Every month, we’re showcasing an inspirational volunteer story from a Southwark organisation. This month’s is our second spotlight on Home-Start Southwark, with Shahida.
Shahida started volunteering with Home-Start in 2021 after receiving support from Home-Start herself as a mother. She ‘really appreciated the help that she received’ and was motivated to start volunteering by ‘just wanting to give back what I got’.
Since she started with Home-Start she’s made a massive difference by supporting an amazing three families through the Home-Start program.
Shahida describes how the training she received as a Home-Start volunteer helped her in her personal and professional life, ‘I received a lot of expertise knowledge that I never really knew about before.’
‘When I started volunteering after the training, I had to practise what I learned. It helped me connect with people in a different way, where before I didn’t realise I could.’
A standout moment for her was with the first family she supported: ‘it was a mum of two and she was struggling both mentally and physically because of lack of sleep’. She describes how letting the mum know she wasn’t alone was a massive help: ‘She was mostly stuck at home, but I helped her to get out of the house.
Mum with a 18 month baby who had never taken her child to a park before, and I just remember a moment towards the end of me working with her where she said ‘oh, yeah, you know, we go to the park all the time.’
Shahida has seen how small changes can make a massive impact on families: ‘that was a really big thing, small changes to a more positive outcomes. That came out from working with her, and I think that stayed with me. It felt like an achievement. It seems so small, but they make a big impact.’
‘We all need reassurance. And I think maybe I was able to do that for her, kind of make her feel like a little bit better about herself. Now hopefully the child will have a better bond and better childhood memories with their mum, overall more positive memories.’
It’s not only the training and skills which she gained at Home-Start but becoming part of a community of women working toward the same goals of ensuring all parents are supported:
‘I feel like I’m part of a community that is bigger than myself and a lot of women who are similar to me, so it feels very much like a family, we have a connection through shared values to working towards better family outcomes.
At HomeStart, you feel like you are part of a community, it feels really comforting to know that there are other mothers who all want the same things for their families, some less fortunate then others, but were all just doing the best we can. We all strive to do the best for our kids, and we just want to bring about more confidence and resilience and be proud mothers.’
I asked Shahida what she feels volunteering with Home-Start has given her: ‘It gives me a sense of purpose… I’m not giving advice because that’s not how we do it, but in a way I’m showing someone how.’
And when I do that, if I see a change, then it’s really nice. It’s a very re-assuring feeling to see and notice that you may have impacted someone’s life, or helped towards improving a person’s life or situation.’
I asked Shahida what she would say to others who are curious about volunteering:
‘We all are here to do something, to be something. And you know, it doesn’t have to be extravagant. But even these small little things … we leave imprints in this world. You have a purpose, and it’s about finding your purpose in life. A lot of the times when you feel lost or confused, it’s good to do something.
Just being open to new things you just never know where life can take you.’
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Thank you so much to Shahida and Juliet at Home Start for sharing this wonderful story. You can find out more about volunteering at Home Start but visiting their website.
