Team spotlight: Our new Volunteer Recruitment Officer, Nisat!

We’re so happy to welcome our new Volunteer Recruitment Officer, Nisat, to the TKN team. This is a special one for us - Nisat comes to us with experience of being mentored herself, so she understands just how much of a positive impact our volunteers can make. 

Nisat shared her journey with us:

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I love working at TKN because of its mission to empower children and build their confidence during such an important stage in their lives. I especially enjoy the recruitment side of my role, interviewing candidates, which gives me the chance to have conversations with potential mentors and get to know why they want to volunteer!

I grew up in one of the most deprived boroughs of London, raised by parents who had emigrated to the UK in search of a better life. As newcomers to the country, my parents faced many challenges, as English wasn’t their first language, and they didn’t have access to higher education or the knowledge to navigate opportunities or take me to parks and do activities.

As a child, I always looked for someone to talk to about my future, school, and university, since I was the first generation in my family to get higher education. In primary school, I was lucky to have mentors who would come in, help me with my studies, and do fun activities with me.

Later, during college, I joined a mentoring programme called The Girls’ Network, which played a big role in helping me figure out my career path. When I started my first job as an apprentice at 19, I had a colleague who mentored me and helped me navigate through the world of work. This support provided me with the confidence and gave me the reassurance I needed.

Mentoring has always been a source of light for me during the most difficult times of my life, and I’m so grateful to now be working for a charity that gives children the same confidence and support that helped me when I needed it most.‍