Featured Volunteer!!

Alex Green, Volunteer Coordinator, spoke to Vix Brown, who has been named our May Featured Volunteer.

Vix started volunteering with TBODAN in April 2022 after seeing a post on facebook. Vix has done all sorts of jobs such as bar work, shop work, reception work…everything! But her background is in creative writing. Vix left school at 16 and studied fashion for two years, then took a gap year. She went on to do childcare for two years, which led her into a teaching degree at Winchester University “I’d started out on a teaching degree but switched to creative writing and I’m so glad I did as it was so much fun! When I graduated I didn’t know what to do so I worked abroad for six months on a campsite in France and when I came back my parents had moved to Bridport.” Vix hadn’t intended to stay here but she soon met her partner, Lloyd, and made friends and ended up staying “I’m still here 10 years later and I love it! I can’t imagine being anywhere else”

Since she started at TBODAN, Vix has volunteered for several of our primary school storymaking workshops and also three of our longer term projects with secondary schools. 

“My favourite thing is that I learn so much! At the moment I am involved with the Colfox Film Campaign and Beaminster School anthology workshops and I find it fascinating that, as much as the kids are learning, I am learning from them.” 

The film campaign project has given the young people of Colfox School the opportunity to make a film about a cause they are passionate about which has included; Racism. What is normal? Does gaming take over your life? And climate change. “There’s a couple of girls in my group who have chosen to do a film about the Willow project, which is about climate change, and I hadn’t heard of it. To look at them you wouldn’t think they had so much knowledge on a subject like that but they wowed me!”

When she first started volunteering Vix thought she would only want to work with the younger, primary age children but she soon found her feet with the secondary groups. “I thought I’d find them quite intimidating but I don’t , they’re really nice once you get in there. I like the long projects because you get to really know the children and I feel like they’re my little group now. They’re all so different and you feel like they’re getting some good out of it but you’re not pushing it down their throat. You’re someone there to help if they need it but also you can just listen. I say I’m not here as a teacher and I’m not going to tell you off, just say what’s on your mind and we’ll go with it.”

A highlight for Vix was realising the value of the longer term projects and how rewarding they can be. “I’d avoided them at first and just did the primary workshops but I signed up to help with the last two weeks of the Budmouth Academy ‘Guide To Weymouth’ workshops as they were two volunteers down. As soon as I saw the relationships everyone had built up over those 10 weeks I thought I want to be part of that! That was a changing point for me.” 

For Vix, it’s seeing the children have the freedom to write what they want which makes a difference “I love that they can just be free and write. I definitely would’ve liked to do something like that when I was at school, it just wasn’t an option. It’s individual, it’s their ideas, sometimes they even feel like they're being a bit naughty and pushing the limits but they can! If I want to write a story about a tree that talks with 10 legs, then why not? It’s about them, not us, and I think that’s really unique.”

When Vix isn’t volunteering you will find her reading or buying plants. She loves to move furniture around and make her home lovely. She also loves art and has some pieces she’s hoping to launch very soon. Vix has a 5 year old son, William, who she has been able to be at home for since he was born “I spend most of my time with Will, playing, which I love. I had planned to go back to work but now I have number two due in October so I get to carry that on for a bit longer, which I think is my favourite job.”

And what would Vix say to anyone thinking of volunteering at TBODAN? “Just go for it! Because there’s nothing to be nervous about. You’re not being judged on it, you’re just doing something nice and something fun. Volunteering-wise it’s very rewarding and it doesn’t take much, a couple of hours out of your day and you get the books at the end of it and think, "I was there for that!”

So, our final burning question…..if it was your last day on earth and you could have one superpower what would it be and where would you go? “I’d probably want to spend it at the beach, I love the beach, with the people I love, my family. I’d probably want my super power to be to fly, just to experience it, just once. When I was a kid, if people asked that question, flying would always be my answer. I still have flying dreams! I think it would be wicked to see everything from above and then VROOM, swoop in!….”

Thanks so much Vix for meeting with me today and for being such a dedicated and valued volunteer! We are super grateful for all the hard work our volunteers do and we could not do this without them. 

If you are interested in volunteering with The Bank of Dreams and Nightmares, please visit www.thebankofdreamsandnightmares.org or email alex@thebankofdreamsandnightmares.org