Volunteers Week 2022:
Meet Emily Jones

The 1st-7th June is Volunteers Week, which is a time to say thanks for the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering.

We’d like to highlight the fantastic work of our volunteers, who over the past year have contributed over 1,454 hours over April 2021 to March 2022 towards subcommittees, grants panels, events and much more.

We caught up with Emily Jones, Lead Youth Worker at The Youth Association in Wakefield and newly appointed Trustee of Leeds Community Foundation.

 

• Tell us more about your involvement with Leeds Community Foundation?

I have just started as a trustee for Leeds Community Foundation. Working alongside fellow trustees, my role is to ensure that the Foundation is effective and accountable to the communities they are working with.

The goal is to shape the future of the organisation to ensure that the organisation is going in the right direction and supporting those most in need.

Within this role, I am able to work with a diverse board of trustees, which is exciting because we can all bring our areas of expertise and ultimately, we all share the same passion for Leeds Community Foundation.

 

 

• What drives your support?

As soon as I heard about the opportunity to become a trustee for the foundation, I jumped at the chance. Having known about Leeds Community Foundation through applying for grants through my organisation (The Youth Association), I had already had first-hand experience of the impact that these grants can have on communities.

As well as this, I wanted to find out more about and support the amazing organisations across Leeds, Bradford, and Wakefield that are delivering vital work for young people, families, and others in need.

 

 

• What community issues are important to you?

From working in some of the most deprived areas in Leeds, issues that are consistently highlighted are poverty and therefore lack of opportunities, particularly for young people. Due to their being lack of opportunities, young people and families in deprived areas struggle to break the cycle of deprivation, as a result of this I have seen a lack of role models within the area.

Other community issues that are important are loneliness and isolation, and this is across all generations. This was especially seen throughout the pandemic, and now coming out of this, I think it is important that people are spending more time together. Loneliness can have an impact on people’s mental health which again I think is a significant issue.

 

• Have you got any advice for individuals who are looking to get into volunteering?

I would definitely recommend that people get into volunteering. It comes with so many amazing opportunities and you are able to work with inspiring people. My advice would be just to get stuck into it, try new things and be open to any challenges along the way.