April’s Volunteer of the Month is Andy Russell, Sustainability Communications Manager at HSBC, nominated for his work with ELBA’s Education team.

Andy showed great passion when he delivered an inspirational talk to an assembly of Year 10 pupils at Kingsford Community School. His talk was described as “invaluable” and helped to raise the student’s aspirations and demonstrate that difficulties and hurdles in life need not be barriers to success. His talk was so inspiring that the Head Teacher, Joan Deslandes, wrote him a letter expressing their gratitude for delivering such an excellent talk.

Why did you volunteer?
Firstly, I come from a family of teachers, and have always enjoyed working with young people, and helping them develop. Volunteering for ELBA is great as it means you can make a significant contribution to young people’s lives without the huge responsibility of teaching formally.

It’s also great fun and always a nice change to work face-to-face, rather than by email and computer!

Why is volunteering important?
I think that everyone has a responsibility and the opportunity to make a contribution to wider society. I think this is even more important for those working in the corporations of Canary Wharf, given the skills and experiences we can share with students who are actively thinking about their future careers.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague?
Absolutely. It’s a great way to meet people from your own organisation in a different environment and setting. I’ve made loads of new friends from people from departments with which I would not usually work.

Volunteering allows you to develop new skills outside of the workplace, and gives you a real sense of achievement away from the 9-to-5. Working with young people is always a fun, exciting experience, and you learn as much from working with them, as they do from you.