Edward Zhang is an Associate at MUFG, working in First Line Controls (Business Management) within Global Corporate and Investment Banking. Edward has been volunteering since he was 15 and has no intention of stopping any time soon! He tells us about how mentoring has helped him to understand himself better.

Why do you volunteer?
I volunteer because it is part of my personal values, I started volunteering at 15 during my Duke of Edinburgh Award for YMCA and never looked back. I have also previously volunteered in Ghana during university. I believe giving back to the community is important and inspiring the young generation that there is a whole world out there is crucial for their awareness and development. Helping others makes me feel I have made a different in their life regardless how big or small.

What have you gained from your volunteering experience?
During my involvement with the Mentoring Works programme through BIG Alliance, I got to understand myself better as a person as well as understanding what each mentee’s needs are and how they act. This means there is no catch-all solution to mentoring. Mentors need to tailor their approach to the individual.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and, if so, why?
I 100% recommend mentoring! It is an incredibly rewarding experience and the positive outcome for the mentee helps to make a difference to their life. Moreover, the time commitment of the opportunity is not too arduous – you can simply catch-up with your mentee every other week.