Student volunteering with Big Sis - Immy's Story
Written by Imogen Russell
My name is Imogen, I am 19 years old, and I study BSc Psychology. I am in my second year at university, and I am hoping to work with children as a career. Volunteering with Big Sis can be described in one phrase ‘life-changing’; not only for myself in terms of personal growth but also for the young girls that myself and my co-facilitator delivered the workshops to. They were given the chance to learn about themselves and their bodies which not every girl gets the opportunity to, after the workshops it was clear to see how much more confident they were and how empowered they all felt.
The training process was a lot more fun than I had expected as our trainer ensured that each session included games and self-reflection moments. The training allowed me to gain confidence in public speaking and in a leadership role; this not only set me in good stead for facilitating the workshops but also allowed me to feel more at ease when delivering presentations at university. The training was split into two delivery methods: online (Zoom) and in-person.
HOW WAS THE TRAINING?
The online training consisted of five sessions all of which were in the evening meaning that the training could easily fit around what I had going on in the day. I found the online training extremely beneficial to the rest of the mentor programme;
“The information that we were taught changed the way I track my own cycle and allowed me to gain a better and clearer understanding of my own body.”
I personally really enjoyed the online training as it enabled all of the mentors to meet before the in-person training weekends.
After completing eight hours of online training all mentors met in Plymouth for 6 days’ worth of in-person training. The training was held in a calming environment, surrounded by nature, in a comforting lodge where we were welcomed to relax with home comforts such as pillows and blankets. Just as the online training contained games each session so did the in-person training; I found this particularly beneficial to myself as I can be quite shy when first meeting people. Each day of the training we worked our way through the workbook manual that we would be using with the young girls. The way these sessions were conducted I found extremely helpful as we got the chance to participate in the workshops; this meant that we would have a better understanding of how the girls would feel and allowed us to learn how to present ourselves in a clear manner that would be easy for them to understand. Each training day started and ended with a check-in and a check-out, this was particularly useful for me as I sometimes find it hard to relax and remain peaceful.
“These simple check-ins and outs allowed me to listen to how my fellow mentors were feeling and made me realise that they felt similar to me and were all excited but anxious to start delivering the workshops to the girls.”
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
“The personal growth that the training allowed me to go through would not have been possible without the calming and comforting nature that all of the trainers provided in their sessions and followed up afterward with reassuring and kind messages.”
HOW THE WORKSHOPS AFFECTED THE GIRLS
During my time facilitating the workshops with the girls I have seen a dramatic change in their attitudes toward themselves, their bodies, and their menstrual cycle. During the very first workshop, the girls were timid, not wanting to contribute much to the sessions and not asking any questions. As the duration of the programme went on it became clear just how much they wanted to learn and how open they were to this.
“Once the girls started asking questions, they didn’t stop!”
From the girls asking questions, most of the time ones I had never thought of, it meant that myself and my co-facilitator had to research some answers, allowing us to learn more about ourselves along the way too.
“By the end of the programme all of the girls were so much more confident in themselves and in speaking about the more sensitive topics; even disclosing to us that they had helped friends when they started their periods.”
This growth that I saw in the girls is the best part of volunteering with Big Sis; you feel a great sense of pride and love for the girls, and it is amazing to see them taking in all of the information and making notes. The mark that the programme will leave on the girls might not be obvious to others but to them, it has provided them with confidence and knowledge about their bodies and their menstrual cycles; therefore, enabling them to pass this on to their friends and family.
WORKING WITH A CO-FACILITATOR
I loved working with my co-facilitator delivering the workshops; I am quieter, and she is more outgoing, so we worked well as a pair. We were able to work efficiently together and recognise when the other was struggling or needed help in delivering their section of the workshop. Before each session, we would run through the workbook and plan which section each of us was going to deliver to the girls; this way we were more prepared and there was no awkwardness during the actual workshops.
“I was able to challenge myself whilst delivering the workshops as my co-facilitator stepped back several times to let me take the lead. This enabled me to work on my public speaking and leadership skills.”
Any issues that we had as a pair or any questions that we had, we were quick to sort these out and move on. Overall, my experience of facilitating the workshops with my partner was a positive one, it allowed me to build on my teamwork skills, which is something I will benefit from in the future.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
During my time volunteering with Big Sis, I got to experience many different scenarios and meet many amazing people. These people helped me massively in overcoming challenges that I have struggled with for years. Public speaking and my confidence was the main area that I struggled with, I have always been quieter than others around me, often waiting until I had to contribute rather than volunteering. However, as I went through the training, specifically the in-person training, I became more relaxed around my fellow mentors and their warmth and kind natures allowed me to feel more comfortable contributing whenever I wanted to in group discussions. This personal growth I experienced during my time with Big Sis has also contributed to my professional development;
“I feel more confident in my ability to deliver presentations to my classmates and feel less anxious about the thought of doing it during my future career.
From my time with Big Sis, I will take away all of the amazing memories that I have made, including meeting other mentors and gaining new friends from the experience, growing personally and learning about my own cycle and body, and seeing the change in the young girls’ attitudes toward themselves.”
The one thing that will always stick with me is the immense amount of pride I felt after the last workshop with the girls; the change that I saw in them from the first workshop to the last was more than I had imagined it would be. To hear them and see them openly talking about menstrual cycles and their bodies was such a difference to the shy girls that walked through the door on day one. It wasn’t just me that made new friends, the girls also made them, and they were all desperate to stay in touch with each other aftethe programme had finished.
“Completing my university placement with Big Sis has allowed me to gain valuable experience working with young children that I need to further my studies and work towards getting the job I want in the future.”
During the training we learnt about safeguarding and health and safety, this has provided me with valuable knowledge that I can apply in the future. The ability to deliver presentations and be confident in public speaking is essential in the career that I want, and Big Sis has allowed me to work on these skills alongside gaining many others, such as teamwork, leadership, and organisation. The support I have received from Friedel whilst completing my placement has been exceptional, whenever I have had a query or needed some paperwork completing she has returned it to me as soon as she could and always to an extremely high standard. I could not recommend completing your placement with anyone other than with Big Sis, as it won’t just be professional development you experience but personal, you’ll make new friends and memories that you won’t ever forget.
“I would recommend volunteering with Big Sis because it is an amazing organisation that not only cares about delivering information to young girls but also cares deeply about their volunteer mentors.”
I have enjoyed every café meet-up we have had! The personal and professional growth that Big Sis offers when you volunteer has the capability to change your life; I now feel more confident than I ever have to speak out in public, deliver presentations, and also believe in myself that I can succeed.
“The opportunity that you can give a group of young girls by volunteering with Big Sis and helping them to deliver this crucial information to young girls, some who may never have heard of the word menstruation and others who may have hundreds of questions, each and every girl you support during the programme will benefit in some way.”
