The ripple effect: EY’s experiences of volunteering with StandOut
StandOut has been delighted to welcome five members of EY’s UK Consulting practice – Matt Watt, Maddie Cooper, Lucy Clist, Thea Macdonald and Tom Wainford, as volunteers on the StandOut programme.
Over the past six months, they have joined our volunteer groups in prison to support StandOut Trainees with CV sessions, mock interview workshops and celebrate their achievements at end of course graduations.
In this blog, they share why they were motivated to get involved, and their personal reflections on the StandOut programme.
We’re so thankful to EY for their ongoing support and look forward to collaborating further in the future. If you’re feeling inspired after reading this story and want to find out more about volunteering with StandOut, contact us at info@standout.org.uk.
We’re proud to support StandOut through our volunteering programme, EY Ripples. By volunteering in CV writing and mock interview workshops on the StandOut course, we’re seeking to create a positive impact beyond our own business, in wider society, and in the communities we operate in. Volunteering with StandOut is one of the ways in which EY Ripples is helping to support people and equip them with transferable skills for the future of work through a programme of mentoring, coaching and education.
EY colleagues with a group of volunteers supporting the StandOut course at HMP Pentonville.
Thank you to StandOut for providing us with an opportunity to volunteer our skills and experience in a well-run programme which has such a tangible and visible impact on people and society. It’s an incredibly rewarding way to use our volunteering time and has had a positive impact on us, as well the StandOut Trainees we worked with.
Our first volunteering experience was to support a mock interview workshop at HMP Wandsworth. The team were unsure what to expect, not least because we’d never been inside a prison before! But, as soon as we arrived, the StandOut coaches immediately put us at ease. Over the next four hours we conducted mock interviews with Trainees, getting to know them better and understand their motivations and concerns. It was undoubtedly one of the most humbling and inspiring afternoons we had ever experienced and was especially moving to see how the Trainees grew with confidence, putting into practice the skills and thinking learnt throughout the StandOut programme.
At the end of the session, we shared positive and constructive feedback with the Trainees. It was extremely touching to see how our feedback gave them a sense of empowerment. The Trainees were grateful for our time, and it was amazing to hear about the positive impact the StandOut programme has had on their lives, and how StandOut will continue to support them once they leave prison.
We were all particularly struck by the honest relationships between StandOut coaches and Trainees, and how well they know one another, including their individual hopes and aspirations. It was evident how these relationships, built on trust and encouragement, create a safe space which enables the programme to be so successful in preparing Trainees for life outside prison. It was a fantastic session for all involved, with interviewers and interviewees leaving the session beaming with enthusiasm.
Since we volunteered in July, a further six people from EY have volunteered at StandOut’s sessions in HMP Wandsworth and HMP Pentonville. In addition to holding mock interviews, they have worked one-to-one with Trainees in CV workshops. Through these, the Trainees have been left with CVs that articulate their experience, skillsets, and qualifications, and more importantly build confidence in how they will present themselves positively to employers.
Here are some of our team’s reflections:
“I came away empowered and humbled from the experience and I personally learnt a lot”
“We could really see the impact we had by giving some of our time to talk to individuals, but that impact was definitely reciprocal”
“I found it incredibly rewarding to spend one to one time with the Trainee and get to know their aspirations after prison. Hopefully I have helped in a small way towards them finding a job when they leave prison”
“The best thing about the experience was seeing the journey that the Trainees went on, from questioning whether they would have anything to write in a CV, to building confidence that they have something valuable to bring to the workplace”
“Fascinating experience which helped me put into perspective the work we do on employment for people leaving prison”
EY is looking forward to continuing to build on this relationship with StandOut. We strongly encourage other interested volunteers to find out more about the programme and to get involved.