Volunteer Highlight: Rayyah Sempala
How and why did you first get involved with the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC)?
I have always followed JHC and loved the mission of the organization. When I saw that they put out a call out for volunteers I had just completed most of my undergraduate classes so I decided I would volunteer with the extra time I had on my hands. I reached out and filled out the volunteer form with the areas I was interested in and shortly after someone contacted me with some tasks that I could help with primarily research assistance and administrative support.
How long have you been a volunteer with JHC?
One year.
Can you describe some of the activities you do as a volunteer?
So I’ve been volunteering with JHC for about a year now and my activities have been varied although I’ve focused primarily on the research and admin support side. I did some work on researching cases of discrimination within the justice systems, creating notes on important workshops showcasing gender diversity and most recently digitizing some workshop material notes as well as artwork, like collages, created by various program participants.
What has surprised you the most about this role?
What surprised me the most was how dedicated everyone is and how emotional I got when volunteering.
What is it like to volunteer with JHC as a whole?
It is very eye opening, very immersive and fulfilling as the work is very human and very close to the heart. The work done at JHC represents a future outlook on a society that is socially equitable and I am happy to be a part of contributing to that. It also can mean consistently learning about new concepts and experiences and sometimes crying while you work.
Are there any learnings or challenges you have experienced through this work that you’d like to share?
The biggest learning I’ve taken is that community is very important to nurture, protect and love. I’ve learned that it is important for those of us with privilege in areas that others may not have to be proactive allies while centering the lived experiences of those most affected by an issue.
Thank you to all our volunteers for everything you to do to support the work of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights!
While we are not actively recruiting volunteers at this time, we work with several wonderful partners and local organizations that we are happy to refer folks to. You can also follow us on social media via our handle @jhcentre or sign up to receive our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on events and volunteer opportunities in the future.