Who are you?
My name is Louise Merlet. I have been studying Law with French law since 2008. I have recently come back from my Erasmus year in Lyon, France. I am a volunteer at BookEnds and I am also involved in the committee as an ordinary member.
What do you do in your spare time?
In my spare time I volunteer in BookEnds, the second-hand bookshop based in the Students’ Association in the Butchart Centre on University Road.
What does that involve? –
Volunteering at BookEnds does not need to take up a lot of your spare time, a few hours a week will do. We sell books and 1/3 of the money goes to Students’ Charities Campaign who then gives the money to local charities. The money made does go to a good cause. All volunteers work as part of a team to keep the shop tidy, logs books into the database and are encouraged to talk about ideas they have , in order to help Bookends evolve and to push the society even further. Sub-committee meeting have also been set up in various sectors of BookEnds to help make it more efficient and which also allow volunteers to directly implement their ideas by getting more involved.
How did you find out about it?
My flatmate told me about it as she was a volunteer there last year. The opportunity is also on the Students’ Association website under the Volunteering section.
What do you think the benefits are?
Volunteering at BookEnds can definitely been one of the most rewarding past times at University. There are endless benefits to being part of the team which help Bookends work so well.
I started by volunteering once a week and then I was asked to sit in committee meetings. I very quickly became part of the team. Not only is it a great opportunity to meet new people, but you also get the chance to be involved in such a great organisation which directly helps local charities. Lets not forget it looks great on your CV! Being involved not only with Bookends but also with the sub-committees helps you to directly put forward your ideas and to make things happen.
An additional aim to volunteering with Bookends is the recognising which you can get for all the hours of hard work you have done. This can be achieved through the MV and/or the SA awards. Societies and especially Bookends really appreciated the hard work volunteers put in, in order to make it go further within the local community.
And finally: What’s your guilty pleasure?
To have a nap in the afternoons after lectures.