Bethany’s World Kidney Day blog
You might remember last year we welcomed Bethany Williams-Potter to the Kidney Wales team? Since joining Bethany has been working hard to empower our volunteers to use their lived experiences to make a difference and raise awareness of kidney disease. Today Bethany is sharing an insight into her role with you.
My name is Bethany and I have been the Volunteer officer for Kidney Wales since September 2021. My role is to recruit and support individuals to be a part of our brand new and exciting Volunteer Ambassador programme.
The Volunteer Ambassador role is part of an awareness raising project wherein our supporters with a personal connection to kidney disease give awareness talks in their community and across Wales. In doing this, they can share their stories and raise general awareness around kidney health, kidney disease and the work of Kidney Wales. The hope is that those who need it can experience a more supportive and understanding environment throughout their Kidney Journey.
Getting this project off the ground has been challenging in parts but always a rewarding experience. We are proud to report that at just six months in, our volunteers are already out there giving their awareness talks and making a big impact! Our ambassadors have delivered talks to a variety of organisations including Swansea University, Diabetes UK and Unison. We even have one lined up for the Cliff Richard Fan club!
One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet such a variety of wonderful people, each with a unique and moving story to tell. The support and dedication of our Volunteer Ambassadors has been overwhelming and they are truly to thank for the success we are seeing. It has been great to watch everyone go through their Ambassador Journey. From induction, to training, to delivering their first talk. Many have had to find real strength to overcome obstacles and nerves to get there, but they have done so with determination and belief in the cause. I am extremely proud of all of them!
It’s also great to see a community of people developing as more and more volunteers get involved. They are connected via a Facebook and Whatsapp group which has expanded our online kidney community even as these challenging times continue.
Looking to the future, I hope to continue the ambassador programme, delivering more and more awareness talks and reaching as many people as possible across Wales. I also hope to improve the project by working closely with the volunteers themselves, asking for feedback and recommendations about how to better their experience and reach more people.
It would be fantastic to expand on the Volunteer Ambassador role to include a variety of new volunteer roles too. Something for everyone. These are very exciting times for our Welsh kidney community and for Kidney Wales. I’m so pleased to be part of this kidney journey – onwards and upwards!
Book an Ambassador talk for your school, company, community group. Email [email protected]
Become a Volunteer Ambassador. Find everything you need to know here: https://www.kidneywales.cymru/about-kidney-wales/work-for-us/