1Team Giving Back – 15 hours for volunteering

Creating opportunities for our team to give back to their communities and causes close to their heart.

As part of the perks and benefits available at Synergy Learning, we donate 15 hours of volunteering time to each member of our team. This creates opportunities for 1Team to devote time to good causes during their normal working hours.

Each team member is free to volunteer for any organisation they choose. Our implementation consultant Rebecca Henson opted to donate her volunteering time to the primary school attended by her son.

“Reading has been a passion of mine since I was a child. I remember my dad coming into school to read with children but, as a full-time worker, I’ve always been working during school hours,” explains Rebecca. “When the chance to volunteer arose I was delighted I could finally get involved.”

Rewarding volunteering opportunities

The school has recently introduced a scheme to support children who were struggling with reading and were asking parents for help to deliver the programme. 

Rebecca was able to put herself forward knowing that she could take her 15 hours of volunteering time during the school day. After completing training on how to deliver the reading scheme, she was ready to go into school to start listening to children read.

Rebecca continued: “I find it so rewarding. I love reading to my son at home and hearing him read to me, but research shows that a lot of children don’t have that. It’s brilliant to be able to give extra support where it’s needed.

“I work mainly with six to 10-year-olds — and developing reading skills at that stage is critical for their education going forward. I’m delighted to be able to play a small part in their future.

“Getting to know the children, building relationships, monitoring their progress and celebrating their successes is an unbelievable privilege.”

And despite volunteering in an educational setting, it hasn’t felt like a busman’s holiday for Rebecca.

She added: “Obviously in my day job the focus is on delivering exceptional digital learning experiences but my volunteering time is very much about offline learning and building a love of books.

“There is a bit of overlap in terms of looking for ways to encourage the learner — in this case the child I’m listening to — and increase their level of engagement.”

Remote-first benefits

Rebecca also celebrated the opportunity to give back to her local community as a result of our remote-first workplace.

She said: “As a remote-first team, Synergy Learning has people based around the UK, Ireland and further afield. By giving us an opportunity to volunteer in our own areas, the company is spreading the impact of our volunteering beyond any geographic restrictions and helping each 1Team member to support causes and organisations that matter to them.

“Once you’ve been given these hours, you can do anything that you know is going to have a positive impact within your local community.”

See what else we’re doing

Learn more about how we’re giving back, as well as other 1Team initiatives and opportunities on our Careers page. 

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