My Volunteer Experience - Samantha Whillas
This National Volunteer Week 17 - 23 May 2021, Connecting Up would like to thank our wonderful volunteers working across a number of roles, keeping the SAcommunity database updated, performing data analysis for coucils and highlight community organisations by writing articles for SAcommunity eNews.
We would also like to take this opportunity to introduced some of our fabulous volunteers and share their experiences. Samantha has been a part of the team at Connecting Up for just over a year now, and shares her story below as part of our series on our Volunteers for National Volunteer Week.
Personal Biography
Samantha is currently a student at Flinders University and studies an Advanced Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Screen and Media and minoring in Drama. She is also studying a Bachelor of Letters in Creative Writing concurrently. Her studies offer an opportunity for her to pursue her interests in the dissemination of information (particularly in news) politics, culture and the arts, and the interconnected and dependant relationship between them.
Samantha joined the Connecting Up SAcommunity Team as a volunteer with the desire to be a part of something that could support and give back to the community. She believes it will be a great opportunity to learn and gain practical skills in the workplace, particularly in the areas of administration, communication and content creation, meet new people while also helping to make a difference in the community.
[Editors Note: We are pleased to note that Samantha became a Connecting Up staff member in the Customer Experience Team 30 November 2021 and is currently working casually with us as a Customer Support Officer at our Adelaide office, whilst she studies her Honors in Screen and Media over 2022 and 2023. After completing her studies and continuing working full-time through 2024, Samantha was promoted to Customer Engagement Manager at Infoxchange our parent organisation on 3 June 2024.
Congratulations Samantha!]
Samantha also volunteered at the North Adelaide Baroque Hall having started 4 December 2023 providing media and communication assistance on her weekends. This includes collating content and publishing Facebook and Instagram posts to support beautiful music and assist classical musicians in Adelaide, retiring in May 2024 to accommodate her new Management role.
[Editors Note: We are pleased to note that Samantha became a Connecting Up staff member in the Customer Experience Team 30 November 2021 and is currently working casually with us as a Customer Support Officer at our Adelaide office, whilst she studies her Honors in Screen and Media over 2022 and 2023. After completing her studies and continuing working full-time through 2024, Samantha was promoted to Customer Engagement Manager at Infoxchange our parent organisation on 3 June 2024.
Congratulations Samantha!]
Samantha also volunteered at the North Adelaide Baroque Hall having started 4 December 2023 providing media and communication assistance on her weekends. This includes collating content and publishing Facebook and Instagram posts to support beautiful music and assist classical musicians in Adelaide, retiring in May 2024 to accommodate her new Management role.
My Volunteering Experience - Samantha Whillas:
I first joined the team here at SAcommunity back in March 2020, just two weeks before the country was plunged into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I had been casually thinking about volunteering for a couple of years, but had never really found anything that spurred these thoughts into action until by chance I came across an advertisement for volunteering at SAcommunity, and immediately I knew that I had found something that I would like to be involved in.
"Not only does SAcommunity take part in important work that I know is helping to support my community, but it has also provided me the opportunity to develop practical skills in the area of communication, administration, and data management, that will be incredibly useful for me going forward."
Volunteering with SAcommunity has also equipped me with new skills and exposure to the operations of a remote workforce. I had only been volunteering two weeks before we moved online due to COVID-19. Although this brought with it many challenges, it also brought opportunities. I have engaged with new tech tools, gaining experience with programs such as Microsoft teams, Zoom and Slack that I otherwise would have not been exposed to, supporting both onsite and offsite volunteers.
Despite this, it has been wonderful to finally return to the office this year. I have relished the chance to get to know the team in person, whose diverse personalities and backgrounds, and friendly dispositions make for a warm and welcoming environment that I look forward to coming to every week.
As a current student of Screen and Media and a Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing) at Flinders University here in Adelaide, the program has been really understanding about balancing my outside study commitments with my time spent volunteering. Offering flexible and remote options, even after transitioning back on site this year, and temporary leaves of absence has allowed me to remain a volunteer through some very busy and sometimes downright crazy times!
"Volunteering with SAcommunity this last year has taught me many new things, and provided me with the opportunity to challenge myself in a rewarding environment, knowing that what I am doing is supporting my community."
In addition to working to update our community directory, I have been able to publish blog stories as part of SAcommunity's media channels, received training in telephone techniques, interviewing and social media, and look forward to future projects designing, filming and editing new training videos for our volunteers using Camtasia.
I had the opportunity to meet Sam Lloyd the Marketing Lead, Products and Services for the Infoxchange Group as my volunteer mentor and he provided some great career advice which I really appreciated.
"I have particularly enjoyed learning from my fellow teammates who have a wealth of varied knowledge and experience, and are always happy share their skills and wisdom."
Volunteering with SAcommunity has really helped me improve my confidence in my own abilities, thanks to the new skills I have been able to develop. It has provided me with the opportunity to challenge myself in a rewarding environment, knowing that what I am doing is supporting my community. I look forward working with my fellow volunteers in the coming year as we continue to provide information and services in support of the South Australian community.
Interested in reading Samantha Whillas' storytelling articles? Find them >>here
Samantha Whillas Customer Support Officer, Connecting Up assisting at the Connecting Up Conference held in Melbourne 11 - 13 May 2022
[Editors Note: We are pleased to note that Samantha became a Connecting Up staff member in the Customer Experience Team 30 November 2021 and is currently working casually with us as a Customer Support Officer at our Adelaide office, whilst she studies her honors in Screen and Media over 2022. Congratulations Samantha!]
