Sipping and Serving: The Impact of Volunteering with CanTeam
Blog written by Sara, student volunteer and a member of the CanTeam Crew at Bedford Academy
Introduction
I recently had the privilege of participating in a CanTeam event, which focuses on bringing communities together through offering families healthy nutritious food. When initially presented with the opportunity, I didn’t take much interest in it as I was nervous and was unsure what the event consisted of. After hearing the success of the pilot event, I decided to volunteer and overcome my worries. The event ended up being extremely useful and enjoyable. Volunteering was a transformative experience that helped me improve many skills. If presented the opportunity again, I will definitely participate in future events.
The event was student led and everyone was passionate in the role they chose. Before the event began, we all helped decorate the canteen and organised the event to make it more lively. Throughout the event, I served drinks and helped clean up during and after the event was finished. A sense of community was very prominent during the event which created an atmosphere that was vibrant and extremely pleasant.
My CanTeam journey:
Volunteering provides a unique opportunity to develop new skills, gain valuable experiences and strengthen the community. It’s allowed me to improve my communication skills and become more confident. When I initially registered my interest, I was nervous as social interactions are something I tend to avoid. When I went to the preparation before the event, everyone was extremely welcoming and made me feel like I belonged. This increased my confidence and I felt like I could partake well in the event. Engaging with those who were present at the event helped develop my communication skills. I had to ensure they understood what was available and that I understood what they wanted. I’ve learnt that I’m able to adapt the way I act in every interaction as they were all different. I found that my communication skills weren’t as poor as I thought they were.
The biggest challenge that I’ve overcome would be letting my nervousness get in the way of opportunities I’m offered. Rather than being scared and avoiding doing something, I’ll sign up if I know it’s beneficial as it usually turns out better than expected.
Final Thoughts:
If anyone’s ever offered the opportunity to partake in a CanTeam event, I would tell them to definitely do it. Regardless of being scared or unsure about what it is, the experience is completely worth it. The vibe was immaculate and the event was fun. You feel a sense of satisfaction after as you’ve helped in a such a brilliant event. The experience of volunteering and interacting with the community was extremely fulfilling. Going forward, if there are other CanTeam events, I intend to participate and volunteer again. If looking for a way to get involved in the community and give back, volunteering at CanTeam events is the perfect choice.
Thrilling, exciting and fulfilling experience that builds a sense of community.
Background:
CanTeam is an after school social dining initiative co-designed with young people that encourages students and their families to enjoy nutritious, delicious and diverse foods together.
Launched by Future Foundations in June 2023, CanTeam aims to embed a transformative food culture within schools, enabling young people to learn and thrive.
Over the first 6 months of the initiative, CanTeam was funded and supported by the Big Change Big Education Challenge to develop the concept, consult beneficiaries and test the idea. In January 2024, CanTeam was announced a winner of the Big Education Challenge and is being supported by Big Change to scale across the UK.
In partnership with HEART Academies Trust and Bedford Academy Future Foundations delivered a two-event pilot of CanTeam. The first was focused on Year 7 and 8 students and the second was opened up to local primary school families. The catering was provided in-house by Russell Abbey, Head of Catering Services at HEART Academies Trust. Many of the ingredients were kindly donated by Allmanhall.
We are excited to continue developing CanTeam and the impact we can have on the health and wellbeing of young people and their families throughout the UK.
BIG NEWS – CanTeam, is a winner of the Big Education Challenge
Future Foundations, the organisation behind CanTeam, has been awarded £225,000 to develop and pilot at scale the idea. The £1m prize fund is the first of its kind run by education charity Big Change and was set up to identify, support and reward bold ideas with the potential to transform education and learning in the UK. Click here to find out more.
Find out more:
- Read an article published by Bedford Today about the launch of CanTeam at Bedford Academy here
- Read about the Challenge here
- Read about CanTeam, our BIG idea for change here
Get in touch, if you think you can help…
- Email: jon@future-foundations.co.uk
We are looking for schools and partners who share our vision and can help us pilot CanTeam at scale.