Jo’s been with Weave’s tutoring program for over three years.
Find out how it links to her passion for social justice.
Jo already had lots of life experience when she started volunteering at Weave.
“I grew up in Sydney, lived in Melbourne for a bit, and have done a fair amount of travelling including a lot of Europe and solo backpacking through Central America,” Jo says. “I have a sister and brother and I’m an aunt to the cutest 5 month year old, Jesse.”
Jo works in marketing for Lifeline: “I absolutely love it, and I am proud to be working for an organisation who helps thousands of Australians everyday through their darkest times.”
Despite her busy schedule, Jo wanted to find more ways to give back.
“I found Weave when I was living in Redfern,” she explains. “I had done volunteering before and I was missing that feeling of giving something back, and wanted to have a more meaningful use of my time.”
Since starting with Weave over three years ago, Jo has tutored three students, all under the age of seven.
“All three are so different,” she says. “The first I was paired with really kept me on my toes. She was full of energy, would walk into a room and chat to everyone and was honestly just so much fun to be around. She was a great negotiator though and we would always end our tutoring with one or two games of Uno.
“The second was a bit younger. She loved to read and the joy in her face when we sat down with a new book was priceless.
“The third was kind and caring. It took a while to build up her confidence but once she did, she was practicing her public speaking and really excelling. It was such a joy to see.”
Jo says her favourite thing about volunteering is seeing how excited the kids get for tutoring: “Seeing their confidence grow and playing games with so many new rules that I’ve never heard of before. Being able to give advice or just listen when there is a challenge they are facing at school or home makes you feel like you are making a difference.”
Jo thinks that volunteering is worthwhile for everyone: “Do it!” she says. “It truly is a rewarding experience and you’ll get way more out of it than you expect.”