Not all doom and gloom

Written on January 29, 2010 at 12:34 pm by Kate

Yes it’s January. Yes it’s awful weather. And yes it seems like an eternity since last pay day.

So, in a quest to spread a little happiness I thought I’d share something with you that might cheer up your day, as it did mine.

I met one of our volunteers last week. An amazing person who mentors a young person recovering from mental health issues, providing the type of support a medical professional or a family member might not be able to.

They meet for coffee; they go to museums – nothing amazing in that I hear you say? But that’s just the point – something as simple as meeting for a coffee and a chat can make a massive difference to someone’s life. Having someone who’s not paid to be there and is chosing to spend time with them is invaluable.

And it’s a win-win situation. The young person’s confidence has grown and she now does things she wouldn’t have done a few months ago – life changing things some take for granted like going out after dark or using  public transport.  And our volunteer benefits from her experience too, doing things she wouldn’t normally do, improving her listening skills and learning more about mental illness.

So yes, when you volunteer you might not change the world but you might change somebody’s world and surely that’s worth smiling about?