Faces of Service: Sacha
"What really inspired me to volunteer for the SVA was when I was first introduced to the SVA Service Award, I found it was an exciting opportunity to fill free time and give others my time. It opened a door to a community where I felt happy and excited to volunteer and put my service in the community. I looked to the SVA Service Award in the hope it could allow me to become a stronger and more metacognitive person as I worked towards adding hours and receiving pins.
I have a wide variety of things I did to volunteer in my community and I'm so grateful I can make a difference despite the challenges I may face.
A few particular things I did to volunteer included fundraising for organisations like the cancer society, working for a non-profit, youth group, babysitting, and doing school based activities. This volunteering was a type that really did help not just me, but the people around me.
Volunteering has benefited me in so many ways. It has helped me discover what I want to do and what my future purpose in life may be.
It showed me how I can learn to think outside the box, respect others, enhance the ideas of myself and elaborate on them, to find a discovery of different struggles in everyday life, teaching me to be grateful to wake up everyday, but most of all, volunteering has assisted me in forming friendships in the easiest way. Without these benefits, I wouldn't have learnt simple skills such as cooking, coaching sports, focus, staying resilient, hard-work always repays, and most of all, the importance of getting outside of your comfort zone. Every skill was worth every second, minute, hour, day and week. I learnt so well to appreciate the things around me and I qualify that as an important skill necessary in life.
A word of advice I would love for anyone wanting to begin their journey of SVA, is never give up! It's all worth it in the end and you learn so many beneficial skills amongst this journey. You will face challenges, but there are always people around you to support you. If you ever need help figuring out how to make a start, there are so many opportunities out there and they are always fun. Listen, learn and understand what difference you're making in your community.”