. It has made me see that everyone is always learning so it’s okay to not know some things yet.

Volunteering has been an amazing experience and it’s been a great way to get to know the office environment. I have been able to ensure that I like working in administration before jumping in at the deep end! I still want to do office work and I am trying to find something that combines office work with maths.

 

If you would like to find out more about volunteering with us, take a look at our volunteering page.

There’s all the information you will need, plus you can take a look at a wide range of available roles from ‘photographer’ to ‘pub buddy’.