VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
Photo by Eddy Pearce
Janis Lane caught up with Amberley Carter after the Bridport-based teacher was named Volunteer of the Month for The Bank of Dreams & Nightmares
After working closely with Amberley Carter for much of the past year, it felt rather odd to turn up on her doorstep to interview her as The Bank of Dreams & Nightmares’ first Volunteer of the Month. Still, there are far worse things to do than conduct an interview-cum-conversation with Amberley at the kitchen table of her lovely Bridport home.
Amberley has tirelessly supported our first academic year of school workshops and been integral to the unique small group writing mentoring we bring to all sessions. Frankly, some kind of recognition was long overdue, so it was good to revisit Amberley’s path to our volunteer network. As Bridport people will attest, everyone knows everyone in town, so it was inevitable that Amberley was involved at discussion level from the inception of the TBODAN, founded by Nick Goldsmith in April 2021.
“When Nick told me about it, it ticked just about every box. After working in education for 30 years and seeing fun, creativity, and ownership squeezed out of the classroom, the charity offered exactly that.”
Amberley continues to teach English language and literature at all levels and believes this also helps her in her role as a writing mentor.
“I know the nuts and bolts of that side of things, as well as a sense of the written word. What I love is that the children are transported out of the classroom into the world of infinite possibilities. That freedom to be creative is so important.”
Well, no arguments here on that score. And Amberley certainly does have a real affinity with what’s needed as a writing mentor for the charity.
“The ownership afforded to the children totally transforms the process AND the outcome,” she says, “and mentoring is all about facilitating that experience.”
TBODAN strives to enrich children ages 7-18, to celebrate and elevate their creative writing. Our mandate is to support under-resourced and ‘disadvantaged’ young people. Amberley is well placed to understand this ethos, perhaps more than most.
“Having grown up with a mentally disabled sibling, it’s about working with what you’ve got and making the most of it, rather than it being about what you can’t do. Nudging, coaxing, encouraging, inspiring…my whole childhood was taking on that role for my brother and all my job references say I’m a ‘compassionate encourager’,” she explained.
Moving onto specifics, I asked Amberley what she enjoyed about the Primary Storymaking workshops we offer, which result in a published, illustrated tale and a class of published authors in one morning. She laughed.
“I like the fact that the kids are free to be as bonkers as they want. No self-assessment, peer assessment, teacher assessment. They are enthusiastic and invested because they have ownership and not dancing to someone else’s tune. They get to experiment but also problem-solve by making a story work collaboratively.”
The secondary school projects are a more sustained commitment, not only from the pupils but also from the writing mentors who volunteer as TBODAN’s preferred MO is to have a continuity of mentor for each small group. Amberley understands the benefits that this provides and is a real advocate for the small group support we offer, which is a luxury that regular classrooms don’t have.
“You build trust with them [the children] over several weeks and establish a rapport. The accessibility and cumulative design of tasks means the kids - almost unconsciously - create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is really enriching to work with an adolescent; they are fragile, but when you spot something in them and nurture it and bring that out, it’s lovely.”
No doubt then, of the rewarding nature of the mentoring experience. But what about the practicalities of the volunteering experience as a whole?
“The flexibility of signing up via the Volunteero app means you can run your own schedule and sign up as and when – whether it’s for a one-off workshop and/or a longer commitment to a project.”
So, how did Amberley feel about receiving this inaugural award from TBODAN?
“Chuffed to bits! Also, a bit like employee of the week at a D.I.Y. store – in the nicest possible way. And hopefully it’ll inspire others to join the volunteer team – a lovely bunch of varied and interesting people.”
With that in mind, I asked Amberley – annoyingly I’m sure – to summarise her experience thus far. After a bit of head scratching, she came up trumps.
“Fun. Stimulating. Rewarding. Empowering.”
She said it. Thanks, Amberley.
Janis Lane is Creative Learning Manager at The Bank of Dreams & Nightmares
If you’re interested in finding out more about mentoring with The Bank of Dreams & Nightmares, please contact our volunteer co-ordinator Alex Green at alex@thebankofdreamsandnightmares.org