Volunteers’ Week from 1-7 June gives us a chance to say thank you and recognise volunteers on the front line and behind the scenes.
On day two of Volunteers week Stephen shares his experience of volunteering as a Community Triathlon Activator.
Stephen Taylor - Community Triathlon Activator
"I had been helping lead our club’s Sunday rides for quite a few years, in an informal capacity, and more recently took on the club's Cycling Coordinator role. When our Head Coach, Kate Offord, brought the Tri Activator course to my attention it seemed like a good opportunity to learn a thing or two that would help me be a better facilitator.
The course itself was useful and discussing experiences with others was interesting, so I did learn a few things. In particular, it encouraged me to step up on the interpersonal side of things; for example, I now make much more of an effort to introduce myself to newcomers.
I guess my style is more to try to lead by example and to try to pass on information more informally, by osmosis, rather than active recruitment. Bike rides are great for this, you get to spend time talking about these kinds of things, both on the ride and in the cafe after!
I think you can summarise the role as facilitating group activities in a constructive and inclusive manner so that people want to come back and take part again. Under that umbrella you can imagine a variety of tasks, for example leading informal group rides and runs, or helping coaches deliver their training sessions.
Since becoming an activator I have signed up for a Level One coaching course, so maybe being a Tri Activator is just the start."
Thank you Stephen for all you do for our sport!
As everybody within sport knows, the help given by volunteers is invaluable. Take a look at our Volunteers and Technical Officials pages where you can find out more about how to get involved in volunteering and the responsibilities of your role, keep up to date with any important issues concerning volunteers and hear about any new initiatives of which you should be aware.
