Why I volunteered at Media Trust’s Women’s Voices Event

The event, which took place at Google’s Academy London on Wednesday 5 March, saw over 100 volunteers from across the media and creative industry come together with 30 charities that support, campaign and advocate for women and girls. Our volunteers were split into 30 teams, giving each charity their very own group of comms experts to offer advice on their brief.  We asked Rosie how she found the experience and if she’d recommend it.

Why did you apply to take part in Media Trust’s Women’s Voices event?

This year was the first year I had heard of Women’s Voices and decided to apply. I wanted to use the skills I have in creating social media strategies and coming up with content ideas to benefit a charity that needed help. It’s very easy to get caught up in your day to day tasks and not realise what value you could bring to a charity who might be struggling for extra support.

Tell us about your experience on the day?

 I had a really amazing day with Media Trust. I was in a team with three other volunteers and we were matched with the charity Rights Of Women. The charity works tirelessly to provide support to victims of sexual harassment through their phone line which provides free legal advice from qualified lawyers. Before I volunteered, I didn’t know much about the charity’s work or even the bigger problem that made up their mission. By spending time with the charity, I learnt a lot.

All of the volunteers in my group had different skills that we brought to the table. We combined these skills to come up with creative ideas for how Rights Of Women could really champion their one-year anniversary online.  We also looked at how they could promote the great work that they do and encourage more women to feel comfortable calling their phone line.

I think the experience for all of us was really great and we walked away with some awesome ideas that were hopefully super helpful for the charity.

What was your event highlight?

It was so powerful to be in a room surrounded by talented women from all different backgrounds. It reminded me that collaboration is so important. I left feeling really uplifted and a little emotional about how lovely everyone was and what amazing work we’re all doing!

How did you feel about volunteering? Was the experience what you expected?

I was really looking forward to the experience of sharing my knowledge but at the same time, I was a bit nervous as I didn’t know what to expect! Media Trust were wonderfully welcoming, and I got a real sense that everyone who signed up to volunteer really wanted to be there.

It was a learning curve for me to strip back the media jargon and communicate in very clear ways with suggestions. I think sometimes we’re all used to ‘jibber-jabbering’ amongst ourselves at work and it’s quite refreshing to strip things back and offer some solid suggestions of how to help!

What would you say to other media and creative industry professionals who were thinking of volunteering?

I would say do it! You can hopefully make a real difference in an afternoon and everyone walks away feeling a bit more inspired, motivated and happy. Companies really should be supporting events like these so we can make a change.