Case Study – Nathan Shearman
Q: Why did you choose to volunteer with NACRO?
As a Forensic Psychology student who wants to work with offenders I chose to volunteer for NACRO because it was one of very few projects in the area that provided experience (and a great opportunity) for undergraduate students of directly working with offenders. Also, the Volun-tees team were very helpful and it was encouraging to know that I had their support and in depth knowledge in deciding which volunteer project would best suit me.
Q: Could you describe a typical day on your project?
A typical session for me was arriving at Kirklevington Prison, an open prison, and discussing with my mentee how best to meet the aims and goals that we had set out at the beginning of the mentor-mentee relationship. As well as this, when we had implemented plans, we discussed how effective the plans had been in contributing towards the aims and goals we had wanted to achieve. In addition, although we wanted to achieve set targets, some sessions had time spent discussing how my mentee was and what other activities he had been up to. The reason for this was to ensure that no other factors were hindering our intended goals, also the offender is still human and a chat from time to time benefits everyone, including him! The sessions on average lasted an hour and a half, twice monthly.
Q: What have you learnt through volunteering?
I have learnt many skills whilst volunteering, including improving and developing my organisational, communication and interpersonal skills with people and more specifically offenders. Furthermore, although I thoroughly enjoyed the volunteering project, in collaboration with my studies I have concluded that a prison setting is not for me. I would prefer a more mental health route, working with mentally disordered offenders. This is not a negative on NACRO, because without the experience I would not have developed a more detailed knowledge of where I would like my career to go.
Q: What did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed the friendly volunteer co-ordinator Liz and Volun-tees co-ordinator Jayne, chatting to other mentors and sharing experiences (without breaking confidentiality rules!), but above all I’ve enjoyed gaining direct experience with offenders. The theory I studied about an individual (the offender) was put into practice and opened my eyes.
Q: Do you have any tips for future volunteers?
You do not always have to know what you want from the experience and you don’t always have to have a career path set in stone as a determinant of the project you decide to volunteer for. However, you must be flexible, committed and willing to do a good job. This isn’t a big ask and will benefit you completely in the short and long term!
Q: If you could give one piece of advice for a new volunteer, what would it be?
A final tip would be to enjoy volunteering! As much as you can shape your experience, it might be great to let it shape you too, as it has done with my career choice!
Q: What are your future plans?
I have no doubt in my mind that my voluntary experience has benefited me. I’m due to finish a Masters degree in Forensic Psychology. This was possible with the application enhancing NACRO experience. Then like a domino affect the Masters degree has lead to a full time job offer in the NHS, working with mentally disordered offenders! Thank you NACRO and Volun-tees!