“Growth is never mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” – James Cash Penney

Dear readers, it is time for another Volunteer of the Month Spotlight! As EduSpots continues to expand as an organisation, each individual within also undergoes constant growth and transformation. We have drawn in people from all walks of life with the common vision of #ourcollectivefuture; and as we position education at the core of EduSpots, this ethos is endogenous as well. 

Today we have Adeline, an intern who was also an EduSpots’ student volunteer when she was in school. Her role within the organisation has evolved, and along each inflection is a learning experience; she expresses the ways in which work at EduSpots is challenging, transformative and inspiring! Hope you all enjoy this read. 

1: Please tell us about yourself. 

I’m Adeline, and I’ve been interning at EduSpots since January 2024, but was a student volunteer in the past where I worked specifically with the EduLit strand. I’m currently a History and Politics undergrad in Edinburgh, UK. I’m from Hong Kong but have been based in the UK for the past few years. 

2: What roles do you perform as an intern at EduSpots?

For the past three months, I’ve been an intern with the Educational Partnerships team. I’ve mainly assisted with running the Student Ambassadors programme in the UK, and more recently with the Youth Ambassadors programme. I communicate with the participants, and create a range of resources such as fundraising guides and reading lists. But now I’m moving into Communications as those programmes wrap up.

3: What challenges have you faced during your internship at EduSpots?

I think the main challenge has been maintaining engagement levels of the participants, especially as these programmes are run online. This includes keeping them excited about the programme as well as on task.

Sending regular and personalised check-ins has been helpful, as it creates a more personal and direct relationship and affirms your role as an accessible/reliable point of contact for the students. Also it is important to help the participant contextualise the impact of their work, the importance and relevance of what they’re learning, and fundraising outcomes. Regular and specific encouragements help as well.

Encouraging participants to get to know their audience has also been helpful in keeping them engaged especially for fundraising — for example asking them to take time to figure out what type of fundraising activity would be more popular and accessible, or which strand of EduSpots’ work would interest and resonate with them the most. 

Being clear has also been helpful, being direct and concise in delivering instructions, but also making sure that participants feel comfortable enough to seek clarification when they are confused about something.

4: How do you envision EduSpots in the next ten years?

I think EduSpots will continue to tackle pressing social issues and topics in education as we do with literacy, gender equity and sustainability currently. It will have the same attitude and determination in the face of any issues that arise in ten years time. I can definitely also see EduSpots as a model and leader in the field of educational non-profits through its creation of communities that are responsible, empowered, caring and passionate!

5: What advice will you give to other volunteers on EduSpots’ platform?

To be honest I think there is so much for me to learn from the volunteers – so keep doing what you’re doing! I think maintaining the attitude and excitement of learning from each other is very important for collective improvement, so maybe that’s my piece of advice. 

This is where we conclude! Thank you so much for reading this month’s Volunteer Spotlight, and hope this has given you more insight into some the roles that make up EduSpots, all spurred on by constant change and growth. 

You can read more about Adeline and other team members HERE.