Volunteer In The Spotlight - Jared Darcy

Volunteering as part of the Great Green Gathering

Jared Darcy is a level 5 student studying Biomedical Sciences here at Staffordshire University, we asked Jared to tell us how he got involved as a volunteer

My involvement with Great Green Gathering first started when I was at a looking for a placement as part of my degree. As a Biomedical Sciences student I originally wanted to try and get into a laboratory, but because of COVID this wasn’t an option. The first thing I did was look towards the University for volunteering opportunities and spoke to Eleanor about her work. She mentioned some event planning that she had done within the department last year with a small team which resulted in an event livestream which managed to reach about  300 views altogether. That alone inspired me to get involved because it just shows how a small team could put together something wonderful and I hoped to contribute in some way.

I have found volunteering for the Great Green Gathering to be an interesting challenge.  I had been so used to a working in a lab and doing experiments, so networking with local organisations and internal members of the university has been a great change of pace. There’s something quite rewarding about seeing how the event is slowly becoming a reality. Through funding from the Sustainability Challenge, we’ve been able to make some great progress in bringing together the resources needed. Until now, I had never formally took part in a funding bid and to see it pay off is an encouraging thing.

I’d say the key skill that I have developed is organisation. At first, it was a tricky to balance Uni work with the ongoing planning along with my work as the Communications Officer for the Biology Society. But with a bit of practice (and a lot of coffee!) I’ve been able to take it in my stride. Being organised is so important not just at Uni, but also in the world of work, so being able to work on it now is one of the highlights of this volunteering opportunity.

During these uncertain times, being able to volunteer is a great opportunity. Not only does it allow you to make real difference now, it also sets you up for the future by developing key skills that will set you apart in a career setting. I think that there is no time like the present to invest in yourself and the skills you have.