Spotlight on Zoe

Zoe has been a guardian with us since the beginning of 2016. She has always gone above and beyond with her volunteering – continually exceeding the 16 hours per month that we ask of our guardians. This is how she describes her experience with Dot Dot Dot so far: 

Doing social work to help and support the community where I live is something I have always found very positive and fulfilling, particularly in such a large and hectic city like London, where it can often be very hard to feel connected to those around us.

Becoming a guardian for Dot Dot Dot was a decision strongly influenced by my desire to make more time in my life to do volunteering work for the community. I felt very inclined to become part of an organisation that encourages volunteering and community work. Guardianship also seems to have become one of the only affordable housing options for people in low incomes or working in industries where competition is hard or pay is uncertain or simply not enough for London’s increasingly high prices.

Thanks to Dot Dot Dot I can afford to sustain my career as an illustrator and printmaker, and do volunteering work for very interesting associations within the creative industries. I have been volunteering for almost a year for the House of Illustration, a very young museum in the heart of London, dedicated to illustration. I volunteer in a range of different roles for the House of Illustration, from gallery invigilation to shop assistant. The one I found most fulfilling has been volunteering as an arts workshop assistant for children with cognitive impairment – deafness or autism. There are
not many arts institutions in London that offer  BSL (British Sign Language) translated art workshops or gallery tours for people, particularly children, and it is highly important that museums start to offer to young people with cognitive difficulties  the opportunity to enjoy art and develop their creativity as children in mainstream education. It has been a beautiful experience for me to be part of such an important initiative, and I strongly encourage anyone interested to get involved.

Get involved

• If you’re interested in volunteering and becoming a guardian with Dot Dot Dot, apply here today
• Keep up to date with our news and our guardians’ volunteering experiences on Facebook and Twitter