Oasis has always been a charity that prides itself on its community spirit, passion and determination, a large part of that shown through its staff.
Joanne, who works for the charity is a perfect example of what it means to work for Oasis. Originally volunteering for the charity for her counselling placement, she enjoyed her time with the team and states that she found the work “interesting and rewarding,” resulting in her choosing to progress to an admin role, and working on the Positive Relationships Project which works with teenage girls who have been affected by domestic abuse.
Joanne’s role is predominately admin support and her responsibilities include assisting workshops at schools, which includes raising awareness of issues such as grooming and consent. As well as having one-to-ones with clients to build up their self esteem, addressing anxiety and managing emotions.
“The role is challenging, but also really rewarding […] we can see the difference it is making in young people’s lives, it’s very satisfying to see that we are raising awareness of these issues with the age groups that are most affected.”
Working for such a tight-knit, community-centric charity has also changed Joanne personally, she feels more confident and working for Oasis has also helped her become more aware of the scale of domestic abuse. With domestic abuse often still seen as a taboo subject, discussing this issue has helped her become more confident when delivering talks to young people about consent, grooming and assertiveness. “Many aspects have been outside of my comfort zone, it has been an opportunity for personal growth.”
Joanne also states that she was “impressed with the philosophy, vision and scope of the organisation” which led to her wanting to be a part of it from the very beginning of her volunteer role.
Written by Natasha Vignon