Collaborating to improve

When you have received feedback, it can be challenging to determine how you can improve on your own. It is beneficial to identify the people who can help and support you to develop and improve, and the ways in which they can help you.

Collaborating with others to improve can involve discussing activities and improvements with them or trying out activities with them to see if they work. It can also involve identifying broader skills which you need to develop and finding out what training and development is available to assist you as a volunteer.

Watch the video to see a STEM Coordinator from a STEM Ambassador Hub in the UK describing how they support STEM Ambassadors in their volunteering role by providing opportunities for training and practice. Formal volunteering programmes have a lot of experience of co-ordinating STEM activities with a wide variety of organisations. This is another advantage of belonging to a volunteering programme or community.

Locate

For the volunteering programme you are part of, identify sources of support and training available to you. Think about where you can find:

• Training materials
• Opportunities to network with other volunteers
• Opportunities to get feedback on your volunteering activities
• Events that bring together volunteers, educational settings and employers