Volunteer Spotlight on Mags Metcalf
Mags is one of Revive’s ESOL teachers and has been volunteering with us for 4 years now. Mags got involved with volunteering through her colleague Rita, who is also an ESOL teacher at Revive.
(ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. It’s aimed at non-native English speakers, looking to take up a new language or validate their skills.)
What was your background before volunteering at Revive?
I have been self-employed in the catering and hospitality industry and I have also done secretarial work. For many years I was an NVQ Assessor, Internal Examiner and Careers Advisor for a large training company. This involved training adult students (mainly those who have just left school) in Health and Safety, First Aid, and helping young people gain experience and confidence to find employment.
What are your hobbies and interests?
My main interest at the present time is walking with the Manchester and Salford Ramblers. I enjoy this very much and I am involved with the running of the group, walk programmes and social events.
What do you think the best things about Revive are?
The best thing about Revive Is how they engage with supporting refugees and asylum seekers, and the many ways they can help with not just the serious things like personal and legal issues, but also with the fun things too, like social groups and events, to successfully help refugees and asylum seekers become integrated into the community. We have introduced this into our ESOL programme by organising visits to local places so they can chat with each other and with us in a relaxed atmosphere. Revive has provided finance and support with this which allows us to do this effectively.
What are some of your Revive ‘best bits’?
Apart from making new friends with people at the drop-in centres, it has been the enthusiasm, progress and appreciation the students have shown when learning English.