It’s #VolunteersWeek, and we have been celebrating our fabulous solicitors across our social media pages. Headed up by Jamie Speirs, our senior solicitor, our volunteer solicitors help us to provide free legal advice, support access to justice and protect more children’s rights.
We want to also celebrate our amazing student volunteers and the wider support that they provide. So, here’s a few thoughts from Katie Cameron and Becca Black on why they volunteer with the Scottish Child Law Centre and their related experiences. Thank you Katie, Becca and all of our volunteers!
My Volunteering Experience with the Scottish Child Law Centre – Katie Cameron
Who am I?
I am Katie, a first year accelerated LLB student at the University of Edinburgh. I took a course in family law earlier this academic year and I was immediately engaged by the variety of situations that child law covers and the sheer number of people who would be in a situation to potentially need legal support. I always knew that I wanted to study law to help people who needed a support network the most, so I decided to research some organisations where I could volunteer to learn more about the practical side of child law, not just the side I had learnt about in textbooks.
Why did I choose to volunteer with the Scottish Child Law Centre?
I stumbled across the Scottish Child Law Centre while looking for organisations that operated in Edinburgh. I decided to contact them on the off chance that they might accommodate my volunteer request. They were friendly, approachable and very quickly, I was able to start my volunteering experience. One thing I particularly like about the Scottish Child Law Centre is that it is not just Edinburgh based, but Scotland wide. The organisation has a wide reach and helps people in communities across the country in giving them free legal advice. I wanted to help an organisation that makes a real difference and the Scottish Child Law Centre does just that!
What have I learned so far?
So much! In a nutshell though, I have learned that no two days working with child law are the same. Our volunteer solicitors are great at advising on an enormous range of child and family law queries and it has been interesting to communicate with them throughout the process so far. It has also been great to see that it is possible for solicitors to complete volunteer work alongside their work for a law firm, something I hope to do once I am qualified. Furthermore, I have been given the opportunity to do additional research for the centre on current discussions around child law in Scotland, which not only enhanced my research skills, but also gave me the chance to learn more about an area not previously covered in my university courses. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the Scottish Child Law Centre so far and have learned so much more already than I ever thought I would have done. I would say to anyone who is considering a volunteering role, to definitely do it! It is worth it!
Hey there! My name is Becca, I’m from Belfast in Northern Ireland, but I live in Edinburgh and I’m in my final year at the University of Edinburgh, studying LLB Law and International Relations. I have always wanted to study law as I want to be able to help others, especially when it comes to accessing justice and ensuring respect for fundamental human rights. I have previously volunteered for different organisations, including working with a children’s rights charity in Kampala, Uganda after I left school!
I first heard about the Scottish Child Law Centre in one of my family law lectures in my 1st year of university and I have been interested in their work ever since. This year I decided to reach out to see if there were any opportunities to work with SCLC and luckily enough, a volunteer Enquiry Coordinator role became available. I instantly jumped at the chance to volunteer at the centre as I am deeply passionate about children’s rights and also it is the perfect opportunity to get more work experience in this area.
Volunteering at SCLC has been very rewarding so far. On a personal level I have been able to develop my administration and research skills, which will be really helpful for future employment, as well as getting the chance to work with qualified solicitors and the rest of the amazing team. Everyone is so lovely, and it’s really motivating to work with others who care deeply about the same issues that I do. On a larger scale, I love that the work I do feels important- every Friday I know that I am part of a larger organisation that is providing necessary advice and support for children and young people, and their families, across Scotland. I’m very grateful to be part of the SCLC team, and I am looking forward to continuing my journey and seeing what comes next!