Volunteer Stories
Volunteer Stories: Meet Maria
Volunteer Stories – meet Maria
Maria started volunteering with GCP’s weekly Reading and Writing Group in November 2024.
Initially, she was keen to volunteer so she could make a difference and also to help boost her CV. What she wasn’t expecting was for her time with us to be such an inspiring and mutually beneficial experience.
We asked Maria to tell us more…
Having graduated from her degree in English at University of Aberdeen and then her Master’s in Publishing at Napier University, Maria hopes to forge a career in the cultural sector.
She saw volunteering with GCP as a useful next step in pursuing this.
Maria was born in Finland and has a particular interest in supporting others who also have English as their second language.
Luckily for Maria, GCP’s reading and writing group attracts a wonderful range of people, with different backgrounds, experiences and interests. This has given her lots of opportunities to help support people from all walks of life with their reading and writing.
‘It’s such a highlight of my week. I love being able to help people with their writing.
‘What I wasn’t expecting is that I find that the conversations and work we do inspires my own creativity too. It’s a wonderful, mutually beneficial experience!’
‘It’s amazing how volunteering with GCP taps into the potential of an open mind and gives the opportunity to reflect on life and, of course, create!’
Become a Volunteer
We would not be able to deliver GCP’s amazing support and services to vulnerable people and social enterprise customers without our fantastic volunteers.
There are lots of opportunities for individuals to participate and join in! Everyone is welcome.
The volunteer commitment varies depending on the role, but can be as little as two hours a month. All volunteers receive ongoing support and have access to free training.
A BIG THANK YOU
The Grassmarket Community Project relies on the time and commitment of our volunteers. The Volunteer Programme is possible thanks to the generosity of our customers, funders and donors. Our main funder for this area of our work is The Big Lottery Changing Lives programme and we thank them for their essential continued support.