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Hannah’s volunteering to change young people’s futures.

Student volunteering week is upon us again. From Monday 20th February to Sunday 26th we celebrate the extra lengths students across the UK go to, to help the less fortunate.

One such student is Hannah Barstow, 26, from Middlesbrough who is a mother to a 6-year-old son.

Hannah started her education at Hillsview Academy in Middlesbrough, formally known as Gilbrook Technology College and is now undertaking a degree in Psychology at Teesside University.

She began her volunteering work at a hospital where she was working with adults, however she soon realised she wanted go down a different path.

She said: “I used to volunteer with James Cook Hospital to help with my degree, because ultimately, I wanted to enter a career within a medical setting.

“It wasn’t until I worked a few cases that I realised I wanted to work more with children, so that’s when I found Changing Futures North East and I pursued that route.”

Changing Futures North East is a Hartlepool-based charity that offer access to mediation services, mentoring to young people and children in care.

“Changing Futures is amazing and were really helpful to me during my application. Jess, the lady that interviewed me, made me feel really comfortable. She took me through my compatibility test to try to find me a match with one of the many children they help there.”

Hannah was matched with a young woman and has been her independent visitor since she started at Changing Futures in February 2016 when she was in her first year at university.

An independent visitor supports a child in foster care or similar circumstances over two years to establish a positive relationship.

Hannah said: “The most rewarding part of volunteering is influencing my young person. She’s just turned 16 so she’s looking at potential colleges and where she wants to take her life.

“It’s great because when I was young I didn’t have those influences. I mean my parents were brilliant but nobody really outlined the real issues in life to me. Things like having to pay council tax and finding a decent job. Nobody sat me down and said ‘This is what you need to do.’

“It’s always stuck with me that life isn’t always about subjects at school, there are actually things outside of education that you need to do in life.

“However I have helped her to find something she enjoys in psychology. She actually likes it and didn’t know anything like that existed. She’s also took an interest in hair and beauty. It’s brilliant to motivate her and make her realise there are so many possibilities in life.”

Hannah was quick to point out that it’s not all about mentoring and there is an actual friendship between the two young women.

“We’ll go on days out, she’s a big foodie so she loves to go for a meal and sit and chat with me for hours on end. She also enjoys horse riding and has dragged me along a few times and last week she was ill and didn’t want to do anything active so we just went to the pictures.”

Changing Futures NE allows all of this to happen by helping to cover the costs of these excursions.

She freely admits that sometimes it’s hard because she’s going through her exams; and trying to balance time with her son gets difficult at times.

But it’s apparent that for Hannah, volunteering is not only about helping to teach life lessons but is also about learning for herself and for her young son.

She added: “I teach my son about the things I’ve learned whilst working for Changing Futures and from the 16-year-old girl I mentor. I let him know that some people are lucky in life and others aren’t so lucky.

“The benefit of volunteering for me at the beginning was to help along my career, but now it’s become much more rewarding. I could quit my degree tomorrow but I know I would continue to help people. It means a lot to me to know I’ve put her on the right path and its taught me to be selfless instead of selfish because it’s not about that anymore.

“I try to get a lot of people into it but sometimes they can’t handle the stories they hear. I’d definitely encourage any person that is ever thinking about it but you need to be strong.

“It’s a lot harder when you do have children because you associate how they would feel in any given situation and I admit you get really emotional thinking about it.

“I’ve had to learn to put a hold on those feelings though so I can handle it.

“After all of that though, it’s really rewarding and it’s really brilliant.”

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