Trustee Trailblazer Spotlight: Young Thinkers Gloucester

In the heart of the Barton and Tredworth community, something amazing is happening on Saturday mornings. Whilst many of us are having a leisurely weekend lie-in, the dedicated volunteers at Young Thinkers Gloucester are busy helping children learn, grow and achieve!

Read on to find out about Young Thinkers Gloucester and hear from Omar and Unays, two shining examples of what can be achieved with passion and dedication...

About the Organisation

Young Thinkers Gloucester began in 2019, with a vision to tackle educational inequality in the Barton and Tredworth area. What started as a weekend study club has blossomed into something far more extensive, touching countless lives through health education, first aid training, and community outreach programmes.

"We know that our area has faced challenges with deprivation and poor health and education outcomes," explains Omar, one of the Trustees. "Some of us have medical backgrounds, so we wanted to share vital skills like CPR—something everyone should know but many never get the chance to learn."

More Than Just Academic Support

While academic progress is important, Young Thinkers' impact extends far beyond the classroom. The Saturday sessions have become a space where children develop confidence, communication skills, and leadership abilities. For many families where English might not be the first language or parents are juggling work commitments, it's a vital lifeline of support.

"It's more than just studying," Omar explains. "It's about children coming together, seeing others working hard on a Saturday morning, and building that culture of valuing education.”

The Volunteers Benefit Too

What makes Young Thinkers Gloucester so special is their understanding that volunteering isn't just about service delivery – it's about creating a supportive community where everyone grows together. They invest in their volunteers through training opportunities, regular check-ins, and a collaborative WhatsApp group where everyone's voice matters. Omar says,

“It’s not just benefitting the children; it’s benefitting us all as a group of volunteers. Unays and others have built leadership skills, we’ve had training that we’ve provided them, we’ve signed up to online training so if they want to do some courses for their own development, they can do that for free.”

Young Thinkers’ approach shows how accessible volunteering can be. They welcome volunteers from Year 8 students to retirees, and there's no pressure to commit to every session, Omar says, "we understand people have different responsibilities and commitments. We want it to be quite informal and an enjoyable experience."

How has Go Volunteer Glos Helped?

We’re really pleased to see that Go Volunteer Glos has helped Omar find more volunteers. Young Thinkers Gloucester has had quite a lot of applications through us, he says,

“it’s been a really positive initiative … because of Go Volunteer Glos, we’ve had people contact us, we’ve had volunteers join us. Some of them go on to do other things, become teaching assistants and get involved in education.”

Both Omar and Unays were nominated for awards at Gloucestershire’s Volunteer Awards, hosted by Go Volunteer Glos, along with one of their younger volunteers. Omar says, “the awards ceremony was a really good initiative, one of the finalists was a student with us previously and is now a young volunteer with us … Previous students of ours, as the years have gone on their now older and have joined us as volunteers. Which is really nice, it’s giving back to the community.”

Getting Involved: Easier Than You Think

Thinking about volunteering but unsure about taking that first step? Even just one hour of your time can make a significant difference. Yes, it's a commitment, but as Unays says, “if you’ve got that passion, you see it as a valuable thing, rather than a waste of time.” Unays volunteers at the Saturday study club: "If you want to help somebody," he shares, "the priority should be that you're actually there because you enjoy helping people … I've had a gift in my education that I can pass on to younger people." We think that’s really admirable.

Omar’s Top Tips for Organisations:

• Omar recommends working with other organisations in your area: “As an organisation, speak to other organisations. Build links, build networks, learn from each other, help each other.”
• Don’t be afraid to recruit young people as volunteers: “It’s good for young people to volunteer, it helps with their development, their communication and leadership, and they feel they’re giving back to their community too”
• And always remember: “The volunteers are taking out their own time, and their goal is to help others… so as a leader of an organisation, it’s always good to speak to the volunteers. See what could be improved, see what’s working well, and see how you can help them”

Unays’ Top Tips for Volunteers

• Follow your passion: “Find a cause you’re passionate about. Young Thinkers, I do because I enjoy teaching. They’re things I personally have a belief in.”
• Use your time wisely: “A lot of volunteers don’t realise how much time an hour out of your week actually is. That’s an hour of your week that’s gone… so you have to make sure you’ve actually achieved something in that time”

Ready to start your volunteering journey? Take that first step today. Sign up to Go Volunteer Glos below!