Hear from our volunteers: Digital Communications Volunteer
My name is Freya Liddell and I am currently volunteering in a digital communications role for Healthwatch Greenwich. I am a History and Journalism student at Goldsmiths University and I applied to work for Healthwatch Greenwich for a media workplace module.
I chose to complete my work experience at Healthwatch Greenwich as I value their work within the community and the hugely positive impact that they have on local health care.
Working for a smaller company has allowed me to be very hands-on with the work experience, working alongside others within Healthwatch Greenwich to gain valuable experience and share my ideas.
Prior to working here, I had no social media or digital communications experience, but knew I was keen to explore this area of work. Throughout my time at Healthwatch Greenwich, I have developed vital tools and skills that I can carry with me and apply to future career aspirations and further work experience.
Week 1
In my first week at Healthwatch Greenwich, I completed online training on safeguarding and equality and diversity. These skills are not only valuable whilst working for Healthwatch, but also in everyday life and other work environments. I also familiarised myself with the Healthwatch Greenwich website and signed up to their newsletter, getting a more in depth look into the work that they do and how the organisation works on a wider scale.
Week 2
The following week, I had a meeting with Anastasia, the Communications and Signposting Officer. She assigned me the task of creating content for Healthwatch Greenwich’s social media platforms, in order to gain more interaction and interest. I followed a social media schedule that Anastasia shared with me and created content accordingly. I was also introduced to Canva, a graphic design platform, which I used to create eye-catching and interesting images to post on instagram.
I also learned about the importance of brand awareness and creating content that will attract attention whilst remaining on brand.
Week 3
I attended my first online team meeting where I was introduced to the wider Healthwatch Greenwich team and learned more about how the different job roles interact and the individual work that goes into the company. I then had weekly meetings with Anastasia to discuss the tasks that I had been working on and the progress that I made. These meetings were extremely helpful as I was able to ask questions and learn from any mistakes that I had made in order to progress and improve.
Week 5
I later attended volunteer meetings in which I met the other volunteers also working at Healthwatch Greenwich. These meetings were interactive and allowed me to learn more about the roles of the other volunteers and the projects they had been working on. We played some games to break the ice, which was a nice way to get to know the other volunteers.
We also heard from Joy Beishon, CEO of Healthwatch Greenwich, who took us through the changes that are happening in the NHS right now, primarily the Integrated Care System and how that might affect the work that Healthwatch Greenwich are doing in the community.
Week 6
In week 6, I was assigned the task of working on a social media campaign, which was an online competition aimed at getting more feedback about health services in Greenwich in order to improve these services. I created a slogan, short article and social media posts encouraging Greenwich residents to leave feedback to be in with the chance to win a gift hamper. I thoroughly enjoyed this task as it allowed me to use all the skills I had gained over the weeks prior at Healthwatch Greenwich as well as the writing skills I had learned in my Journalism degree.
If you are looking for a productive, flexible place to volunteer or work for, I would certainly recommend Healthwatch Greenwich.
Volunteering for Healthwatch Greenwich has provided me with extensive hands-on experience in digital communications and social media content. The staff are always willing to help, answer any questions and tailor the work experience to what you are looking to achieve from it. It is a positive and inclusive environment which provides you with a sense of achievement and fulfillment.
