Volunteer Spotlight- Shuyue
In the final instalment of our "Meet the Volunteer Series" we're chatting to Shuyue, our new Community and Events Volunteer.
"As you might have already guessed, since my hard-to-pronounce name has already given me away, that I am from a different background.
I come from China and now I am studying MA Global Development and Education in University of Leeds. My undergraduate study introduced me to the third sector, which I found fascinating and valuable, and I made up my mind to devote myself in the charity field.
In the second year of my undergraduate study, I worked as an intern in a local NGO in China, which helps to promote quality education in rural areas. I had travelled to many rural villages and helped to improve the education there. The workload was extremely heavy as charity is a relatively new and immature field in China, but I was deeply moved and inspired by my colleagues, the volunteers and the people we helped, which motivated me to go further. In the third year of my undergraduate, I joined an International NGO, which was founded in the USA and worked as an intern in their office site in Shanghai. Instead of assisting rural education, we arrange different informal education workshops to familiarize students living in the cities with green economic, sustainable development and entrepreneur spirits.
My undergraduate study and my internship experience made me realize that I care about social justice and education equality, which push me to study here in Leeds as an international student. After I’ve started my new, I found the charity here slightly different from that in China and I would like to be more familiarized with this field. That’s why I decided to volunteer with Mencap Leeds. Also, I found my vision too restricted to people from different societal and ethnic backgrounds, leaving those with learning disability behind.
I am a half-marathon runner and a yogi. Running has been part of my daily life for almost 6 years and I’ve practiced yoga for 3 years. An important idea in yoga philosophy is that all of us are deeply interconnected, which I found really inspiring.
I really enjoy volunteering here because Mencap Leeds is so warm, friendly and inclusive. I am here to help and to be helped. :)"
