Volunteering in Derby:
20 Reasons why you should get involved
#DKC2026
Digital Marketing Assistant at Derby Kids’ Camp
Whether you are looking for an opportunity to expand your CV, or are eager to help people in need, there are so many great reasons to consider volunteering!
People like you provide hope to the 410,000 charities in the UK who are eagerly searching for enthusiastic volunteers to provide vital support to the most vulnerable in society or to protect our community and landscape. Without selfless people like you, food banks would be emptier, hospitals would be under more stress and people, in general, would be struggling even more with their everyday lives.
Whether you choose to volunteer with children, animals, the elderly, in hospitals, or any other cause; your time will not be wasted, you will join the family of almost 100,000 UK volunteers. Not only will you get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve done your bit to make the world a better place, but you’ll quickly begin to see positive changes in yourself – everything ranging from having a wider social network to furthering your career progression, to being generally happier and healthier.
1. Benefits your health and mental well-being.
Volunteering is scientifically proven to improve health and mental well-being for a happier, healthier – even longer! – life:
- Stress reduction – volunteering provides an escape from the stresses of normal everyday life. You won’t find yourself dwelling over a missed deadline or low ‘like counts’ on a recent social media post! Instead, you will have the crucial opportunity to take a break, do something you enjoy, and clear your mind while helping others.
- Increased dopamine (‘happy hormone’) – whilst volunteering, you’ll experience an increase in satisfaction, joy and sense of purpose, which will increase the amount of dopamine produced. Increased dopamine leads to better movement, memory and motivation.
- Lower mortality rates – reduced stress, increased dopamine and better well-being combined with an increased activity which comes alongside volunteering all contribute towards a longer, healthier life.
Derby Kids’ Camp is a fantastic opportunity to volunteer in the UK’s incredible countryside this summer! Based in the hills of the stunning Peak District and bringing joy to hundreds of young children every year, you can’t help but smile!
2. Gain professional experience
Getting a job can be a long, challenging process. Any application can be declined due to lack of experience, lack of transferable skills, lack of passion or simply lacking that certain something on your CV to make you stand out.
Volunteering can have a significant impact on increasing your employability and making your CV/application stand out from the crowd! You will gain crucial hands-on experience that employers value and look out for, especially if you can find volunteering in a similar industry. You will also gain many transferable skills and experiences that boost your CV and provide something different to discuss and reference during interviews.
Derby Kids’ Camp volunteering looks amazing on any CV! Applying for a medical job (shows you are caring), an office job (shows you can multitask and cope in high-pressure situations) or a social worker (shows you can work well with children).
3. Leads to more opportunities
You can gain work experience and career advancement, and volunteering can provide you with great personal development opportunities. There is a wide range of opportunities when you get the bug for volunteering! For example:
- You can join committees or trustee teams – you will directly impact the day-to-day running of the charity. This can offer a lot of satisfaction and can expose you to new management skills and responsibilities providing a great addition to your CV.
- You can seek similar volunteering abroad – this could provide you with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a similar volunteering experience can dramatically improve your application for high-profile, competitive overseas opportunities. For example, being a volunteer with Derby Kids’ Camp would look excellent on a Camp America or NCS application.
- Networking – you will meet so many people from different walks of life whilst volunteering, and each one of them will positively impact your life in different ways, either personal or professional.
4. You’ll make a difference
The world can sometimes be an unfair place. Across the UK, people are struggling with a range of issues from grief to finical stress. However, you could be part of the change that creates a better society for us all! An hour (or more!) may not seem much to have an impact, but for the people you are supporting, it will mean the world to them!
Your time and effort will help make people’s lives a little bit easier. You could volunteer at the local food shelter to relieve the pressure of choosing between food and heating from parents. Or Dementia UK or Cancer Research to help find a cure once and for all. Or with Derby Kids’ Camp to allow children to be a kid again and provide the break they deserve.
5. Gives you a sense of purpose
Sometimes life can get a little repetitive and mundane! Waking up early every morning, getting ready, working till 5, eating, doing chores, dreading work the next day, going to sleep and then repeating the cycle. Does this sound familiar? If it does, then perhaps a new challenge is just what you need – and there are 1000s of UK volunteering opportunities just waiting to hear from you!
Life should have purpose and provide great things to look forward to and challenge your every day!
6. You’ll make new friends
Many people across the world face isolation and loneliness on a daily basis. This is usually associated with the elderly, however, this is not the case, the modern-day age is very lonely; human interaction is almost a thing of the past and most communication has been replaced with social media and phone calls.
Whether you’ve just moved cities alone, your job has turned remote, or you are just very extraverted and want more people to talk to and be around, volunteering is a great opportunity to socialise and make friends whilst doing something good (68% of volunteers in one survey agreed that volunteering helped them feel less isolated).
7. Improves empathy
Many people worldwide face challenges in their day-to-day lives which act as barriers to tasks which are considered to be simple. Usually, these barriers remain unseen and brushed off as incompetency or lack of effort, however, this is not the case! It’s hard to understand that these people are struggling if you’ve never come across the problem that they are facing and there are very few opportunities to widen your awareness. However, you can change this! Volunteering allows you to take a step back from your own life and focus on others.
A child who won’t listen in lessons may not be lazy, they may be facing trauma at home that prevents them from being able to focus and somebody avoiding reading anything at work is not just being difficult, instead, they may not be able to read or have dyslexia. Once you start volunteering, you’ll find that you will become much less judgemental as you can see why people are struggling and you will have a better idea of how to help them.
8. Improves your opinion of people
The phrases ‘I hate people’ or ‘people are cruel’ are becoming too common in society. However, this isn’t the case; the world is filled with kind, empathic and generous people. Every day, so many people will go out of their way to do good things. However, this is just a natural part of life for them, and they would never believe they are doing anything heroic, so they would never talk about how amazing they are or what they have achieved. They will not get airtime on the news because a “Woman who volunteered at a charity shop” is not a headline that will bring viewers in, and people will not talk about them because it’s not ‘entertaining’ enough.
The problem isn’t that all people in this world are cruel – because they’re not! The problem is not enough people witness and share the acts of kindness so negative actions get all the attention, and we are left believing that there are no good people. The only way you can fix this is if you start volunteering – you’ll meet kind caring people and will never believe all people are horrible again!
9. Cures boredom
You may be retired and looking for something new or challenging to do with your newly found spare time!
University students may find they have additional spare time to fill during the holidays, or you are a stay-at-home parent who wants something to do whilst the children are at school.
If you have a little (or even a lot!) of spare time on your hands and need something to cure your boredom, volunteering can be the perfect solution to this! You can volunteer to your schedule, so you can help others and not have it impact your current commitments.
All of a sudden, those empty hours that you once dreaded become the best hours of the week. These hours will be filled with joy, laughter and satisfaction and boredom will be a distant memory. In fact, if you volunteer with us on camp, boredom will no longer be something you can understand with the chaos of children running around you all day!
10. You’ll inspire others to volunteer
We unintentionally influence those around us. As human beings, when we see someone who is happy or doing something good we want to do the same, so by choosing to volunteer you are also encouraging others to give it a go as well. This is an amazing thing to do as you are contributing towards creating a society of better people. And by doing this, it’s not just good for society, but you can be proud of yourself as you become a ‘trendsetter’!
If you are a parent or guardian this is especially important. The things you do and the way you act whilst your child is developing has a major influence on the way that they will act when they get older. If they see you volunteering or you take them volunteering from a young age (which is also a really good way to bond), it will have many positive impacts on your child:
• They will become more kind and caring towards other people.
• They will build valuable life skills from a young age.
• They are likely to have fewer self-esteem issues in later life.
• They will be used to communicating with others.
• They have a greater awareness of the world around them.
• They are more likely to stick at volunteering in later life and have a positive impact on the world.
11. You have a similar background
Charities aim to remove or minimise the impact of issues that affect many people across the UK. You might have been affected by one of these issues; if you have, you’ll probably want to do everything in your power to help people in a similar position to you. You can make a significant impact on people who are experiencing something similar just by sparing a few hours here and there to a charity close to your heart! If you lost someone to cancer, it’s the perfect reason to do a Tough Mudder, or if you are worried about animal extinctions, volunteer with the WWF and if you didn’t have the easiest childhood, come join us on a week of camp to give these children the best week possible and the break they greatly deserve!
12. Gets you out of your comfort zone!
It’s no secret that volunteering is likely to be out of your comfort zone. At the end of the day, the thought of curling up on the sofa watching your favourite film (for the 3rd time this month!), surrounded by your friends or family is so much more comforting than going out and volunteering with people you’ve never met. Staying within your comfort zone fills you with a warm fuzzy safe sensation, however, how beneficial is it?
Think of all the times that you’ve done something that’s changed your life in a positive way. Did it just fall into your lap whilst you were at home watching TV? It’s unlikely it did! It happened because you took a leap of faith and tried something new!
Volunteering is the exact same principle; at first, you may well be apprehensive about it and perhaps think twice about getting involved, but once you’ve started you’ll never want to leave. You’ll be filled with the satisfaction of stepping out of your comfort zone and that leap of faith may have positively shaped your future!
13. Re-use skills
As a child, you will have gone home with a new skill, hobby or interest every week. Football one week, then painting, and the next, guitar. However, as you mature, the precious time you used to dedicate to self-discovery slowly disappears. Until, suddenly, you no longer have time to do the things that you once loved, let alone discover new skills. Think back to your childhood or younger years, what was one thing that you loved doing that you don’t do now? Crafts? Cooking? Sports? There are now limited opportunities to use them in your life, but volunteering would allow you to use these. Not only will you be doing something good for your community, but you get to do the things you love again, which will feel amazing for you!
14. Find a career you are passionate about
With so many careers, it’s hard to see which one you actually have a passion for. You may love the idea of becoming an events planner, but also could see yourself as a restaurant manager, and as a child, you always wanted to be an astronaut. The options become overwhelming, and you have very little chance to experience any of them until you commit to a full-time career in it. This can lead to you discovering you don’t have a passion and it was just the idea that interested you.
If only there was a low-risk way to discover your passions. There is! You can volunteer in a sector or a job role you’re interested in and try it without committing to that role forever. If you are interested in becoming an events planner, look for volunteer work where you can assist in organising fundraising events. If you love animals, volunteer with charities like the RSPCA and see what roles interest you. If you are interested in becoming a primary school teacher, volunteer at DKC and spend a week with children to ensure that this is the role you want.
Equally, if you have no clue what you want to do in the future, find a few really different volunteering roles and see if any of them spark a passion!
15. Make the most of your skills
Are you an excellent cook? Can you communicate really well? Are you hands-on or a great listener? Or do you have specific or even obscure skills? Charities will want you! Each charity or volunteer group has a unique set of needs and your particular skills may be crucial to their development and success.
On camp, we love to see volunteers who bring passion and unique skills to teach and entertain the children. For example:
- Cooking – we have over 100 hungry children (and even hungrier volunteers!) waiting for a great cook like you to cook them amazing meals.
- Sports – during free time the children love to run around and play sports, especially with the volunteers, so if you have a particular love for a sport sign up today!
- Crafts – many of our kids love being creative and learning new things to create. Can you make anything out of a few toilet rolls and bottle lids, or make an amazing Scobie or do you have the creativity and passion of a child? If so, the children will love you!
- Musical instruments – if you can play an instrument that is easy to transport, when it comes to bedtime every tent will be fighting over you to play to them as they go to sleep!
- Wild Imagination – the children love our volunteers whose wild imagination matches their own! We also are delighted when volunteers bring new songs and dances to the campfire!
16. You’ll get plenty of support
A barrier to volunteering is often ‘I have no experience in this area’ or ‘I wouldn’t know how to.’ This should never stop you from volunteering! No charity will let you feel overwhelmed, underprepared or having no clue what you are doing. You will be provided sufficient training, have a team of other volunteers around you to support you and will have the volunteer leadership team available for any questions, support or reassurance.
At DKC we have measures in place to ensure that this is never a barrier, and most charities will be the same. Many of our new volunteers have had little to no experience in working with children, so don’t be apprehensive. We will:
- Provide training before you attend camp.
- Provide training before the kids arrive to show you around and begin to understand the children’s background.
- Ensure you are partnered with an experienced volunteer mentor.
We also have camp leader teams to provide support or reassurance and all of our volunteer team members will be happy to help
17. Release your inner- child!
Many volunteering opportunities will allow you to relax and be yourself. Whether you are working with children, animals, the elderly or sick patients, all of them would be grateful for a bit of entertainment and a laugh (sometimes at your expense!) to escape from their difficult reality. For you, this means that you can let go and be a bit wild and enjoy an experience in complete contrast to your everyday job.
Some people may find this reason daunting, however, once you begin your time volunteering, it will become natural, and you will have been grateful for the opportunity to let go. You’d be amazed how quickly the volunteers at Derby Kids’ Camp go from embarrassed and reserved to dancing around the campfire like a chicken, just to watch the pure joy on the children’s faces and hear the eruption of laughter across the field!
18. Fresh air and outdoors
Modern lifestyles do not allow for much time outdoors, but the health and well-being benefits are massive. We’re all aware that being outside makes us calmer, happier and healthier, however, it’s difficult to find the time and energy. Once you get home from work, you want to relax by the TV or endlessly scroll on TikTok to give your body and brain a break in the warmth rather than go outside for a walk. However, if you have a good reason to go out, you know that you will be grateful for the opportunity to get fresh air. Volunteering can be this opportunity! It seems silly that a whole day or more is easier motivation to get outside than an hour’s walk, but it will be. It is more exciting, you’ll be doing a good thing, and you will have already committed to it so them silly excuses you tell yourself won’t be able to get you out of it (you know you do it! “My cat will be lonely if I go” or “I’ll go after one episode” ). There are many volunteering opportunities which are outside, you could renovate a local care home garden, fundraise by doing a run or you could come to join us for an actioned packed week outdoors with Derby Kids’ Camp.
19. You may get free food!
We can’t promise free food in every volunteering role and it may not be the reason you decide to volunteer. Then again, it may be the best reason you’ve read so far!
Either way, a daft reason to do a good thing is by far better than not doing it at all. So, go volunteer at a bake sale just in case they can offer a free cake now and then – or join us on camp for a week of fully prepared free meals 3 times a day. As long as you remain fully committed to the charity’s work, there is no harm if the final persuasion for you to join is the food!
20. Why not?!
If you’ve taken the time to search ‘reasons to volunteer’ and read through all of this, you obviously have an interest in volunteering! What’s stopping you? You’ve just read 19 reasons why you should volunteer; all of these may not appeal to you but we can guarantee that there are at least three that resonate with you. Three (or more!) reasons to try something which could change your life forever!
What do you have to lose? Go and volunteer! The worst thing that can happen is that you’ve tried something new! The opportunities that await you once you’ve started volunteering are endless!
Derby Kids’ Camp is welcoming new volunteers like you! Every summer we provide free holidays to over 300 young children in Derby and the surrounding area who desperately need a break. We provide the children with an adventure-packed week of camping and do a variety of activities with them ranging from swimming to adventure playgrounds to campfires and everything in between, allowing them to have a childhood experience that they deserve and create memories that will last a lifetime.
These holidays mean the world to the children and can often be the only chance they get to relax and be themselves. But we need kind people like you to be able to provide the holidays! If you’re interested in joining our incredible volunteer team, click on the link above to apply for Summer Camp 2026!
