Inspiring Change Through Volunteering

Leighton Park student, Thomas (Upper Sixth), has embarked on a journey of volunteering, dedicating his time to nurturing young minds through the joy of reading at his local library. He spent the summer mentoring younger children to read during their Summer Reading Challenge and thoroughly enjoyed the time he spent with his mentees. Inspired by his previous experiences with volunteering through Leighton Park, Thomas commented “It was a wholesome experience, it was nice to feel like I was making a difference to their learning and development as well as the encouraging them to participate them in such an important life skill “.  

Thomas’ inspiration to volunteer for this programme stemmed from Leighton Park’s Community, Activity, Service (CAS) programme. This integral part of our compulsory curriculum is designed to shape students into proactive change makers rather than passive observers. The programme moulds students to lead by example with a strong commitment to civic action and service to change the world around them. Thomas’s previous CAS experience was with the school’s ABCtoRead programme which enabled Year 10 students to visit a local primary school to encourage and support reading amongst younger students. Thomas was so inspired by this experience that it prompted him to take the initiative to offer his time to his local library’s volunteer programme.  

For his voluntary efforts, Thomas received a special invitation to the Reading Mayor’s volunteer’s’ presentation, held on Tuesday 26th September. At this event of recognition, his efforts were commended, and Thomas was presented with a well-deserved certificate. The presentation conveyed the mayor’s gratitude on behalf of the town and the inspiring impact that volunteering has on the community. During the evening Thomas helped film a video about his voluntary experience to inspire others to help in their community, as well as to commemorate the achievements of the volunteers.