Volunteers' Week: Morris and Stephen – volunteering in Lambeth
Volunteers’ Week runs from 1-7 June. To mark the week, Get Out Get Active (GOGA) is celebrating volunteers’ positive impact on the programme. Morris from Lambeth, South London, is one of the star mentors on the Get Out Get Active Peer Support Project, a project run by Disability Rights UK. It involves training active disabled people to become mentors to work one to one with another disabled person who wants active.
Over the past year Morris has been a mentor to Stephen Wells. They have been on a remarkable journey together.
Morris experienced a breakdown a few years ago following the loss of his job. He felt he had lost his identity and felt the pressure of supporting his family, really struggling to re-build his confidence. Volunteering has been his way to build self-esteem and fulfil his love of supporting others. He has volunteered in more than five different roles over the past three years.
Morris and Stephen started working together in June 2017 by taking up yoga- an activity new to both of them. Within four months they have both become more physically active, and have tried other new activities like walking and aerobics and both have reported increases in their confidence and mental wellbeing.
Morris has now progressed to the role of Mentor Co-Ordinator helping Disability Rights UK to run the Peer Support Programme in Lambeth with local organisation Disability Advice Service Lambeth. He helps with outreach, office administration and shares his story and experiences of mentoring with other newly trained mentors.
Stephen has a history of depression and mental health problems. Before working with Morris he struggled to even get out of the house.
Stephen says about his experience:
“I felt low, I lacked motivation to do things and didn’t think physical activity could help. I knew I wanted to get active but it seemed so hard to take the first step, at times it felt hopeless. Joining GOGA and working with Morris has actually changed my life.
“He was there alongside me when I took my first step into yoga and slowly he helped me to set small goals, motivating me at each step. I now go to classes six times a week! I even help Morris with his football club at the weekends trying even more new things. I’m pushed in a good way to do activities, I don’t want to let Morris or myself down.
“We have started setting extra goals recently, like doing push-ups every day and knee exercises. I’m trying to change my habits such as not comfort eating late at night- it’s hard to break this. I feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel to get fit (and remove my belly!).
“Before I felt hopeless. I feel like I’ve got more energy and confidence in general now thanks to Morris’s support. I quite like pushing my mentor Morris. We set shared goals like walking every day and we check in with each other- It feels good to be useful and to motivate each other. Morris has inspired me to become a mentor and help other disabled people to be active- something I never thought I would do.”
Morris says:
“Stephen’s journey has been amazing. He went from being a shy, unconfident person to someone who’s not afraid to get out there and try new things. He has started volunteering and has even come forward now to become a mentor himself. He motivates and teaches me new things. Watching his confidence grow and his fitness improve has been incredible”
Both Stephen and Morris have volunteered as guest speakers sharing their experiences of mentoring to 15 new mentors and mentees- inspiring them to join and bringing to life the mentoring journey. They have also helped with raising awareness of the benefits of mentoring to other disabled people they encounter in their activities. They recruit new mentors and mentees for the GOGA programme.
Morris is a real ambassador for physical activity and sport and is extremely active in his local community. He’s a true community champion, setting up a football club in 2011 called Furzedown United to support young people at risk of offending in Lambeth. He has worked with over 250 young people getting them more active, building their self-esteem and steering them towards new paths of education and employment. He has also informally mentored three young men at risk of joining gangs and offending. Prior to joining GOGA he had never received any formal mentoring training. We think he is a truly inspiring volunteer.