Duncan’s Volunteer Story
I’ve always been volunteering on and off – I started my volunteering journey with another organisation in 2018 doing maintenance work. Then the pandemic happened and everything got put on pause. I got let go from work, and I became a full time dad, and I didn’t want to do anything that’d take up a lot of time because I wanted to spend time with my son. Volunteering gave me the freedom I wanted – of helping and giving back to my community with a schedule convenient for me.
After the pandemic I didn’t want to sit at home and do nothing. I love everything to do with upcycling, building and fixing things, and I kept walking past the Community Toolbox, and I knew I wanted to volunteer there.
My role as volunteer means staffing the Toolbox, maintaining and repairing tools, sorting inventory and donations, building all sorts of things for the gardening group from bird houses to planters.
Duncan is our very own tools and DIY expert: he’s built a great many things and fixed a great many tools for us.
I found that volunteering gives your hobbies meaning, and gives you more motivation to do it. At home I don’t have all the space or tools, so the Toolbox is the place for me to come in and use the facilities and the equipment, all the while doing something beneficial. I’m also keeping my skills up to date, and I’ve gained more confidence in myself and my abilities – I know I can trust my own judgement and I can show more initiative and creativity.
I’ve only been volunteering for a short while, but I want to stay here and make an even bigger impact. Doing what I’ve done so far has helped create a path for the future for us to grow and expand and be able to materialize all the ideas for the Community Toolbox we want to do. We’ve already started doing workshops, and we can teach people so much – how to make things with their own hands, so they don’t feel like they need to buy everything. Things can be handmade and be more personal.
“Don’t underestimate yourself and your abilities, you’ll be surprised by what you can do.”
For anyone thinking about volunteering – go for it, you won’t regret it! If it’s something you already want to do, don’t let anything stop you. It’s only going to be beneficial for you and the people you want to help.
If you’re not sure, definitely try once - there’s no harm in trying. You’re not going to lose anything by volunteering. You won’t regret it, and you will get as much from it as you would by using the service. It’s just as good for your mental health. Even if you’ve never worked or haven’t worked in a while, it can refresh your skills and help you get in the right mindset - it will reinforce that these are things you can do.
All our groups and activities are only possible through the generous support of our community. Click Here to see ways you can support us or get involved in our mission to improve mental health in Dundee.