Priti, June and John, the three English volunteers of BVSC, will arrive soon to Spain in order to cooperate with the local activities of Gantalcalá en La Rioja. Do you want to know more about them?
Priti
My name is Priti. I am 54 years old. I am from Kenya. I came to settle in the UK when I was 14 years old. Since then, I have lived in London, Bristol, Norwich and Birmingham, and travelled around India for several months to experience the variety of cultures and languages there. My husband and I are from different cultural backgrounds. We have a daughter and a son. The main language spoken in our home is English.I studied Biochemistry, but have always worked in Public Service, a few years as a Civil Servant and then with Birmingham City Council, where I worked as a Neighbourhood Adviser for 25 years until last year. In the latter role, I regularly took active part in outreach work and volunteered my language skills because this enabled me to help a wider range of people understand and benefit from our services. With regular practice, my spoken Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu also improved. I am presently registered as a support volunteer with the RNIB. I feel excited about the Si Senior exchange opportunity for it will give me the chance to do something new and very unusual i.e. voluntary work abroad, try to engage young people, be immersed in the Spanish culture, speak a lot of Spanish. My other activities include watching comedy on TV or in a theatre or cinema, dancing, cooking, gardening, yoga, chanting meditation and learning languages.
June
Hi, my name is June. I am divorced but have a busy family life with three grownup children and four grandchildren all living in Birmingham quite close to me. I enjoy living alone but am very busy socially and out of the house most days. I love music and dancing and I used to belong to the Birmigham Sambs school. I also enjoy walking in the countryside, reading, going to films and to the theatre. I have worked in many occupations but because I married at a young age I did not complete my education until returning to university in my 20s. I have worked for many years as a lecturer in adult, further and higher education and I also hold a social work qualification. I also spent some years working as a volunteer coordinator for Women’s Aid. This charity supports women escaping from domestic violence/abuse. I want to work in the voluntary sector in Spain to build links with other senior people from European Countries. It is very good to share experience and to break down stereotypes about older people and the huge contribution that is made to society by their voluntary work. I am especially interested in intergenerational projects as I currently act in the role of chairperson for an intergenerational ‘arts’ focused group. This organisation has encouraged young people and seniors to share their skills for example, on a residential photography course where we spent the weekend. I look forward to finding out about the initiatives that senior people are engaged with in La Rioja.
John Mcphail
I’m John Mcphail and I’m 55 years old. I am married and I have two step-children, Zoe and Daniel. I also have two grandchildren, Charlie and Tristan. I have been working as a trainer, policy maker, consultant and researcher in criminal justice and community safety. Previously I was a historical researcher with a doctorate in Black Country History. I want to volunteer because I am keen to give something back. Volunteering offers me the opportunity to do things I am interested in and things that I feel will make a difference. I am very interested in the subject and the development of the voluntary sector, especially the part that relates to young people. I am particularly interest in community engagement, engaging young people work with the police. Me llamo John Mcphail y tengo 55 años. Estoy casado y tengo dos hijastros, Zoe y Daniel. También tengo dos nietos, Charlie y Tristan.
Priti and John on the central office of BVSC in Birmingham (United Kingdom)
