Weaving communities together with threads of volunteering
By Ademiku, MSc Food Security
Volunteering for me, is a demonstration of the love for community development. In any community that I find myself in, I want to leave a lasting positive impact. This desire has totalled around 50 hours per week, going on for about six years now. If you are a leader, passionate about something, supporting the course, even though it is difficult — you will do it!
Back in my home country of Nigeria, I volunteered for countless organisations in my spare time. Perhaps most notably, I led a project that delivered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by focusing on career development. Through this, we reached and engaged 15,000 young people across 13 states – I didn’t have all the resources, but I did it.
When I first moved to the UK, I wanted to build on my previous youth-centric educational work at home. This led to me joining IntoUniversity as a student mentor, an initiative dedicated to supporting high school students from underprivileged neighbourhoods in navigating their academic, social, and future career paths.
As someone who identifies with having a disability and coming from a lower-income background, studying under a scholarship here at the University has given me the opportunity to excel in academics and leadership despite some of the challenges I have faced.
I currently serve as a GeoSciences Postgraduate Student Representative, speaking for hundreds of postgraduate students across the Student Union and University levels. This role has opened the door to further engagements with the school, being a member of the University’s School Education Committee, the Student Union Forum, Students as Change Agents (SACHA) and more!
On top of that, being selected as a Diana Award Mentor to support teens in community development projects in the UK is quite remarkable. I believe this helped me toward being shortlisted for the Edinburgh University Student’s Association (EUSA) annual Student Awards for “Outstanding Community Impact in Volunteering”. I was also awarded the Edinburgh Award (Student Association: Leadership in Student Opportunities) – quite remarkable!
During my leadership journey, I’ve also had such wonderful opportunities to lead and support on numerous events within the School of GeoSciences designed to help PGT students balance their academic and social lives—everything from potlucks to networking workshops.
A recent project where collaboration amplified outcomes for everyone was the karaoke event for GeoSciences postgraduate students. Forming a dedicated four-person team, we meticulously planned the programme, and delivered perhaps the most fun event ever organised by any GeoSciences postgraduate student!
We all have our own moments of self-doubt, that we haven’t done our best at a certain point in our daily lives. But to understand that people around me still struggle drives me to keep going and fuels my passion to be a shining example. Speaking about my hero: my late father, who served his local community so selflessly, inspires me to be a better leader and to take the initiative to help others.
One of my best moments came during one of the final days of my mentorship programme at IntoUniversity. It was almost close of business, and the coordinator had to notify us about wrapping up one last time and saying goodbye to my mentee. As soon as the coordinator mentioned this, my mentee almost raised a protest! He pleaded to have just a little more time so he could continue studying and learning with me. The feeling that I initially thought I hadn’t done my best that day suddenly disappeared. This reaction brought a heartwarming feeling within me that I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Throughout all of this, I have leveraged and improved upon my digital literacy to identify many of my volunteer opportunities through online resources. If you look for long enough, you will find a programme or initiative that aligns with your own personal values. This is something that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to get more involved within their respective community.
Giving back to any community I find myself in is part of my values—it’s now coded in my DNA. It’s not because I think I am the most brilliant or capable person out there, but rather because I can, I shall, and I will. Having a physical disability has shown me that collaboration makes work both sweeter and simpler.
In reality, everyone benefits from someone supporting them in some shape or form, so helping someone next to you is where the impact truly starts. While I can’t change the world all by myself, I know that touching even one soul can have a profound ripple effect.
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