Meet the student taking on the Little LifeSavers cause!

Hannah is a student, doing her A-Levels in Chemistry, Biology and History. Hannah loves playing hockey and being social with her friends. Hannah is also one of our valued Little LifeSavers volunteers. 

As a charity, we are entirely reliant on volunteers from all walks of life and in different life stages to give up an hour of their time to teach basic lifesaving skills in schools. Each volunteer brings a new depth of experience and offers fresh perspectives for the charity. Students joining Little LifeSavers demonstrates the youth of today stepping up to help the next generation. We catch up with Hannah who tells us about her experience as a student volunteer with Little LifeSavers.

How did you come across Little LifeSavers?

“I came across Little Life Savers via a friend of a friend. I was searching for volunteering applications, and they mentioned that they had volunteered for Little LifeSavers. When I took a look online and thought it was absolutely perfect for what I was looking for and such a good cause as well.”

Did you find it easy becoming a volunteer?

“Becoming a volunteer was never going to be extremely easy as it requires dedication and time to become one. Sometimes being a student means you have to find time to balance school work with volunteering for the charity.

Everybody I met in the process was so lovely and welcoming. It really made the whole initiation super enjoyable. Everyone I interacted with in the process was really happy for me to be joining the Little LifeSavers’ ranks!”

How have you found being a volunteer has helped you as a student?

“As a student doing my A-levels I am sometimes put in charge of the younger years in mentoring programs. Little LifeSavers has definitely helped me in teaching and also how to get the best out of those who maybe don’t want to be there and get them really engaged.”

What’s the hardest part about volunteering?

“The hardest part, for me personally, is the public speaking aspect. During the Little LifeSavers session, the first chunk is a speaking run through. As someone who isn’t great at speaking in front of large groups, this has been a bit of a challenge, however, I am getting there!”

What has been your favourite part of volunteering?

“My favourite part of volunteering has got to be when the children get really involved in it. You are sitting or standing there showing them how to do something and they all look so excited to get going. When the mannequins come out, they are all fighting to be the first to have a go! It’s really uplifting to see them look so enthusiastic about something that you have dedicated your time to.”

What is the funniest / best question from a child?

“Though not a question, the best comment from a child in one of the sessions I have attended had to be: “why do we care if the man has fallen over, stranger danger!”. Whilst I’m glad that they were ‘stranger danger’ aware, we did have a laugh over this one!”

What’s your advice to other students out there who are thinking about volunteering for LLS? 

To any other students thinking about volunteering with Little LifeSavers, I say go for it. Even being a full-time student, I have found no need to miss school to do the sessions. It is such a fun experience which is really emotionally fulfilling!

Volunteering is also crucial for Duke of Edinburgh and similar programmes, so consider getting involved with Little LifeSavers to see if it will fit requirements.

 

Do you want to be like Hannah? Check out how to volunteer here.