Meet the Ambassador: Gordon Foot
For International Volunteer Day 2022, we asked Gordon a series of questions about his volunteering experience with the Inspiring the Future - Maritime Programme. Gordon is a fantastic ambassador for the Maritime Sector in his time ashore!
Which activities have you taken part in?
Pre-pandemic I used to enter schools and present on careers, engineering, environmental programs and motivational speaking. I also provided presentations on STEM subjects and women in the maritime. I also do this for professional institutes. Since 2020 I have been able to continue this work as an ambassador for Maritime UK via Education & Employers and the ‘Inspiring the Future’ program. This enables me to enter schools virtually, sometimes multiple classrooms and multiple schools simultaneously. I have taken part in specific regional careers fairs, motivational presentations (how did I get where I am from humble beginnings etc), ‘what’s my line’ where children and young adults try to guess your job and speed networking. I have also had the pleasure of presenting to young ladies at a faith school as they prepared to enter the world of work.
Why did you decide to take part in those activities?
The schools usually decide on their choice of activity, sometimes they take the advice of the Inspiring the Future assistants so that it suits the audience’s age range. I have presented to all age ranges within schools. Irrespective of age it provides me with the opportunity to ‘tell my story’, broaden horizons beyond their local regional influences, break down stereotypes, present the maritime and engineering as a cool career for all and motivate the children to consider the concepts of lifelong learning.
How did you prepare?
I created a short storyboard (who am I and what do I do) and a short video clip of me at work. These can be used at all events but I leave it to the school teachers to decide how they wish to present me and then most often it is just me inspiring the children and young adults. With previous volunteering I have completed a Police disclosure and barring (DBS) check and completed training in adult and child Level 2 safeguarding so my knowledge of appropriate interaction with children was already matured. When you sign up as a volunteer for Inspiring the Future though they provide a user-friendly application process and website plus lots of video training. It obviously helps a bit if you have some previous experience in speaking to an audience and that you are passionate about your subject. You can also access dates when established volunteers provide hints and tips so you need never be unsettled by starting out presenting for the first time.
What was the best part about the activity for you?
Volunteering by giving back to the community and inspiring young people is extremely rewarding. I entered the world of work from a challenging childhood and an uninspiring time at school. I can talk from the lived experience and inspire others to believe in themselves and that there are many routes into exciting careers. Many children rely on parents and teachers as their guide to employment. Having volunteers from a very wide range of exciting disciplines augments this and opens their eyes to possibilities they may never have considered and what best interests them.
What was the strangest/funniest/best question you were asked?
I used to be employed in submarines and children always ask what it is like to look out the windows. That’s always a great icebreaker into a discussion on physics and engineering structures. Every session I attend I invariably get asked how much I earn and I always respond with ‘more than the headmaster’ and that gets them laughing and thinking more in-depth regarding salaries. This also opens up discussions on work-life balance, the pros and cons of working away as a seafarer and that job satisfaction invariably trumps salary.
What is a key piece of advice you gave?
I always end a session by offering key advice. Education is very important so I impress upon them to listen to their teachers, immerse themselves in the lessons and always try their best. I also explain how we all learn in different ways and sometimes at different stages in our lives so for those that find academic work a challenge that’s not to say you can’t re-engage with learning at any later stage in your lives.
What impact do you think you’ve made on the lives of young people you spoke with?
I have received some delightful ‘thank you’ cards and emails from teachers and their students. For some teachers, they are learning for the first time about the wide range of careers, especially within the maritime. The impact that I make is broadening horizons, explaining how you can strive to be anything you wish to be in life and the children are always buzzing because I have planted that little seed of desire, hope and ambition in life.