Volunteers week 2022

A message from Sir Iain Duncan Smith. – 2021

A message from Councillor Roy Emmett. Mayor of Redbridge and a CAR trustee. 2021

Thank you to all that responded to our recent survey. Here are some of the comments we received

Azeez decided to volunteer because he wanted to “engage more with his community… and enjoys helping people” and discovered that citizens’ advice was local to him. He now works as an admin volunteer and is the first point of contact for our clients which he very much enjoys. We asked him what advice he would give to those looking to volunteer: “They should volunteer as well to have a voice in the community and affect people’s lives positively.”

Roger got in touch with us as he also wanted to “engage with his community”. Not only that but he “relates to the different projects” that we do which inspired him to get involved and “provide a service” with it. We asked him what he enjoys most about volunteering: “Being on the “ground level” again and able to see immediate, direct results of your interventions.”

Another volunteer said they “had free time and wanted to gain skill and experience”. We also asked them what pieces of advice would they give to someone looking to volunteer: “An amazing opportunity to not only hone your communication and interpersonal skills but to also help your local community, extremely fulfilling and allows you to develop your empathy and gratitude.” They went on to say “I enjoy how welcoming and friendly all the staff are and I appreciate the constant supervision and guidance from our lovely supervisors.“

Katharine said she chose to volunteer with us because: “I have lots of experience in working in government which is relevant to what Citizens Advice does, and CAR were looking for advisers…Do it! It can be an amazing experience and your work helps others.” She told us that what she enjoys most about volunteering with us is “Helping people understand their options and empowering them to help themselves”

We asked our volunteers why they decided to volunteer with us and what advice they would give to other people looking to join, this is how they responded.

Go for it! It’s such a rewarding opportunity to be given the chance to help people within the community by providing a service covering a range of issues and providing clients with a voice during difficult times. 

An amazing opportunity to not only hone your communication and interpersonal skills but to also help your local community, extremely fulfilling and allows you to develop your empathy and gratitude.

Volunteering for Citizens Advice is one of the best things you can do to develop professionally and as a person. It gives you new perspectives about service provision, and helps mould your personal quality, develop transferable skills and gain experience

We asked our volunteers if volunteering with us meet their expectations and what they enjoyed the most, this was their response