Volunteering can help people connect more with their local community. It can also give you the skills and confidence to improve your employment prospects. Feeling connected to the area you live in can become even more important when you have not only moved to a new location, but to a new country. Volunteer Centre Sefton talked to Olena about her volunteering to employment journey.  

Olena moved to Sefton from Ukraine in May 2022 with her two sons, after Russia invaded her country. Previously a teacher in Ukraine, Olena started to volunteer for the South Sefton Ukraine Welcome Centre (UWC) shortly after she arrived in the UK. After six months of volunteering she became the Ukraine Welcome Centre manager and has been heavily involved with Eurovision and helping other Ukrainians settle into a new life in Merseyside.

“Two days after I arrived, my sponsor brought me to the Ukraine Welcome Centre. I didn’t want to stay home, I wanted to integrate and make friends. I didn’t know anyone, just my sponsor. So I decided to go and mix with people and I started to go to the Ukraine Welcome Centre regularly.

I then began to understand that many Ukrainians had problems with English, and were not ready to start their lives in England. Especially as all English language courses started in September, and it was only May or June at this time. I suggested that we should put on a course so the team contacted different colleges, and we put on three English courses. I supported the English teachers as a volunteer during the summer.” 

Olena started volunteering at the Ukraine Welcome Centre because she was a social person, and wanted to meet new people and make new friends.

“It’s not good for me to stay at home, without going out and not having contact with people and not having friends. So, it is better for me to be out and to mix with people. I am that kind of person, I do my best to help other people.”

While volunteering at the Ukraine Welcome Centre, Olena started a course to become a teaching assistant. However, In November 2022, she got offered a job as the Ukraine Welcome Centre manager.

“Originally, I thought I will finish the teacher’s assistant course and get a job in a school locally”.

But I applied for the job of manager and got it!

“This is all new for me but I try and speak to people to find out what they can do best, what they can do for us and try and involve them in volunteering.”

Volunteering has helped Olena become part of her new community and helped her into employment:

“I try and say to people if you do some volunteering hopefully you will be able to get a job from it. I also tell other Ukrainians that if you volunteer for example ‘if you volunteer in say the Ukrainian Centre, it will help you with the job interview”.

Volunteering can help improve health and wellbeing, English language skills and provide references for employment.

If you are a Ukrainian national looking to gain some experience in a UK work place and would like to improve your English, find out more about the Ukraine Support Initiative. Volunteer Centre Sefton can help you find a volunteer placement that will help you improve your English and get some work experience working with a UK charity.