ReachOut! and Me

Extracts from Steph Pickerill's speech at the ReachOut! London Volunteer Event:

As a bright-eyed fresher, I was keen to do more voluntary work and knew that it was going to be of the 'helping-out-in-a-school' kind rather than the 'picking up rubbish from the canal' kind. Mentoring made sense; as an English and history student I had lightly considered a teaching career.

What originally attracted me to ReachOut!’s Midweek Mentoring Project (now called the ReachOut! Club) was the idea of one-to-ones and the regularity of the programme. Faced with a timetable of just 8 hours a week- it is no news that students have a lot of time on their hands.

The one-to-one relationships are also a great experience for both parties, something I hadn’t realized properly until I volunteered as a teacher with ReachOut!’s Summer Programme last year, in one of my first classes one of the pupils confidently shot her hand up to ask if I remembered her, I was her mentor at Brook Community Primary School 2 years ago. Of course I remembered her (though it did take me a sec- taller and self-assured, she had changed) but I was completely shocked that she should remember me after so long. Her memory then went on to trump mine- she proudly told me about some of the work we had done during the sessions at Brook- a great indicator of the benefits of the sessions, one girl’s positive recollection of her experience.

The commitment shown through working on a regular volunteering project is gold to employers looking for responsible, independent and reliable candidates. It has led to my finding work as a writing mentor. My work as project coordinator was a direct influence on my securing the position of managing editor of Queen Mary’s magazine, a role in which my experience of managing a team of volunteers has been crucial. So, although the teaching career is taken a back step in my plans, management is definitely something I want to take forward and it is ReachOut!’s mentoring scheme that has helped in shaping these decisions and armed me with the experience to take them forward.

I look forward to going back to the freshers fair next year and recruiting some bright young freshers to a project I am proud to have been part of.

Good luck to the ReachOut! Runners!

Yup! Here is Mehmet training hard for the London 10k run taking place THIS SUNDAY!!

A massive good luck to all the team! (Mehmet, Mariya, Paul, Emily and Menalik) If you weren't able to join them cos you're away, injured, (just plain lazy!?) but would still like to support them, please click on a link below and help them reach their targets, leave them a motivational comment, or come and cheer them on at the race! Thanks!

Mehmet - http://www.justgiving.com/Mehmet-Aygun

Mariya - http://www.justgiving.com/Mariya-Majid

Paul - http://www.justgiving.com/Paul-Stewart2

Emily - http://www.justgiving.com/Emily-Grenville-Grey0

Menalik - http://www.justgiving.com/Menalik-Richards

ReachOut! Volunteer Event at the Emirates!

On Monday 27th June in The Players’ Lounge of Arsenal Emirates Stadium, ReachOut! London hosted its first ever Volunteer Thank You Event in celebration of the hard work of its volunteers! Pete Blackwell, London Director, opened the evening with words of thanks, a summary of ReachOut!’s achievements this year, projects offered and the staggering numbers of children benefiting (over 500!), crucially with the help of its hundreds of dedicated volunteers. The speeches continued with yet more thanks from the ReachOut! Chief Executive, Xavier Bosch and testimonies from volunteers Steph Pickerill and Ian Ash. Sharing their stories, explaining their involvement in a specific project and looking ahead to an exciting future, enabled volunteers from different projects to learn about the range of work ReachOut! does and the impact each volunteer can have. An award-ceremony followed which marked the efforts of each volunteer according to the hours they had given, a small tribute to invaluable contributions. The evening closed with a tour of the impressive venue, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium which included an intrusion into the shower room, a taste of luxury in the Directors’ box and a moment of fame in the press room (see photos at the bottom!). Our inspirational individual fundraisers! (above)

Brilliant Bronze Award winners - over 30 hours of volunteering each! (below)

Simply super Silver Award winners - over 60 hours of volunteering each! (above)

Glorious Gold Award winners - over 100 hours of volunteering each! Amazing! (below)

In what has been a challenging year for the charity sector, ReachOut! has had to rely on the strength of its volunteer teams more than ever. The evening was a chance for staff, funders, volunteers and friends of ReachOut! to celebrate that strength and reflect upon the work that has been achievable as a result. (above) Jack Bond - the next Arsenal manager? Can't be worse than the last one...

(below) Glamour girls in the Arsenal changing rooms.

The Straw Tower Challenge!

ReachOut! mentors and mentees at Brook Community Primary School battle it out to see who can build the tallest tower out of straws and tape. Impressive stuff - some structural engineers in the making! Our mentees know their 5 Ps! (Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!)

Concentrate...




Finished! Can't quite tell who the winner is as our photographer (me!) failed to get the tops in-oops! Not to worry, it's the taking part that counts! Well done everyone!

Money money money!

Want to organise a party? Get the young people from ReachOut! to do it for you!

Last week ten 15 year olds from ReachOut! were invited to a Money Skills workshop at the Barclays headquarters in 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf. They were welcomed by event organiser Will Rhodes, who had volunteered and worked for ReachOut! in Manchester, and the Retail Operations Team, into a meeting room on the thirty-first floor - where million dollar mergers normally take place!

The workshop began with Will’s version of Million Pound Drop, where each young person was given six “gold bars” (tasty gold wrapped sweets) with which to bet on multiple choice answers to an array of questions - they got to eat whatever they had left at the end!

They then worked on a monthly budget for “Lucy” and found she had a little spare money at the end of the month. The point of “saving for a rainy day” was made and the young people contemplated occasionally not buying chicken and chips…

In the main part of the workshop the young people were split into three groups, aided by Barclays staff, to organise an end of term party. They could charge between £6 and £12 per ticket and had to provide refreshments, entertainment and decorations. The organisers were thwarted half way through when Will told them the bad news that the venue had burnt down, to which Dion replied “Will! I had just added it all up!”

Each group presented their party to the others and Abdulaahi got the biggest laugh for finding a new venue in the Arsenal trophy room as “there’s plenty of room in there!”

The workshop finished with a Q&A session. Perry asked what GCSEs you need to work at Barclays; Will responded that maths and English are very important and Kathryn Elliott, Senior Supplier Manager, said it’s important that you can show different strengths and stand out from your peers i.e. “you guys playing for a football team shows you can be team players” and attending “workshops like this show you have an interest in banking”. Kathryn also commented on the importance of volunteering experience as an impressive addition to your CV. Will, who knows the work of ReachOut! well, also added that the boys should stay involved in ReachOut! and become Junior Leaders on ReachOut! projects when they get older.

After the workshop the Will and Steve took everyone on a tour around 1 Churchill Place, highlighting the stunning views of London, their work stations, explaining what hot-desking was and overall giving real insight into their day to day work.

Quotes of the day:
“It was great actually doing work that will come up in real life.” Abdulaahi, Year 10.
“It was a great way for young people to discover more about the world of business and how they can be a part of it.” Andy Steer, ETA (finance) Manager.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon as did my team who realised how much of a difference they can make in the local community.” Kathryn Elliott, Senior Supplier Manager.

Will Rhodes’ comments echoed the thoughts of everyone at ReachOut! who attended the event “Great to see you lot yesterday – the Barclays employees who helped out have been talking about it all day and are excited to get involved in more things with ReachOut!”

A huge thank you to all involved.

By Jack Bond