Aidan Robinson was recently awarded his Student Volunteer Army (SVA) gold badge for dedicating over 500 hours to volunteer work. Service leader Josh Stanners spoke to him about the achievement.

Josh: What got you into volunteering in the first place?

Aidan: The reason I got into volunteering is because of the people around me who were volunteering; it inspired me to volunteer.

Josh: What volunteering have you been involved with? 

Aidan: I am a school librarian and IT assistant, and I have also been involved with donating to charity, academic tutoring to friends and others in the community, and connecting with other people on school camps.

Josh: What benefits is this work having in the community? 

Aidan: The benefits are that people are more appreciative of the work that I am doing, it addresses the community needs, it promotes community wellbeing, and fosters a sense of shared purpose.

Josh: What is a particular experience from your volunteering that stands out to you, and why? 

Aidan: A specific experience would be when I donated to charity because I am trying to make a difference in every community around me and the wider world. I believe that every donation can make a difference, and this stands out to me because it improves my variety of focuses and ensures that I am doing different volunteer work that supports different communities.

Josh: What motivates you to continue volunteering, even when it gets challenging? 

Aidan: I get motivated through my goals because I believe that if you don’t overpressure yourself, you can get anything done. If something does get challenging, I just take my time and work my way through to get it done.

Josh: What would you say to others interested in volunteering? 

Aidan: "The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.”

This means that being a volunteer isn’t measured by size but by the depth of commitment to making a difference in the lives of others in the community.