Today is International Volunteer Day, on which we celebrate and raise awareness of all the volunteers who contribute so much. In this blog, written by our volunteer intern Helen, we talk about some of the ways you can volunteer with us, the Macmillan internship scheme and how volunteers help to make and review our cancer information.
At Macmillan, volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. We have over 200,000 volunteers who make a meaningful difference to people living with cancer. There are so many ways to get involved, from cheering on a marathon runner to volunteering in our offices. Whether it's minutes or months, hours or days, the time and energy you give really does matter.
How can I get involved?
You could:
These are just a few examples of the ways in which you can volunteer with Macmillan. For more information on how you can volunteer with us, visit the volunteering section of our website.
Macmillan’s internship scheme
I currently volunteer with Macmillan through their internship scheme, which has been such an inspirational and rewarding way to get involved in the work they do. I would very much encourage anyone to apply for the internship scheme, whether you are a recent graduate, a student on your summer break, or even if you are just looking for a career change.
I absolutely love the atmosphere in the Macmillan office. Everyone is always looking out for each other and although it’s a big organisation, I’ve made lots of friends and we have a lot of fun. I’ve worked on loads of interesting projects, including scripting audiobooks, writing blogs and running the Twitter account. I’ve felt supported in everything I’ve done at Macmillan and have also been encouraged to think about my own development.
Volunteering in the Cancer Information Development team has been a brilliant way to get work experience in the charity sector, learn new skills and to give my time to helping people affected by cancer. It has also really opened my eyes to how thorough and detailed the process of creating and reviewing cancer information is, and how many people (some of whom are volunteers) are involved in this process.
Interns work in the Macmillan head office, and the scheme takes place three times a year across a range of different departments. You can find out more about the internship scheme here.
Volunteer reviewers
Our team works with a team of 240 volunteer reviewers who provide feedback on our cancer information. Reviewers work flexibly from all across the UK, using their own experiences of cancer to help us improve the information we provide.
It is really important to have people affected by cancer looking at our content. Maria Lavery, Senior Information Development Nurse, explains that, ‘Our reviewers really help me remember the potential impact of our information on people’s lives. They make us think beyond diagnosis and treatment, and place equal importance on living a life with or after cancer.’
Here’s a short video that explains about the work our volunteer reviewers do.
Case studies
In addition to this, many of our information booklets feature a case study on the front cover. These are people who have experience of cancer, and volunteer with us by sharing their story. The quotes and photos from our volunteer case studies make our information more personal and ensure that our information is as accurate and relevant as possible.
These are just some of the ways that volunteers are involved with our team and with Macmillan. For more information on how you can volunteer with us, visit the volunteering section of our website.
To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.
We're with you every step of the way
The Macmillan team is here to help. Our cancer support specialists can answer your questions, offer support, or simply listen if you need a chat. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00.
Comments? Feel free to add them below (you need to be logged in).
Keep in touch Follow Macmillan’s cancer information team on Twitter @mac_cancerinfo
