From Volunteering to Receiving British Empire Medal

Why should I work for free? That’s what one young person said to me recently. Little do some of our younger generation realise what voluntary work can do for you; it can actually transform your life. 

Here is my story and what voluntary work did for me.

Growing up, I had a tough childhood and faced many challenges, so although I tried hard and gave it my best shot, I left school with low grades. Despite my grades I was determined to try something else so I joined the YTS (Youth Training Scheme) but after about a year I felt it wasn’t working for me so I left. 

From there onwards I went from job to job without being able to hold down a job for very long. 

However, during that time I was doing voluntary work. I have always had a passion for helping others especially those with vulnerabilities who need support – it’s hard to put into words or measure the feeling of satisfaction to see someone I helped succeed. The feeling is priceless.

I met so many people and made many friends through volunteering. I interacted with people and received praise from senior leaders which helped at the time with my self-confidence… Little did I realise I was building up a great portfolio of skills and experience which would be invaluable in any workplace.

Through the network I built and my sheer determination I landed my dream job. I say dream job because the job entailed helping different people in society. This is something I do anyway but It now meant I would be getting paid for doing so. If it wasn’t for all the voluntary work I had been doing I don’t think I would have got the job .

I organised activities for youth and elderly as well as organising major cultural events for the community.

As these organisations slowly reduced their activities, I took up a new voluntary role. I was trained as a mentor and mentored young people living in deprived wards in Oldham, Greater Manchester. This was a challenging role for me which I enjoyed as it opened my eyes to the difficulties and obstacles young people faced due to deprivation.

In the meantime, I carried on organising football tournaments and match report writing. I even qualified as an FA football coach and volunteered to coach young kids for Red Star Bengal FC my local football team which I was a founder member of.

After becoming a father, my focus turned to my children and their education. This led me to another volunteering role as a school governor and along with it a new opportunity to learn and grow. This was another challenging role and something very different. I was a school governor for 10 years and made a significant contribution to the upkeep of the school and saw through its transition from a primary school to an academy.

At work, I also took part in many voluntary activities one of which was carrying out mock interviews with year 11 pupils in secondary schools which I still do occasionally, and I have to say this is one of the most satisfying roles I have ever been a part of, and I absolutely love doing it.

The digital and social media era opened up another door for me and this part of my journey was something very close to my heart. 

I was born in Bangladesh and have a strong connection with my roots and want to help the poor and those in need. Every time I go back to Bangladesh I see how the poor suffer with lack of very basic amenities and I say to myself ‘That could have been me if I hadn’t come to the UK.’

In 2009 I created a Facebook page called ‘I Love Bangladesh’ (ILB) where members can share pictures and memories of Bangladesh and have general interactions with like-minded people. ILB now has 23,000 members. Through this group I organised several events for the local community in the process raising money to build water wells in rural areas of Bangladesh. This is an extremely vital commodity for those who are unable to access clean drinking water, and one water well can benefit a number of families. To date, through the group and events we organised, we have managed to build 21 water wells from donations. 

One of the most satisfying events we organised was ‘Honouring our Elders,’ an event to recognise and acknowledge the contribution of our elders to the local community in the early days when they first came to the UK – another topic close my heart .

Volunteering has done so much for me, but I cannot put into words how I have grown, and I would not swap my journey for anything. My volunteering keeps me going, keeps me active and mentally focussed. Above all, my strong Islamic faith spurs me on knowing that Almighty Allah is watching me and hopefully He is pleased with what I am doing.

In 2023, I also received a British Empire Medal (BEM) in recognition of the voluntary work I have done over the years for which I am very proud.