Volunteers Week: Meet Anna
It’s Volunteers Week! We recently spoke to Anna, one of our new volunteers in our TALKWORKS service, who shared more about why she chose to apply to become a TALKWORKS volunteer. Read what she had to say below.
A bit about me
My name is Anna and I live in Tiverton. I work locally as a Chartered Linguist and interpreter within NHS settings and have recently completed my MSc at King’s College London in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health. My journey to Devon was a profound life change as I arrived here under the Homes for Ukraine scheme in 2022 with my mum and two children. Navigating life in a new country while processing a forced displacement due to an ongoing war in Ukraine was and still remains an immense challenge. That is why I deeply appreciate the high-intensity therapy support I received through TALKWORKS service.
When I first arrived, my early work in 2023-2024 alongside brilliant local organizations like CHAT and Navigate Charity showed me how connected our housing, financial and emotional wellbeing truly are. While I still help displaced families independently, I am also proud to serve on the advisory board for Sustainable Tiverton youth project (SASSY) since it was launched. This role has given me a deep understanding of the unique challenges, isolation, and anxiety faced by our local young people (ages 18-25) in rural Mid Devon. Today, I am truly excited and privileged to be starting my new chapter with TALKWORKS this time, as a volunteer.
Why I applied to be a TALKWORKS volunteer
Walking the path of recovery as a TALKWORKS patient has inspired me to bring my dual background as a professional linguist and mental health graduate back to the service, turning my personal story into a tool to help open doors for others. Everything I have built over the last four years would have been completely impossible without the incredible support and kindness of the many amazing people I have met in Devon. Including passing my driving test after learning to drive from scratch. I have to mention this, as it looked like the whole county was celebrating this milestone achievement with me. Our local communities welcomed my family with so much warmth, and I feel strongly about contributing to the wellbeing of local people in return. Volunteering is my way of helping to shape an inclusive, compassionate health service that supports everyone. And again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported our families here in Devon.
What I hope to achieve
I have recently been invited to join TALKWORKS Volunteer Steering Group to help represent our local areas, including Exeter, East Devon and Mid Devon. This is an incredible opportunity to support our team, which I am truly grateful for. My main goal for this year is to act as a dedicated bridge - combining my background with the invaluable, frontline experiences of both newly appointed volunteers like myself and our long-standing volunteer community. By working together, I hope to ensure our collective volunteer voice directly contributes to service delivery. My aspiration is also to help building stronger links between community assets and mental healthcare, making talking therapies even more accessible for both culturally diverse populations and isolated young adults across our regions.