Volunteers’ Week: Meet Nzingha

Occupation: Author, activist and Retired nurse | Volunteer Role: Member of BCA Friends Committee

Why did you choose to Volunteer with BCA?

To make a contribution to supporting the work of BCA & contributing to the historical legacy created by people of African descent in the UK

Opportunity to share my skills from my work life, I am from a nursing/health visiting background

I have experience of staff management, fund raising and a long history of volunteering across diverse organisations

I can also help to recruit other people to become friends who can support the work of the BCA

What have you learnt from volunteering?

The importance of being committed, reliable and flexible when volunteering

The complexities experienced by organisations such as BCA trying to provide services to the the public who have diverse expectations which can sometimes be unrealistic

That organisations operating on tight budgets are in need of committed reliable volunteers with diverse skills to help facilitate their continued operations

I've met and been exposed to a wide range of very positive people from the community who have made great contributions to the history of people of African descent and have been able to share some of this knowledge with people in my family, in the area where I live and with other organisations operating in the country

What advice would you give to anyone interested in volunteering?

Your contribution as a volunteer is valuable and is valued even when people forget to say “Thank you” it can just be that people are so busy trying to keep the organisation going that they forget, don't get upset, let someone know how you are feeling

The BCA belongs to the whole community and is there through the past efforts of volunteers such as yourself who saw the need for an establishment such as this to preserve our history and legacy; so as a volunteer you are also making a contribution to this

Volunteering enables people to support organisations in their community, it aids development on both sides, the organisation benefits from the skills & experience that the volunteer brings & the volunteer acquires knowledge & skills which they may otherwise never have been exposed to

Volunteering counts as work experience an can be added to your CV

Has volunteering made a difference to your life? If so, how?

Yes, volunteering has impacted my life. I have been volunteering for many years across many organisations and have gained confidence, diverse knowledge and some new skills. I

have met many great people whom I would not otherwise have met and been exposed to events and places which I would not necessarily have been exposed to. In volunteering at the BCA, I also feel that I am making a contribution to preserving the legacy started by others, thus ensuring its longevity for future generations

We would like to say a massive thank you to Nzingha and all our volunteers for all their hard work at BCA.

Would you be interested in becoming a BCA volunteer? You can register your interest via our Volunteer page.