Every day, they make a difference and for National Volunteers’ Week we showed our appreciation

We are lucky to have a dedicated team of volunteers. They give their time to support learners across Birmingham; the theme this year “Connecting Communities” couldn’t be more fitting.

All week staff proudly displayed “Thank You” posters, and learners and teachers alike got involved by sharing tributes and stories. It was inspiring to see such heartfelt appreciation across the service. To end the week, we hosted our annual Volunteer Celebration Event at Brasshouse. The event provided a chance to connect with fellow volunteers and BAES staff, sharing stories and wisdom. One of our volunteers, Brian, said:

“There are so many opportunities to help others. You can be a role model. You can show learners that it’s okay to make mistakes; it’s okay not to know.”

The volunteers were joined by our Principal, Ilgun Yusuf, and members of the Senior Leadership Team, each of whom expressed their gratitude for the invaluable support our volunteers provide. One of the highlights of the event was a heartfelt tribute by Senior Learner Services Manager, Sun jeong, who shared an original song in honour of our volunteers.

We continue to see volunteers go on to further education and paid employment, both within and beyond BAES, which is a testament to the personal and professional development that volunteering can offer. Alison, a Learner Services Manager, shared how proud she was of the volunteers:

“As volunteers you get to watch the learners grow and we get to watch you grow as volunteers.”

Learn more about the national impact of volunteering in this video or at volunteersweek.org. We always welcome volunteers who want to give back and support others.

If you would like to volunteer at Birmingham Adult Education Service contact our volunteering co-ordinator by emailing volunteering@baes.ac.uk.