Street Aid Society: Welfare Officer

I’ve been a part of this society since the second outreach session of this academic year, and have fairly regularly shown up to outreach sessions as well as volunteered at bake sales since, so I feel like being in the committee for this society would be a good way to further increase the amount and extent to which I can have a positive effect on this society. As to why I am running to be welfare officer instead of another role – I’ve held similar roles, albeit unofficially, in my high school where last year I held the equivalent position to a welfare officer in my pole vault team, helping the members of our team deal with issues they might have within and outside of the team, ranging from interpersonal drama to concerns about traveling to places hours away we had never heard of, communicating with coaches regarding these concerns, as well as making sure our first years were fitting into the school/team well and that no one in the team had beef with each other. Although the concerns of a sports team is quite different from those of a charity-based society, I believe that, due to my familiarity with this society, my experience in my pole vault team will translate well into being the welfare officer of Street Aid, which is why I think that I’d be a good pick for welfare officer next year. 

Hi, my name is Giorgia! I first joined Street Aid because I felt helpless in the face of the prevalent homelessness in London. Although I couldn’t participate in the outreaches as much as I wanted to, I was immediately struck by the altruism within the group. This inspiring atmosphere made me want to become a part of the committee, working alongside people who share the same goals.

After my first outreach, I found myself feeling quite emotional. This experience motivated me to pursue the Welfare Officer role, as I want to normalise such feelings and offer support to others who may feel the same way. I consider myself approachable and easy-going, and I hope to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and emotions.

Additionally, as a Global Humanitarian Studies student, I believe I would be a valuable asset to the team, given my knowledge about delivering aid and its implications.