Bob Liang is an Affiliate Law student in his 4th Year. He has volunteered as a fundraiser for Richard House Children’s Hospice, a UK charity that provides care and support for children with life-limited illnesses based in Newham, East London. He has also taught introductory sessions on human rights and international law at Acton High School and Langdon Park High School and is involved with the UCL Citizenship & Crime Scheme working in North London schools.
What do you do as a volunteer?
Each session is different and there are a range of tasks and responsibilities that are delegated to our small group of volunteers. For events such as Richard House’s end of year Christmas concert held at All Saints’ Church in Poplar I helped with setting up, cleaning up and supervision on the night. I found this extremely rewarding especially when the children’s choir finally stood up to confidently perform their own cute rendition of ‘Away in a Manger’!
At Upton Park for a home West Ham Premier League match, my girlfriend Cathy and I collected donations and spoke to football fans about ‘Harry’s Million’ Campaign. Together we raised almost £1500 and a huge amount of awareness of our cause through the DVD displayed on the screens and the Match Day Programme. However, Birmingham City in the end held on for a narrow away win to the disappointment of those around us in the stands!
What were your first impressions when you started volunteering?
When I first met Viv Talbot, the Community Fundraising Manager for Richard House, I was warmly welcomed and introduced to her family of volunteers and given responsibilities to fulfil. This shows how these charities and organisations greatly value the support and enthusiasm of volunteers and place a lot of trust in UCL students.
I went in with the hopeful expectation that I would be able to make a difference and to develop my interpersonal and communication skills in a new environment.
How do you feel about it now?
After fundraising for Richard House for several one-off events and guiding young high school students through interactive lessons on human rights and law I definitely feel that my initial aim of inspiring others and making a difference in their everyday lives has been realised.
I aspire to share with others the value of education and volunteering to contribute to the lives of those around us. I am so glad I was given the opportunity to teach, raise money and ultimately learn from these experiences. During the Christmas concert, seeing the happy faces on members of the local East London community and parents of children that Richard House supports really did make everything worthwhile.
What’s the best thing about volunteering?
Definitely the feeling that I am doing what I enjoy! I am contributing in a meaningful way to my local community or a charity that might just need that extra support from volunteers during hard times.
With Richard House in particular I am always happy to see how enthusiastic others around me are as well and the encouragement we give to one another.
And what’s the most challenging thing?
A difficult question to answer but I would say that the most challenging thing about my work with Richard House was finding out that not everyone was receptive to the messages and stories my team and I shared about the charity and its causes. Many times during the Upton Park volunteering we would encounter football fans who were too busy or disinterested in hearing about how the Hospice provides respite to families and children with complex healthcare conditions.
However, it is these challenging moments which really remind you of what you find worthwhile in volunteering. I know I came away from these experiences with not only a renewed belief in the work Richard House does but also the knowledge to not let others who may not share this view diminish your enthusiasm.
How has volunteering changed you?
Volunteering has helped me become a stronger, more self-assured individual especially when it comes to charity collections. You are really putting yourself out there in these situations, actively trying to encourage others to contribute to a cause you believe in. It has taught me so much in terms of respecting the views of others and exercising tact when interacting with them but also, again, has reaffirmed my strong belief in the value of volunteering one’s time to help people.
Volunteering in the end really is a gift to others that keeps on giving. I know now that working with charities and communities is something I want to continue with in the future because of the visible changes we can see in others through the work we do.
What difference do you feel you’ve made by volunteering?
I hope that I have made a difference within different communities as well as being there to support those unsung heroes who work for charities, to remind them that there are people out there who support their cause.
I feel that spending time with a small group of volunteers with Richard House also gave me the opportunity to share stories and experiences with people I would not usually have the chance to meet.
Would you recommend the project to anyone else?
Yes, I would recommend Richard House Charity to all potential volunteers due to the friendly environment fostered and their very noble cause. I would also wholeheartedly recommend having a go at teaching and running interactive workshops with high school students in London because of the very interesting and always changing classroom dynamics that allow you to learn as much from the experience as the students.
Volunteering gives you sharper insight into who you are. I knew I pushed my personal boundaries and was really taken out of my comfort zone when leading fundraising or teaching Year 8 students who may not initially realise how relevant some laws and rights are to their lives. From participating in these projects I was able to confirm what I really cherish and love. I would not trade my memories from these experiences for anything else except perhaps the opportunity to do it all again later.