Fresh out of university with a degree in history and international relations, David Whetton volunteered at Christian Aid’s office in Lewes.
'After university I was enthusiastic about working in development, but had little experience. I visited my local volunteer agency in Brighton and the role of events volunteer at Christian Aid stood out. It was the perfect way to put my degree to good use and a great way to gain some real work experience.'
'The staff were fantastic and entrusted me with real responsibility and challenging tasks to work on.’
The role
'Looking back over my six months of volunteering, what really stands out is how many events I have been involved in.
'The staff were fantastic and entrusted me with real responsibility and challenging tasks to work on. I researched how to obtain ‘water hippos’ (devices that save water in your toilet) to hand out at a water conservation event. I helped plan three days of the Cut the Carbon march and even sourced a carrot costume!
The best bit
'The most interesting event I was involved with was the Cut the Carbon March. I helped to organise three days of activities, booked accommodation for the marchers and even mapped part of the route. It was a real challenge and a great chance for me to be creative and practical at the same time.'
'I now work for Plan, an international development charity, and I believe that the reason that I am there is largely because of the huge amount of experience I gained whilst volunteering for Christian Aid.'
Interested?
For more information, contact your local office or email volunteering@christian-aid.org stating that you’re interested in volunteering at events, and where you live.