Every Sunday for the past two years, Amber has volunteered at Wendouree Uniting Op Shop.
The bubbly teenager, who spent her 18th birthday in the shop, spends every Sunday helping out with her mum Tania, who’s a supervisor at the Wendouree store. “I work full-time during the week, and then I’ll come in here on a Sunday. Saturdays I reserve for my boyfriend,” laughs Amber.
“It’s just a really good way to spend your Sunday. You get to meet some really nice people and it’s always great when people come back. I’ve also managed to rope a few friends in, and they’ve been asking some of their friends to come in and volunteer on a Sunday as well, so that’s been really nice.”
“Volunteering gives young people opportunity,” says Tania. “Especially when it’s so hard for young people to get a job. If they can have register skills and people skills, it’s a foot in the door.”
Amber adds that volunteering at Uniting has also opened her eyes about the services Uniting provides.
“Before I started volunteering, I didn’t really know much about the organisation,” she says. “I knew it was a charity, but that was about it. I didn’t know how the money the shop makes goes towards other services that help people in my community. Being a volunteer is just a really nice way to give back.”
