Vinvolved Staff Member

Hi Peeps,


My name is Gavin Genius. I’m currently employed by Changemakers, and have been working on the vinvolved programme for the last 2 months. I enjoy my job as this is something that I’ve always wanted to do, working with young children and trying to make a positive change in young people’s lives. Since working for Changemakers I’ve been taking part in a lot of outreach such as visiting colleges, working with students at schools, travelling to different places I’ve never been to before such as Newcastle and Peterborough, as well as getting involved in a lot of administration work. Since working for Changemakers I’ve gained a lot of new skills and experience and also knowledge and understanding of what Changemakers is all about, and the direction they are heading in. I’ve also been on various training courses and have more to come in the upcoming weeks and months which feel is very beneficial to me as it’s something new that I’ve learnt and with the experience, skills & training courses I am undertaking, I’m more than sure it will give me a pathway into what I really want do in the future which is a mentor/youth worker, working with young children.

Volunteer Of The Month!

Umair Baig
North/East Youth Action Team Member
(Working In Redbridge and Havering)















When I first joined the YAT, to be honest I had no expectations of what I would be doing, and I did not know what would be occurring. But as the months progressed I realised that what I wanted to partake in, was planning and implementing a big-ish project that we could look back at and say quite confidently that “Yes, that was a success”. And after this event, I’m sure that I will be able to do such a task, as it went fantastically.


I guess, the existing skills I used, were some of my public speaking skills, as we had to deliver a couple of assemblies prior to the event, to raise as much awareness of the event, and to gain as many volunteers as possible. Furthermore i used my photo-editing skills that I’d learnt for my GCSE’s in to practice by being the initial designer for the leaflet, which after much patience from the rest of the team, came to a point where the main ideas for it, were used to make the final leaflet.


If I had the chance I’d have improved my skills on photo-editing and leaflet designing a lot sooner such that it would have been completed a lot sooner, so that advertising would be faster.

The main strengths I believe of the Vinvolved programme is that they are willing to facilitate and assist us in making our weird/wacky/wonderful projects come to life and by doing so it gives me as a YAT member, a chance to be more imaginative and creative about future projects that could help better our community

My highlight as a Youth Action Team member for involved East London has been an experience that shall stay with me for the rest of my life. Academics and job experience can only get you so far, but Volunteering especially with the YAT can only make you progress to further heights unexplored by others before.