Meet Joanne

Meet our Education Volunteer Joanne

Meet Joanne, one of our amazing Education Volunteers based in New South Wales. Originally, from Scotland, Joanne started her life in Australia on a working holiday. Now having spent over two years living in Australia, Joanne is a student studying her Masters in Office Administration.

When asked a few questions about volunteering with Ardoch, here is what Joanne had to say:

What were your reasons for originally volunteering with us?

‘I was looking for some way to volunteer in the community, Australia has given me so much and I wanted to give back to the community. I have worked with children before and that was great. So, I began searching for a volunteer place and Ardoch came up. I liked what you were about and applied.’

What impact do you think you are making on the kids?

‘Each week you see improvements in the kids, the first day I started was their first day of school and they were all quite nervous. I help them with literacy and numeracy tasks and you see them improving each week. Sometimes they will come up to me and specifically ask me for help and show me something they have worked on’.

I volunteer to…

‘Give back to the community and to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds. They do not always get all the help they deserve and even if I can make a wee bit of difference then it is worth it. If I can give up only a couple hours a week and make a difference then it is definitely worth it’.

What do you have to say to others who are thinking of volunteering?

‘Go for it. When I was first starting I was a little sceptical that I could make any difference but when I get the kids asking me for help and I can see they trust me more now, I can see I’m making a difference to not just the kids but the teacher as well’.