volunteer spotlight archive

Our volunteer community is filled with some incredible people! Read more stories about what makes our volunteers tick… and why they choose to volunteer with Story Island.

Volunteer spotlight: Zahra

As a recent school leaver, Zahra is very familiar with being in a classroom. But volunteering with Story Island this year has given her a new perspective on the school environment.

‘Rather than being a student guided by an adult, I am now in a position where I help guide students, answer their questions, encourage them, and help manage the group,’ she says.

Zahra’s experiences as a Story Island volunteer are particularly valuable, as she hopes to become a teacher in the future.

‘Being treated as an adult and having that responsibility has given me a new understanding of how students interact and how much thought goes into supporting and guiding them,’ she says.

‘This experience is giving me a strong foundation for my future career in teaching, while also reminding me that there is always more for me to learn.

‘I also see it as a valuable opportunity to develop my communication and interpersonal skills while contributing to something meaningful in the community.’ 

In her spare time, Zahra enjoys digital journalling, and sees stories as a way that we turn experiences into meaning: ‘understanding yourself, understanding other people, preserving moments that mattered, and making sense of how you've changed.’

She brings this thoughtful understanding about the personal nature of storytelling to her work with students in Story Island workshops, providing gentle encouragement to students to build their confidence week by week:

One student asked me to read her work aloud because she was uncomfortable sharing her own work... I encouraged her by reminding her that people ask for stories and perspectives for a reason—her experiences and ideas were valuable… After our conversation, she became more confident in sharing her story and recognised that her perspective was worth hearing. It showed me how important encouragement can be in helping someone find the confidence to share their voice.

Interested in volunteering with Story Island? Click here to sign up as a volunteer, or click the ‘register now’ button below. Contact us if you have any other questions!