Volunteering brings people and communities together, builds confidence and develops new skills, improves mental health, and has a positive impact on health and wellbeing. The ActWELL volunteer lifestyle coaching role is a perfect example of this.
Volunteering brings people and communities together, builds confidence and develops new skills, improves mental health, and has a positive impact on health and wellbeing. The ActWELL volunteer lifestyle coaching role is a perfect example of this.
ActWELL is an innovative and exciting research trial being delivered in Scotland. The study aims to reduce women’s risk of developing breast cancer by helping them make sustainable lifestyle changes, focusing on physical activity, diet and body weight, delivered by a team of 45 volunteer lifestyle coaches. The trial is ongoing until August 2019 and the impact on the trial participants will remain unknown until it concludes later in the year.
However, we do know what being involved in the ActWELL project has meant to our volunteer lifestyle coaches. In March, we invited them to the V&A in Dundee to thank them for their invaluable contribution and celebrate the trial’s achievements to date. It was also an opportunity to find out what being involved in ActWELL meant to them.
Our coaches volunteer for all sorts of reasons
For some it was a chance to use existing skills as healthcare professionals, others wanted to support women of a similar age to improve their lifestyle and raise awareness of the link between lifestyle and cancer prevention.
Other reasons included giving back to the community, having an interest in health promotion, meeting new people and trying something different. Regardless of their motivation, what united them was their belief that the project was worthwhile.
"I decided to become a lifestyle coach because the main interests in my career are health promotion and breast cancer. This role gave me the opportunity to try something different and incorporate both those interests while helping people," said Jackie a volunteer lifestyle coach in Aberdeen."
It's enjoyable and rewarding
"Overall, it has been a fantastic experience being a lifestyle coach," said Angela, who volunteers in Glasgow. "I've thoroughly enjoyed it and do actually now use some of it in the workplace."
Overwhelmingly volunteers told us they enjoyed meeting women, listening to their stories and supporting them on a journey. Volunteers believed they were helping these women and making a difference in improving their lifestyle. Many mentioned that it was a real privilege to work alongside the women they supported and helping them achieve their goals.
"It's been brilliant being part of the team and you actually feel quite privileged to part of the journey these women are on," explained Edinburgh-based Elaine. "They were at a time in their lives where lots was going on and it was nice to be able to provide support to them at that time."
The positive impact is widespread
Volunteers described feeling more confident, they had met new people, made friends, and gained new skills or built on existing skills. Many mentioned they felt they were giving something back while contributing to research on cancer prevention.
"Personally, it has reminded me of the skills I have. I feel I have been of help to these women. Feedback has been positive which encouraged me to continue to do what I was trained in by the ActWELL team," said Christine, a volunteer lifestyle coach in Dundee.
Notably though, the biggest benefit our volunteer coaches noted was the positive impact it had on their own health and wellbeing - particularly around being more active, their own drinking habits, and how these factors affect breast cancer risk.
Lifestyle coaches were asked how this has impacted their own health and wellbeing in a short survey 'Being A Lifestyle Coach and You’ which revealed:
- 83% felt more conscious about their own personal lifestyle habits
- 70% have made lifestyle changes to increase physical activity
- 42 % have made lifestyle changes around weight management
Thank you to our brilliant volunteers
To celebrate Volunteers Week 2019 this is an opportunity for us as an organisation to say thank you to the ActWELL volunteer lifestyle coaches for their fantastic contribution and ongoing commitment throughout the ActWELL trial.
Without the level of support, commitment and enthusiasm of each of them over the 2 years of the project, ActWELL would not be possible.
If you've been inspired by these stories, why not pursue some volunteering opportunities yourself? We have plenty of different ways you can get involved, and we're always grateful to those who help out.