Our Volunteers

OUR VOLUNTEERS, THE ESSENCE OF CHOOSE LIFE

The Choose Life Project has more than six hundred volunteers, many of whom have been with us for over ten years. Each of them is a former recovered addict, with a unique and powerful story to tell, and they are all at the very heart of the project. Their experiences inspire and empower others to walk a path that leads away from substance abuse, and their shared stories are the essence of Choose Life.

Many of them spent years trapped in a cycle of addiction, which often led to a life of crime. A lot went through the care system, with some of the women having worked in the sex industry. The content of their personal life testimonies cannot be underestimated as a tool for people to empathise and understand the diverse issues related to drug use.
In the time that our volunteers have been with us we have never seen someone give up drugs and carry on committing crime, although we have witnessed them relapse and start offending. It has always been the case that once the crime stops so do the drugs, and once they are free of addiction they often want to give something back to the community.
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Choose Life Project allows people to give back!

each and every one of our volunteers has been fantastic. Here are some of their comments:

“Being involved with the Choose Life Project has been a great experience. Telling my life story to large groups of people, including students and new police recruits, has really boosted my confidence. As volunteers, we always get positive feedback from the audience, which lets us know we’re doing something worthwhile”.
“It has improved my confidence and self-esteem and has made me think about my life and the decisions I made. Choose Life has definitely been a positive in my life and I would encourage any Education Establishment to book in Choose Life and any person in recovery from Drugs and Alcohol to apply to volunteer”.
“I have volunteered for Choose Life on many occasions. Why I do it is so that young people can hear first-hand what the horror on life addicted to Class A drugs is like and will hopefully educate them not to go down that route. I also get so much from this Project”.
“Everyone’s story is different. For me, drugs and alcohol became a part of my life as I struggled with being transgender. I’ve never spoken about it so publicly before, and it helps to know that people don’t judge me as harshly as I used to judge myself”.
“Steve is brilliant to work with, as friendly and supportive a person as you could meet. He’s even encouraged me to get back into education.
Thank you to Steve and all the volunteers I’ve worked with on Choose Life!”
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