Volunteer Series: Growing Together

This new series on Fearless volunteers gives writers, artists and partner organisations an opportunity to share why they choose to work with us. Most often, we know people want to be part of Fearless to pay forward support that made all the difference to them during a time of mental health challenge. The knowledge that a simple act of sharing powerfully breaks down the stigma positioning people in dangerous isolation and reducing our connections to one another is a beautiful, essential thing.

The increase in progressive social enterprises like Fearless Femme – businesses prioritising social change instead of profit – is expanding volunteering opportunities so people can increasingly align values, passions and work. So what do we know for sure about volunteering? Well, we know volunteering in a sector you want to work in puts important experience on CVs and builds confidence with entering the workforce as a young person or a returner. We also know through scientific research that altruism actually increases happiness, so volunteering with the specific aim of helping others benefits our own wellbeing too. As the UK’s Mental Health Foundation charity so aptly puts it, ‘doing good does you good’.

Social influencer, blogger and writer Charlotte Underwood spells out the bottom line for so many people who choose to volunteer, ‘I want to make a difference in the world – to write about mental health so that I and other people suffer less.’ We couldn’t be prouder to feature Charlotte’s work as part of our content – she’s an excellent ambassador for young people, living authentically and being an active part of replacing unhelpful stigmas around mental health with empathy. 

“I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I used to write short stories on long car journeys, create song lyrics whilst lying on my trampoline outdoors and doing daily diary logs before bed. I’ve always been a creative spirit and I found tranquility in imprinting the words into the paper. Writing for Fearless Femme was the start of a new chapter in my writing journey, they gave me the building blocks to not only grow my skill in writing but to build my confidence in talking about mental health. I feel that this journey has given me so much strength and passion, all of which started with a submission to Fearless Femme.”

“I’ve now had three pieces published with Fearless Femme, two essays and a poem, and they all touch on my personal experiences. All three have also received lovely feedback from not only the Fearless Femme team but also their wider community of readers, writers and creatives, many of whom have connected with me to tell me my work meant something to them or helped them feel more confident about their own creativity. I’ve written about special memories, exam stress and the catharsis of creating writing to move difficult thoughts along and the team at Fearless have been supportive and encouraging throughout it all.”

“I want to make a difference in the world – to write about mental health so that I and other people suffer less”

“I want to make a difference in the world – to write about mental health so that I and other people suffer less. Writing has been so therapeutic for me, it helps me to feel like a weight’s been lifted and I have more room to be myself. I encourage everyone feeling like they’re struggling to find a creative outlet as part of self-care and awareness.”