Hi, my name’s Ellie and I now work in the HR department at Solace.
I initially looked into volunteering with Solace as I was specifically interested in developing a career in the VAWG sector following the completion on my studies. I was particularly drawn to applying for the ‘Volunteer Assistant’ volunteer role as I was hoping to gain experience in an office-based admin role. The decision to volunteer with Solace was one of the best decisions I have made!
My supervisor was amazing and really put me at ease. She was on hand to offer me detailed instructions for completing tasks and allowed me the opportunity to develop new skills by giving me a diverse array of responsibilities which regularly challenged me in my role. I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to get involved in lots of different parts of the team from admin to event planning which kept my role interesting and helped to strengthen a variety of key skills that I value in my work today. In addition to this, through the volunteer training programme I developed a much greater understanding of the issues affecting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Volunteering with Solace has aided me greatly in advancing my career. As a result of my responsibilities, I gained more self-confidence and hands-on knowledge and with the support of my supervisor, I was offered a paid role within Solace as a Volunteering and HR administrator, where I have since then progressed to HR Officer. In my role now I can see other volunteers following a similar course and it’s great to see volunteers progress their careers within Solace.