Celebrating Volunteers' Week: Maryna's Volunteering Story
Starting on June 3rd, we celebrated Volunteers' Week by launching the "LIKE" campaign to honour our team members who began their journey as volunteers at ACH and have since secured permanent positions. If you missed it, be sure to check out our social media accounts. Maryna, who is still volunteering in our marketing department, shares her story about volunteering. Read on to find out more.
My professional graphic design career started in Ukraine. After leaving my home country and relocating to the UK, I was eager to continue my career here. Adapting a job to a new country is not an easy task. First, I needed to determine where to start...
My First Encounter with ACH
I visited a job centre and met Shirley, a career adviser from ACH. I explained my goal to her: I wanted to work as a freelance graphic designer. Shirley mentioned ACH’s entrepreneur support programme and took my details to provide the best support.
Shortly after our first meeting with Shirley, I got an email from Eloise, ACH’s lead business advisor, offering a helping hand to kickstart my entrepreneurial journey. Curious and open to new experiences, I accepted the invitation to visit their office.
Talking to her was very enlightening. We decided I needed to focus on improving my English and gaining work experience. She had a great idea to serve both purposes at once: volunteering in ACH's marketing department! In this way, I could improve my conversational skills and gain relevant work experience in the field. I gladly accepted this suggestion.
Starting Volunteering in the Marketing Team
Following that, Sena (ACH’s Marketing and Communications Officer) reached out, and we crafted a volunteering programme that suited both of us. My tasks revolved around my forte: marketing materials design. I used my expertise here to design posters, flyers, and social media content, but I also tried new things! I’ve never created a banner before, so I enjoyed working on different things. I also attended meetings with the marketing team, which gave me a better understanding of the office environment on a day-to-day basis.
Ongoing development
The volunteering experience helped me integrate into the work environment, refresh my skills after a long break, and improve my English. It also boosted my confidence. I'm very grateful to the whole team for welcoming me into their circle, supporting me in improving my skills and experience. This experience made me feel more confident about starting my career.
Note: This blog was written by Maryna Zdorova, who volunteered in the marketing department.
