Volunteers’ Week takes place from 1st-7th June and aims to celebrate the work of volunteers across the country along with highlighting the benefits this provides to both volunteers themselves and local communities. 

This year’s Volunteers’ Week focus is on youth volunteering and social action, showing how young people can get involved in volunteering for local causes which can help them gain essential life skills and improve job prospects. At Shrewsbury Town in the Community, our Volunteer Academy is aimed at providing 14-24 year olds the opportunity to gain essential experience through helping out with a range of the projects we deliver. The Volunteer Academy currently has over 30 members with over 1000 hours split between them as they help out on a range of projects from providing an extra pair of hands on a matchday delivering tours and looking after mascots, to aiding coaches on Soccer Schools during half-term.  

One member is Ryan, who attends one of our Partner Schools and has spent over 60 hours volunteering on a variety of projects since joining in September. He says that this has “given me a pathway to follow. Before I joined the Volunteer Academy I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and now I’ve had experience working with Shrewsbury Town in the Community it has shown me that I want to go into coaching and continue with the work I am doing currently.” 

His time spent volunteering has also given Ryan lots of opportunities which he would not have had otherwise, from playing on the hallowed turf at Montgomery Waters Meadow, to meeting players through his work. “It has shown me what other roles exist within football that I didn’t know existed before and has given me some experience with them to help me decide what I want to do.” 

As Ryan prepares to sit his GSCE exams this summer, he has already developed a plan of his next steps through his work with the academy. “Hopefully when I have passed my GCSEs I will be taking the BTEC course at Shrewsbury Town in the Community next year so that I can go on to become a Community Coach, working within schools to help coach other kids and give them the same opportunities.” 

Everyone at Shrewsbury Town in the Community would like to say thank you to Ryan, and all our Volunteer Academy members for their hard work.  

If you are interested in joining our Volunteer Academy or would like to find out more, email [email protected]