About GoldStar 
| Name | Age |
Project |
|---|---|---|
 Rachael |
26 |
121 Youth Befriending |
Rachael could get almost any job. Her choice was to get people into volunteering.
Volunteering wasn’t the first thing on Rachael Dublin’s mind as a sixteen year old receptionist. However, having returned to education and achieved a degree in Social Policy and Administration, it soon became her vocation. Whilst at University, Rachael saw the need to give time and effort to help disaffected young people. Together with a friend she set up and ran an entire youth project, involving an X factor talent competition and lots of activities, career talks and presentations. By cashing in favours and handing out flyers, they pulled it off on a shoestring student budget. Motivated by the experience, Rachael decided to offer her talents to the voluntary sector, where she could not only contribute personally but also help spread the word‚ to others. Working for Medway CVS as a Training Co-ordinator, Rachael heard that 121 Youth Befriending needed BME volunteers. She soon became a voluntary befriender on the Zero Project, helping troubled youngsters to rebuild their confidence through mentoring and social activities. Then a vacancy as Project Co-ordinator came up and Rachael grabbed it with both hands. It gives her the chance not only to recruit volunteers and match them up with clients but also to go out and sell the benefits of volunteering to young people. Going a step further, Rachael is also taking a course to be a Voluntary Sector Ambassador, so she can promote volunteering to the youth market as a career of choice as she explains:
"I want to get young people volunteering as active citizens and realise it’s not just a nice‚ middle-aged, middle-class pursuit. If there’s an issue you care about, volunteering is a way to do something about it. It also changes your views, boosts your confidence and shows what can be done. In fact the only barrier to volunteering is yourself!
It’s a strong message and one that won’t be missed by anyone meeting Rachael Dublin.
Manager's comment:
“Rachael came to us through the Zero Project which targeted volunteers from hard to reach groups through zero tolerance of discrimination. She has benefited from all kinds of help we offer from focussed training and clear goals to rewarding effort and helping our volunteers with career development. By giving so much back and taking the key messages of volunteering and befriending to a wider audience, Rachael has more than paid back the good practice that we put in."
