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“One hour in my day as a volunteer is the highlight of someone else’s week”.

One small statement which sums up the selflessness of so many volunteers that give back in our community including Year 12 student Emily Richards who works with the Riding for the Disabled Association, Carine (RDA).

 Emily began riding herself about seven years ago and, although her high school studies have taken priority in recent years, her love for horses and for riding has never changed.  

 The learning pathway Emily is undertaking – Certificate IV in Business with English ATAR – means that she only sits two exams in Year 11 and 12. Careers Advisor, Sarah Cooke, encourages Year 11 and 12 students in this situation to use the exam period during term to gain valuable work experience. 

 Emily said, “I did two weeks at RDA, and then Mrs Cooke suggested that I might like to do one day per week on Fridays and I jumped at the opportunity. Now I sometimes also volunteer on Tuesday afternoons if RDA are short on staff.” 

 RDA acknowledged the more than 200 hours that Emily has volunteered this year during National Student Volunteer Week with a reference noting “Our organisation is grateful to Emily for her commitment and time dedicated to our centre. She is a valued member of our team”. 

 “RDA attracts a broad cross section of volunteers, and I’m probably one of the younger people in our team. When work experience students come through, they often get put with me to show them the ropes,” says Emily.  

 “I’m currently studying for my ‘Level 0’ coaching qualification so that I can be assistant coach during sessions with our clients, and I would like to continue to gain my Level 1 qualification, too, so that I can take on more responsibility as my experience grows.” 

 “We have all sorts of clients at RDA. For some people it’s about developing confidence and communication skills through interacting with other people and for others it can be about learning fine motor skills and building core strength by riding and playing games like basketball and skittles.” 

 “I love the sense of community between all of us as volunteers.  With RDA I really feel that what I am doing is useful and making a difference to other people’s lives that I can see”. 

 The options for Emily at the end of Year 12 are wide open. 

 “There’s about 10 things I want to do including Architecture at Curtin – which I recently received an early offer for – being a support worker or occupational therapy. My main priority is doing a job where I can see that I am making an immediate difference to another person’s life”. 

 “I would definitely like to keep volunteering at RDA, whatever I do.” 

 Emily’s experience at RDA has made her a real advocate for volunteering. “For people who have some extra time in their day and are wondering what to do to make a difference I would definitely suggest RDA. You can learn so many different skills and stay for the sense of community and friendships”.