Meet Hayley, one of our ultimate all-rounder volunteers.
Since starting as a volunteer on the Streetbeat bus, Hayley has also got involved with Driving Change, and now, the Tutoring Program.
We caught up to have a chat with Hayley about her dedication to meeting new people and learning their stories.
Hayley grew up in the UK. “I did a counselling degree when I left school at 18, I just wanted to help people,” she says. “When I graduated I had very little experience. You can’t be 21 and counsel people with no experience.”
She began working in social care recruitment, a career she continued after moving to Sydney, where Hayley continue to pursue her passion for working with people.
“Now I work for a vulnerable children’s program and a disability services provider as well,” she says.
“I just wanted to do more, and thought volunteering would be a good way to support more people.
“I applied online to volunteer with Weave, and it was pretty much as easy as that.”
– Hayley (middle) at the Counterpoint Volunteer Awards in May 2019
Hayley’s first experience with Weave was volunteering on the Streetbeat bus, a service that helps young adults get home safe every Friday and Saturday night.
“It’s just a really good program,” she says. “It’s very rewarding, because children’s safety is paramount, making sure they’re getting home ok. And the relationship that they have with Emilio, the driver, is amazing, they trust him 100%.
“It’s a community, they all really look out for each other.”
Hayley has recently started volunteering to mentor a young girl as part of Weave’s Tutoring Program.
“The little girl is really cute and sweet,” Hayley says. “She decides what she wants to do, then I plan the hour. I didn’t realise how much I was going to enjoy it. She really picked it up really quickly. It’s very rewarding. This week we’re going to do science.
“She’s 9 and when she gets an answer right her little face just lights up.”
Hayley encourages everyone to give volunteering a go.
“It’s a really rewarding program, and it’s fun as well.
“You don’t really know what to expect when you’re applying for something that you’ve never done before,” she acknowledges, encouraging potential volunteers to give it a go.
“Everyone just welcomes you with open arms. It’s a really good team. And you can tell how much the whole team at Weave genuinely cares for and support the community. There’s so many different programs that they provide. You get very proud to have a little part of it.
“I love being part of the rewarding programs Weave provides for these children. You can see how much the children really thrive from the support. Everyone’s got a different story, it’s just a real community feel.”