In this post, we hear from Jess Vant on her first impressions of Green Aspirations and how she hopes to help our social enterprise grow into a bigger community. Jess has helped us out on volunteering days, including for the duration of the Great Scottish Spoon Hoolie 2019. She recently started working for Lucidity Solutions Ltd, where she completes pro-bono work in the form of communications and administration.
I was first introduced to Green Aspirations just over a year ago when Paul was running a taster session at the Engine Shed in Stirling. I then met GA again when they ran some workshops at a conference I was on the organising team for. The opportunity to get away from the business of the event and whittle my tension away was a breath of fresh air and I’ve been hooked ever since!
One of my favourite aspects of Green Aspirations is the community that has grown from its activities and how this CIC continues to support that. Through volunteering days, monthly drop-in sessions and the Hoolie, Paul and team continually give the opportunity for wood carvers and nature-loving souls alike to meet together like one big family. This isn’t just about us adults though. They also run a kids holiday club every school holiday which is an awesome way to get kids outdoors and make new friends outside of school. I think this is an amazing avenue of learning for children and something that more wee ones should be exposed to.
I find it inspiring to see communities grow and I hope to be able to do my part in that for Green Aspirations. I’m currently working on developing the main website and optimising the social media profiles to gain more reach and engagement, which will lead to more folk joining us from further afield. I loved meeting trainers and attendees from across the world at the last Hoolie and I hope to see more of that coming soon in Green Aspirations’s other activities.