During a long summer before university, Jay Demetriou found purpose and routine by volunteering at the Barnardo’s charity shop in Wanstead, turning quiet Wednesdays into something meaningful
I’d finished my time at Wanstead High School. I still had two months left until I went to university. I’d tried to get a job. Given my CV to 20 places. Pestered all down Wanstead and South Woodford high streets. Even had an interview. All with no response. There was no job, so there was little to fill the time.
It’s not nice ending something that you’ve done for so long. It’s not nice not having a routine. A family friend suggested volunteering. I completed an online application, Barnardo’s got back to me, and after an interview, I was now able to volunteer in the store. This was a great opportunity. Work experience with the bonus of being able to give a little back and of having a routine.
I went in one Wednesday for my first day. I say one Wednesday, as with the waiting around, my Wednesdays had Wednesdayed into each other. After my day at Barnardo’s, this one Wednesday became the sixth of August, a notable day where I learnt how to operate the till and spoke with my co-workers about going to university.
I went in next Wednesday, the Wednesday after that, and all the Wednesdays until it was time to go off to uni.
The satisfaction in a routine is a lot like the satisfaction of hanging clothes up. Taking individual experiences, putting them in order, attaching labels to them. Amongst a mess of: last day at school, weird; A Level results morning, purgatory; A Level results afternoon, pure relief. The feeling of progressing along a routine sounds like the satisfying, resonant clunks of moving across clothes hangers. The feeling of a completed routine is like the sight of a neat line of freshly organised clothes, properly ordered. And in a summer which otherwise wouldn’t have a routine, that order was a consistently good thing. Which made it the best thing.
I would definitely recommend volunteering at Barnardo’s. You’re able to pick a time which fits with your routine and do something meaningful. It’s therapeutic hanging up clothes, making the shop look nice, knowing you’re working as a team. My favourite part was working the till, feeling like I was in charge of the shop. But it’s also fun working at the back of the store, where you can chat with the other volunteers and Barnardo’s workers. As a young volunteer, it’s a great place to learn new skills, such as customer service and professionalism, particularly when summer jobs are hard to come by.
For me, it was a gateway to university, but I would say, whatever your circumstances, volunteering is a way to give Wednesdays – or any other day – meaning.
Barnardo’s charity shop is located at 70 High Street, Wanstead. For more information on volunteering with Barnardo’s, visit wnstd.com/barnardos
