To celebrate 10 years of engaging North Staffordshire residents in the arts, we have a year-long calendar of amazing activities and exciting events. But none of these are possible without the hundreds of people who donate their time to make Appetite a success.
Our volunteer team is at the heart of everything we do, from site set-up to being a friendly face for the public, to making decisions about the art, marketing and more; we couldn’t make the magic happen without them. We are always looking for more enthusiastic people to join us and be part of something special. Could you be our next volunteer?
Life-changing experiences
Volunteer Ayad Al-ani came to Stoke-on-Trent from Iraq as an asylum seeker in 2014. Ayad was signposted to Appetite at the drop-in centre for refugees he attended and got involved in the launch of the Big Feast, our annual festival-style event held in the City Centre.
“Being dropped in Stoke-on-Trent, I knew no one, I was not allowed to work or study so it was difficult to meet people and build a network,” says Ayad.
“Volunteering with Appetite changed my life! The arts programme brings people together and it gave me the community I was looking for. It provided me with a platform to share ideas and opinions, and have my voice heard.”
Ayad has supported Appetite in reaching out to other asylum seekers through his work with the Burslem Jubilee Project, a charity that provides a helping hand to asylum seekers and refugees.
He continues: “Before I became an Appetite volunteer my view of the arts was that it was superficial and without purpose, but I have been educated over the last eight years. Art is essential, it adds richness and flavour.”
You can hear more from some of our other volunteers in this video.
Why volunteer?
As you can see from Ayad’s experience of being an Appetite volunteer, it is a great way to make new friends, become part of a community, and develop a solid support system. If you find you spend a lot of time at home or on your own, being a volunteer can help you to meet people and sharpen your social skills.
If you have a little spare time, volunteering is a great way of adding some experience to your CV. You can gain valuable new skills such as communication, public speaking, and marketing. Many of our volunteers say that volunteering has helped them to build their confidence and boost their self-esteem. The experience and skills you gain through with Appetite can really help to improve your job prospects.
Being an Appetite volunteer is also a lot of fun and it means you get to experience our events and projects too! Head to our What’s On page to read all about the fantastic events and activities we have planned.
Want to know more about what being an Appetite volunteer involves? Ready to discover our current volunteering opportunities? Check out this blog post for more info.
How to volunteer
To enquire about volunteering, call our Community Participation Coordinator Sammy Bishop on 07951357389, or email sammyb@appetite.org.uk.
Featured image by Clara Lou
