A VAST Volunteering Case Study
Ethan’s cooking up a volunteering storm in the Dudson Cafe!
Ethan is one of the amazing volunteers that supports The Dudson Centre Café as a Volunteer Café Assistant.
The Dudson Centre, on Hope Street in Hanley, is a thriving community resource centre for voluntary organisations. Located in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent and with a unique setting that echoes the rich local heritage of the Potteries. The Dudson Café serves a range of simple, tasty, wholesome food in a relaxed and friendly environment.
Gloria, our Inclusive Volunteering Project Officer, initially met with Ethan in April 2024 and spent time getting to know Ethan to gain an insight into Ethans skills and abilities. A relative of Ethan had heard about VAST and how we could help individuals that needed a little extra support to volunteer.
Ethan explained that he wanted to volunteer to develop his skills, improve his confidence and gain practical experience in preparation for gaining a paid role.
Gloria and Ethan discussed several volunteer roles before we decided that a volunteer role at The Dudson Café as a Volunteer Café Assistant would be an ideal role for Ethan.
Ethan’s role and responsibilities are diverse and include the following tasks:
- Ensuring the kitchen area and Café are left clean, tidy, and waste is discarded safely.
- Providing good customer service to café clients
- Clearing tables
- Ensuring tables and chairs are sanitised after use.
- Assisting front of the house taking orders and serving hot and cold drinks.
Ethan shared that one of the main benefits of volunteering has been the opportunity to “get out of the house,” which has positively impacted his overall well-being. Additionally, Ethan noted that volunteering has helped him develop skills that were directly relevant to gaining future employment.
Ethan hasn’t experienced any challenges in his role so far, and Ethan takes everything in his stride. When asked about the most rewarding aspect of his volunteering experience, he highlighted “meeting new people and learning how to communicate with others” as key benefits.
Jackie Wheeler, Facilities Manager, gave Ethan a glowing recommendation:
“Ethan has volunteered for the café for a while now and his confidence has improved a lot since he started with us. When he first started, he was very quiet and didn’t initiate conversation. Ethan now initiates conversations and is very chatty. He is a very independent young man and enjoys telling us the programmes he enjoys watching and his interests at home. From doing dishes in the kitchen, he now makes and serves drinks, when he wants to learn something new, he lets us know and is happy to learn a lot of new roles. Since starting with VAST he has also taken on a paid role at Alton Towers, clearing tables and washing dishes, he is very keen to learn more. Ethan is extremely happy at Alton Towers as it is one if his favourite places to go and enjoys all the rides. Ethan is a pleasure to work with.”
“Everyone should keep an open mind about volunteering, as it helps build confidence and develop valuable skills for employment.” Since starting with VAST he has also taken on a paid role at Alton Towers, clearing tables and washing dishes, he is very keen to learn more. Ethan is extremely happy at Alton Towers as it is one if his favourite places to go and enjoys all the rides. Ethan is a pleasure to work with.”
Well done Ethan on your amazing journey!