The Story of Digital Voice: Sophie Nichol
Over the fifteen years the organisation has been in existence we’ve collected together a rather wonderful group of people who bring their skills and experience to our projects. Our freelance team is one of the aspects that make Digital Voice stand out from the crowd and as I’ve been writing this series, it’s fascinating to see the range of skills that these brilliant people bring to the table. Of course there’s a lot of digital skills but that’s not the whole story. I talked to Sophie Nichol about how she first got involved.
Sophie has a degree in biology and psychology and a diploma in secondary teaching. She was part of the education and engagement team with Groundwork and from there went on to study secondary teaching. From there she went on to pass her forest school qualification and has been building on that ever since.
I was curious as to what connected a forest school teacher to Digital Voice:
“I met Julie at the best toddler group in the north east! She made me feel welcomed and lifted my spirits when they were down. Julie asked me to assist a course with Jan and it all started there. I started out as a course assistant, running inTouch for Gateshead council. Since then I’ve assisted on a variety of DigitalMe courses, LifeBooks and other inTouch sessions, most recently with The Millin Charity.”
For Sophie it’s also being part of the team that she enjoys, which is always good to hear!
“I really enjoy the flexibility of working with Digital Voice. I’m able to fit sessions in where it suits me. I also feel valued and part of the Digital Voice team!”
And can she pick a favourite project?
“LifeBooks is always a favourite. Spending time reminiscing and listening to people’s stories is fantastic. I’ve learned a lot about my local area from the participants and picked up some funny stories. The presentation of a participant’s life book is always heartwarming and really lights people up. Seeing friends, family and carers learning new things about people they’re close to and reminiscing about good times.”
Sophie’s background as an educator makes her a key part of a team that seeks to improve people’s lives with projects and courses. The benefits aren’t limited to the participants. I asked Sophie what she gets from this sort of work:
“My career highlight is something that happens often. Educating, lighting people up, bringing people out of their shells and giving them confidence is what drives me and gives me that warm feeling.”
Thanks for being part of the Digital Voice family Sophie!
To read more about the programmes Sophie mentions, click here.