Student Volunteering Week: Leila Mekki
Published on 27 February 15
Volunteer Leila Mekki has worked for a number of causes; from fundraising for RAG to organising donations for Foodshare.
Why do you volunteer; what motivated you to start volunteering initially?
Before University I would have liked to volunteer, but working for money became a priority. Since coming to University I took up the MLP course in second year as one of my optional modules, and it was one of the best decisions I made.
As part of the course a certain number of hours had to be attained. I ended up getting involved in a local organisation known as the Fallowfield Foodshare which tackles food poverty; something I am extremely passionate about. It made me see how easy volunteering was, and before I knew it I had three times the volunteering hours that were initially proposed. It also showed me how much out there needs to be done by volunteers, because no one else is going to do it, volunteers are simply people such as ourselves.
I found volunteering so easy because I enjoyed it so much. I am now in my third year of University, taking on more responsibility as I go along, and it gives you a project alongside studying that allows you to be more creative.
What do you get out of your volunteering?
I primarily get a sense of satisfaction. Compared to the majority of my University work you see instant results, and see how little of your time really can go a long way and benefit many people.
When I graduate in the summer I can leave Manchester knowing that in my time here I didn't just exploit the resources here, but I really gave something positive back, and hopefully made enough of an impression so that future volunteers here can build on what is in place here. Having said that, it has benefited me on a professional level, in the sense that now when I am applying for jobs I can demonstrate a whole bunch of skills they ask for, which is great for interviews.
They are incredibly transferable skills - as cliché as it sounds. You might even find something that enjoy more than your studies, I did! More than anything it demonstrates how tangible it is to take matters into your own hands, and how you can help to not necessarily fix holes in society but help a sense of equality and make life's struggles a little more manageable for others and sometimes your own through the volunteer work itself.
Who are you currently volunteering with?
I started out last year with the Fallowfield Foodshare. This is a local organisation that takes food donations from shoppers in the Sainsbury's in Fallowfield and distributes it to homeless shelters in the Fallowfield area, because they function on extremely low budgets and often don't have the money to spare for food.
Occasionally we also put on community meals alongside the Ivy Church, where we invite people from the shelters to the Sainsbury's café and cook them all a meal. The idea is to get everyone together and break down social boundaries over a good nutritious meal.
The Foodshare has also created hampers from the collections we have around Christmas, which I think makes the whole process much more personal. I worked with a team of other student volunteers, and we helped organise these events and recruit volunteers. The idea scared me at the time, as I didn't think I could take on such a big responsibility, but my confidence has grown considerably and I am now a central role on the Students' Union's fundraising committee known as RAG (raise and give).
In my role, I organise the street collections or raids primarily. It's more focussed on raising money than hands on help, but still all the work I do for it is voluntary, and the time I put in does pay off! So far the raids have raised around £3,000 for local, national and international charities, and I get to be part of something so much bigger as well.
The RAG committee are like a family, we help each other out with different events or promotions that take place and all work really hard together to pull off big totals at the end of the year, e.g. last year RAG raised £190,000. As much as I really do love the more hands-on style of volunteering, from what I have learnt through these roles is that there still needs to be a level of fundraising. Although the volunteer time is free, a lot of basic resources aren't, we do need to fundraise to help organisations function, and what better way than wearing a superhero costume on wet February day with a collection bucket?
Can you briefly describe what your volunteer role involves?
With RAG, I regularly email charities to check collection dates and locations to organise a collection. I will then recruit volunteers by writing and posting an advert on the volunteering portal and creating a Facebook page. I keep in contact with volunteers and charities throughout the running-up to the collection to ensure everything is in place and they know what they are doing.
Some of the fundamentals include collection buckets, charity t-shirts and merchandise, meeting place and time, printed information booklets and maps, a register etc. On the day of the collection I meet volunteers and take them to their post for the collection, whether it is the train station, football stadium, Chester, Sheffield, Leeds… I'm with them also collecting throughout the day, ensuring everyone has what they need and are warm and safe.
We meet again at the end of the day, usually with a social element such as hot chocolate in the Christmas markets, and then head home. After the collection, all the money is counted and I let all the volunteers know how much they collected and thank everyone for taking part, because a full day of collecting is a lot to ask for, particularly at the weekends!
Aside from the collections themselves we have meetings, promotional tasks, and can take on side projects if we choose. For example I have shot and uploaded a video onto a fundraising website and created Spotify playlists as ways to raise more money and awareness.
The main point with volunteering is that you can take up as much or as little responsibility as you choose. I have personally chosen to dedicate a fair amount of my time to volunteering because I enjoy it so much and I enjoy doing a good job.
What would you say to a student who wants to volunteer but doesn't know where to start?
I would say the key is to volunteer for something you feel passionately about. It is hard to get involved and enjoy volunteering roles when you know very little of who will benefit from the work you are doing, and just generally not engaging in an ongoing project that can be developed creatively.
Once you know what this role is, go and search for roles that fit that description. Charity work is taking place all around you. It's easy to search for roles online, and being at the University of Manchester puts you at an advantage as we have a whole team dedicated to helping you volunteer.
There are numerous volunteering societies here too, and if that still isn't enough there's the volunteering portal which can give you a little taster of the different opportunities before you commit to anything. If you still haven't found something that suits you, start up your own volunteering group or charity, it is easier than you think!