My YHA volunteering journey started a while back, when I had been a volunteer manager at a smaller, more remote YHA hostel. During my time, I welcomed many Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) groups to the hostel at the end of their multi-day expedition. I was struck by the determination, team spirit, and care for each other that the scheme had engendered. YHA is an approved activity provider of DofE gold awards, and I heard that they were calling for volunteers to support in the delivery of their DofE gold residentials — so it seemed like an excellent opportunity to get involved.
This year, I supported DofE volunteers through their residential at YHA Snowdon Ranger and YHA Hathersage. The group took on the redecoration of en-suite dorms, a drying room and games room. While over at YHA Hathersage, volunteers revamped the seasonal staff accommodation. Elsewhere, others have got involved with the relaying of turf, creation of deadwood hedge and removal of masses of brambles.
The dynamics of each DofE group is different, and group numbers can range from 5 to as many as 20 or more. Their first exercise was to devise a meal plan and shop for the week, which has a real emphasis on teambuilding.
I was a little apprehensive as my first assignment at YHA Snowdon Ranger required a 20-mile round trip to buy food for eleven people. Other than advising that there may be a limit to the number of tinned tomatoes they needed, the group was near perfect and bought everything for less than £20 per person. It was lovely to be asked by the group to enjoy an evening meal with them.
The YHA youth support leader programme allows us to give participants meaningful work and experience, where at the end of the session, clear mutual benefits can be easily observed. It was fantastic to see the young people taking possession of the project and wanting to go the extra mile. The group also showed real empathy when making a seasonal worker’s room homely.
In this role, you can be assured of a busy week, but I always come away with a feeling of quiet satisfaction and very proud of the work that groups have done willingly — the greatest inspiration to join this programme was from the participants themselves. It’s also brilliant to see how impressed the hostel managers are of what these young adults have achieved in a short period.
How has it changed me? Well, I recall the old Bob Dylan lyric “I was so much older then, I am younger than that now”. If you’re thinking about giving volunteering with YHA a go, do it! Such an incredible experience.
Discover more about volunteering with YHA.
Written by: Stephen Mulcahy – YHA DofE youth support leader
