Volunteer Benefits

Volunteers gain as much from their weekly reading sessions as they give, often citing the day as the highlight of their week! Volunteering not only offers vital support to those who need it most, but its impacts also extend to the volunteers themselves. Being a volunteer allows you to connect with the local community, build new relationships and learn new skills. As well as greatly improving your mental health and wellbeing.

Volunteering with Doorstep Library provides an opportunity to:

Build your confidence and improve your self-esteem
Share your love of reading and books with the children you see
Make new social connections with your fellow volunteers and families you visit
Make a real difference to the lives of others
Give back to the community you live in or the community you visit every week
Improve your leadership skills as you lead your pack through visits

Our volunteering opportunities are also highly useful for those considering professions in primary education, social and community work

Don’t just take our word for it, below are what our volunteers have to say about their experience

Here’s what our volunteers have to say:

“Getting involved with Doorstep Library is really a breath of fresh air. It’s only a few hours every week where I feel I can make a difference – no week is EVER the same, which I really appreciate and enjoy. There’s constantly new and fun challenges to overcome, whether it’s raining cats and dogs, to finding cats and dogs. The people in the team are supportive, non-judgmental and relaxed yet still knowledgeable and efficient, as we all share the same goals: passion for literature and helping people. I feel it’s a (door)stepping stone to my career involving educating and mentoring young people. The time passes so quickly here and I hope we can expand to benefit more communities and share the love of reading and stories to more children.”

Meron

“Over the past year, I have seen the interest and ability of these kids in reading grow and grow – watched the shy boy, originally interested only in his iPad, come running up to me 6 months later raving about the latest book he has read and asking for more.”

Dylan

“I love volunteering with Doorstep because I can share my love of reading with families. I get really excited about choosing books for the children I visit. One has just discovered the heroes of Greek mythology, another is interested in the Saturn mission, one loves to read plays aloud with her siblings. It is wonderful to encourage their curiosity.”

Aude

“I can see that I have built up relationships in the community, obviously with the support of more experienced people. There is a huge sense of achievement with the work! The most rewarding part is being involved in the whole process, it has become part of my life and I take it very seriously. I get the values that the charity is trying to get across, the mutual understanding is very important. It is wonderful seeing the project grow and being part of that.”

Amy