My volunteer journey

My name is Sharanjit Kaur and I am 16 years old. I moved to the UK in 2015 without knowing a word of English. In retrospect, I was a shy girl with no confidence and low self-esteem.  Due to having low self-esteem, I didn’t use to talk to anyone but I got to know about a Film Club held by Heston West Big Local so I decided to give it a shot. I really enjoyed that Film Club and I became a part of it. During Valentine’s Day we went around Heston West to give out roses to residents, I gave a rose to an elderly lady who started crying out of happiness because no one visited her but the look on her face was so precious that I decided to give more time to the community and from there my journey of volunteering started.

I managed to direct and write a play on current affairs with an intergenerational team from Heston (from 8-year olds to 80 years old). At the age of 13, I spoke in the parliament about making life skills and politics a key part of school curriculum and at the age of 16 I managed to start volunteering at West Middlesex Hospital. Last year, I went to Vienna to work with MPs and encourage people to be mentally, physically and socially well. I would like to encourage all young people to volunteer or at least give some time to their community because trust me nothing is more precious than putting a smile on someone’s face.

It is my desire to serve as a Doctor in Hounslow because I feel this was where my own journey began.