Faces of Service: Leo

“I am 16 years old and I live in Orewa with my Nan. I don’t attend regular school. Instead, I have an alternative education program, and part of that includes volunteering. I love animals, particularly dogs, and I love to swim in the sea. 

My tutor and I started volunteering every month at Country Retreat Animal Sanctuary and we  were made aware that this time could be logged into the SVA program. So, I put the app on my phone and I now have a bronze badge. I spend two hours at the sanctuary each month, cleaning out enclosures, filling up water bowls, feeding puppies, playing with dogs and generally handling them so that they are well socialised. I also volunteer every Friday at the Red Cross second hand shop, vacuuming, rearranging and folding clothes and working at the till.

Through volunteering, I’ve learned lots of skills - like how to clean dog enclosures effectively, how to enter and exit enclosures without letting dogs escape, how to feed a litter of dogs safely and fairly, how to vacuum and how to work a cash register and use my maths skills to calculate the change. I’ve learned endurance because when you’re at the dog rescue, you can’t sit down and have a rest. I’ve learned about customer service and being polite to customers who ask questions. 

Volunteering has exposed me to the adult world in a way that’s not too difficult. I’ve got to do lots of things that I really love – like being with dogs. I don’t have any paid work experience, but I can put this volunteer experience on my CV which is going to be useful for me in the future. If you want to volunteer, find something you are interested in and it’ll be rewarding.”