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Report transcript in: Fran's Volunteer Story
Please Report the Errrors?
today. I'm talking with Fran, uh, who volunteered with epilepsy. Action.
Uh, hi, Fran.
Hi.
Um, Fran, I'm really interested to know what motivated you to become a volunteer.
Did you have any particular reasons for? For that?
Um, so I've had epilepsy for quite a long time. I've had it since I was a teenager, and
basically one of my main motivations was actually to find sort of a wider
community of other people who were going through what I was going through.
That was one motivation, but another motivation was sort of to find out
a lot more about what these charities do and a and be able to get involved.
Um, and the work that epilepsy action do
was allowing for that, and their volunteer schemes was providing
a lot of opportunities for their volunteers to be very, very hands on.
Um, so not only getting to meet other volunteers,
but just being able to join in in just such a wide array of activities.
And that was a huge motivation on my side.
Brilliant. So So, Yeah, so it sounds like, um,
you've kind of found what you're wanting to do
and you've been volunteering for just over a year now.
Um, so can you tell me a little bit more about your experience as a volunteer?
Yeah, absolutely. So originally, I'd joined on the 16 to 30 panel.
So that was aimed at,
um,
a panel that would help give advice to those who
are aged 16 to 30 who are going through epilepsy.
And it was trying to
perhaps help them navigate,
um,
the different ways of the world when you're suffering from epilepsy.
But from that,
they also offered me so many other opportunities to join in in epilepsy action.
And they offered me
other
ways. And
how do you say, uh, of tasks to get involved with?
So it wasn't just sitting on that panel. There was lots of other things to do.
So what kind of stuff have you been up to then? What have you been doing?
Can you think of any examples of stuff you've done recently?
Yes.
We've been looking at the branding, the new branding that epilepsy action is doing.
And it was given to us in a lovely presentation. And then we,
as a team of volunteers, got to sit there and give a lot of feedback on that.
Um,
and that was really interesting because it actually provoked
quite a lot of different responses from different people.
Um,
about how it was going to be used and what they should use and what they shouldn't use.
Uh, so it was a very, very interesting discussion.
Yeah, So you got to give your kind of perspective,
um, as a person who lives with epilepsy,
um,
about how things should should proceed with the branding and everything.
So
from what we've been talking about,
do you think you feel like empowered in your volunteer role?
Um,
yeah, definitely. I think that
you get given a voice every meeting that I've turned up to.
Um, every time I've been emailed,
every time I've been contacted via the assemble app,
which is essentially a messaging app that epilepsy actually use.
You are more than welcome to a voice. Your opinion.
B, ask any question that you'd like to ask
and see. You always get an answer.
So that helps with the empowerment, because you're not being ignored at any stage.
And
you are constantly being supported by the team at epilepsy action.
Which again, that
links in with the empowerment,
but more than anything you're definitely listened to.
And your views are definitely taken on board, which is
really, really refreshing. Um,
and it's just a very, very positive side of the volunteering.
Yeah, that's really great to hear that you do feel, um, empowered and listened to,
um and obviously we really do appreciate, um, your kind of feedback as well.
Um,
so
just to finish up
looking to the future,
what kind of excites you in the future about being a volunteer?
Probably do things mainly you.
You almost don't know what's coming, and that's not an that's a positive,
not a negative.
As in
epilepsy action are doing a lot of different things.
There's campaigns running.
There's so many different opportunities to get involved,
and you're allowed to join in with almost
any task that you would like to join in with.
Um so that side of it is a real real positive,
and it's something that's really, really exciting.
But the other side of it is that the work that has been started
is still ongoing, and there's still lots to be done.
So all the empowerment, all your views being taken on board,
that's still happening?
Um, it wasn't something. A lot of what I've done is not just a one off task.
There's more meetings being booked for later this
year that is already in my calendar.
And
you're allowed to just continuously keep
building those relationships that you've started
building with other volunteers and with those who work at epilepsy Action.
Um,
and that's something that's so
so kind of exciting, uh, about doing these roles. Yeah.
So you kind of feel like you're being taken along on the journey, aren't you? You just
like being talked to, and then that's it.
You're kind of like progressing.
As things are progressing, you're being involved as well, so
yeah.
Yeah. Not being left to one side in the slightest or left behind, um,
at all. You're definitely included in everything,
right? Well, again, that's really great to hear.
Um, and it's so, uh, you know,
so good to see that you're so kind of excited
about what's coming up in the future as well.
So
that's brilliant.
Well, it's been really great to talk to you today. Thanks so much.
Um, for sharing your volunteer story with me
and, um
Yeah, that's great. Cheers. Not a problem. Thank you.
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