Safwan Mohammed, Business Architecture Analyst at Accenture, tells us about the generous volunteering allowance that he enjoys at Accenture, and how he has used this to help young people to grow in confidence and show their best selves.

Why do you volunteer?
We often get caught up with the small things in our daily lives and forget how fortunate we are to be able to give back to our local communities, so I was keen to find the right opportunity to do so. I’m grateful to work for a company that provides 3 volunteering days per year, and I have always fully utilised my allowance!

What have you gained from your volunteering experience?
I was fortunate to lead a team of colleagues to deliver a Confidence and Communication Skills Workshop to Year 7 students at a local school in collaboration with the Education team at ELBA, and it was incredibly fulfilling. The experience of working with a diverse group of students, all with different strengths, made me appreciate how important the learning environment is for them – each student will have different needs and learning styles thus being flexible in my own content delivery and communication style is paramount to effectively delivering lessons. Another takeaway was the satisfaction in seeing students grow in confidence throughout our workshop and showing their best selves.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and, if so, why?
Absolutely! We all have different skills that can have a real positive impact when shared with others. Volunteering can give us all perspective, reminding us not to get too caught up in day to day life, whilst also challenging us to be the best version of our selves!