"I was volunteering as a youth worker at the Greenhill on a Monday and Tuesday, and one of the other youth workers said that Iyaah wanted to come and speak to us about the Active Citizens. She came along and told us about the programme and CTDU and 3 of us were interested in getting involved.
Our first session was in Stirling, at the Raploch centre. There were about 12 people from all over the Forth Valley and over the next few months we learned all about each other and the groups that we were all involved with. We went to a different area each week - we met in all the places that the students came from - so all over Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk. We went to Bonnybridge as well, where I come from. Whichever area we went to an active citizen booked the premises, and we took turns buying and preparing the lunches. Because we were learning about active citizenship Iyaah wanted us all to learn that we could organise our own public meetings - so that was why we booked the hall, organised the food.
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I remember the reporting back at the end of the programme when we had to speak in front of about 50 people. First we introduced another of the group and then we said what we'd learned in the programme. I don't know what part of me was shaking most - I was terrified! "Just take a deep, deep breath and it'll be fine" Iyaah said. We'd learned about breathing exercises and practiced speaking in our group - but this was a bit more than I'd expected. On the computer day, we learned how to send emails and turn a computer on. We set up email addresses for ourselves and emailed our MSPs. I didn't even want to touch the computer! Since we've moved to Bothkennar, and got our own premises I do most of the food for CTDU events and for all the events at Bothkennar. I did the AGM last year as well, which saved CTDU a lot of money. I keep a record of all the income and expenses for the events for the books and also so that if I can't do the food they'd know what to buy. I enjoy doing the food, and CTDU asked me if I wanted to go and get my food hygiene certificate at the college so I've that got that now too. |
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I like making banners the most - it's second nature now, I help people cut out their shapes and then stick them onto the banner with the bondaweb and the iron. I like working with Jan and with Iyaah to help other groups to make their banners. I've done a few now, the women's banner with Elaine, the CTDU banner, the Jubilee Scotland, the young people's homeless banner, the young people's banner at Aberfoyle for the youth congress, CTDU's G8 banner, the banner for the opening of the Scottish Parliament. The banana banner is my favourite. I like the work in the garden too - making the willow windbreak was the best, and I enjoy planting in the beds sleepers, keeping the garden tidy and cutting back things when they need it. I come in once a week and volunteer apart from coming to all the student association events, I Iook after the birds, filling up their nuts and their water. And I do office jobs now too, like photocopying, and sending out mailings to the students and the management committee. Coming to CTDU has given me more confidence, it's not so hard to make a speech. At the student association I've learned about poverty around the world and I took part in the Make Poverty History march. I've learned that everyone's equal; it's just like a big family coming to CTDU, everyone's friendly. I'd be lost without CTDU." |
