Written by Written by Huw Feakes for Volunteers Week

Disclaimer: this is a personal blog by a BuDS member. The views expressed are personal, and don’t necessarily represent those of BuDS or our Trustees.

My Name is Huw, I first heard about BuDS through my employment coach at Talkback, this is because I am looking to gain some experience to help me get a paid job in the future. After taking a couple of weeks to officially join I started volunteering with the Reach4Work team 2 weeks ago.

I have spent that time getting up to speed and getting myself familiarised with their online system. I have also attended both the start and end of day meetings with the other members of the BuDS team. I feel that the members have made me feel welcome and can help me if I have any queries or problems that I may have. I also completed an individual development plan when I first started, this was done by the organisation to get a better understanding of myself and any needs that I may have. It is also useful for my team leader and mentors as it helps them to get to know a bit about me and to get an idea of what my aims and achievements are.

As part of my induction and training, I have also completed a mandatory online meeting on safeguarding which is important, as participating in this meeting gives me a better understanding of the organisation’s safeguarding policy. This is necessary for me to know so that I understand what I need to do and what to not do in a wide range of situations.