4 minute read
The Gift of Volunteering Can Pave the Way to Opportunity
Meet Maya Mccarthy
Nest volunteer, 18 year old Maya is currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Fashion Design degree at QUT. She has volunteered with us at different times over the last 12 months, working regular shifts in our Textile Recovery Centre and within The Nest Haberdashery serving customers. She is our youngest volunteer by nearly 20 years.
“I feel very fortunate to have been able to volunteer with such an upbeat, positive, inspiring group of ladies. At first I was very nervous as I was so young, but every single one of them took time to get to know me and talk to me which made me feel very welcomed”.
While Maya has a costume designer Aunt and a cousin who works in fashion, her choice to study Fashion Design was more based on wanting to ‘do something different’ to hospitality where she works part time. For many young people the journey to finding a vocation is difficult. Traditionally apprenticeships and traineeships helped ease the transition from school to workforce by giving students practical skills and a taste of working life. However statistically, Tertiary Education provides a pathway to higher paid jobs. The downside being that on average, students finish an undergraduate degree with a debt of $30,000.
Prospects are even more challenging when entering Creative Industries such as fashion. That’s why a support network is so important for young women like Maya and is where The Nest can make a difference.
“By volunteering at The Nest I’ve learnt life lessons and feel more at ease to take my time after school to figure things out. I feel as though we are pushed onto this timeline where we need to get a full time job or start uni straight after high school but it's okay to break these norms and figure out what you are really interested in. Even though I really love fashion [my current course] I am considering changing to an Art Therapy degree. You need to experiment”.
Intergenerational connection has always been at the core of everything The Nest does and we welcome the diversity of perspectives and experiences that young people can offer our team. Their fresh ideas and energy, combined with the wisdom and knowledge of our existing volunteers creates a dynamic and collaborative environment.
Where we can, The Nest is committed to offering opportunities to young people as part of our vision to build resilient communities where people and resources are equally valued. Young people are our future and they deserve our support, so we were thrilled when Maya accepted a paid role as Junior Coordinator to help meet peak demand in the Haberdashery on Saturdays.
Other volunteers from Maya’s Friday team shared our enthusiasm:
'It's been lovely to work with a young lady who is thoughtful and kind to ladies who are decades older than herself. She is a great team worker and enjoys a good laugh with us. It's wonderful to see Maya taking on the role of junior co-ordinator.'
'It is wonderful to work with an enthusiastic and cheerful young person who brings a youthful perspective to our team.'
'She is always willing to take any role asked of her. She has a friendly and gentle disposition who worked very collaboratively with fellow volunteers I hope things go well for her on the Saturday shift.'
While Maya is unsure where her studies will take her, through her volunteer experience she has connected with other like-minded people and been exposed to new ideas that will sustain her through life.
“I feel as though I’ve gained a wider sense of purpose and fulfillment through listening to the ladies’ stories whether it was about their traveling days (as I travelled overseas in my gap year) or reminiscing about their childhood or early adulthood days. Through storytelling I’ve learnt from older generations about cultural traditions, values and ways of life when they were younger and how we have changed since then as a society”.
