3rd September 2025
Hi everyone! My name is Dima, and I’m a medical student at UCL, going into my 4th year.
I joined StreetDoctors in my first year of medical school after discovering it at our freshers fair, with this upcoming year marking my fourth year as a volunteer. Growing up in London, I didn’t witness knife crime directly, but it was something that shaped the environment I was raised in. At school, we often heard stories of stabbings, sometimes in the station just next door, and safety was always a concern. It was clear our community was deeply affected, and even as a child, I understood how quickly a life could be taken away. As a medical student, I’ve since learned the simple but critical steps that can help save a life in those moments, so when I heard about StreetDoctors, a charity where I could share that knowledge, I knew I had to get involved.
The impact we as StreetDoctors Volunteers have on young people varies. It’s always so rewarding to see a group of young people grow in confidence, ready to save some lives as they eagerly thank us when we finish delivering a StreetDoctors session, however it’s so important to note that this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, after I deliver a session, the young person I taught doesn’t necessarily say they’re willing to run out and save a victim of knife crime and that’s still okay. It’s to be expected that not all young people will be comfortable doing this. The environment that they have grown up in really shapes their perspectives, and sometimes what we say in one session might not be enough to completely shift their opinions. If all they take away from the session is that the most important thing to do is call 999, then that is still a life that could potentially be saved, so its often this point that I reiterate in sessions. Furthermore, the quiet impact we have on young people attending our sessions is sometimes harder to see, but even just having a conversation where we show empathy and encouragement can make a big difference to them.
To some, we are simply instructors, but to others we are mentors and role models, in the position to inspire. I remember attending a session at a school in St Albans, where a teacher expressed how happy she was to see a hijabi Arab teaching her class. She explained that there was a lack of representation among the adults for the students to look up to, so having someone who reflected a different background showed them that diversity won’t hold them back from achieving anything they wanted. At another school in Stratford, after teaching the class, students were excitedly asking me about medicine and what they needed to do to follow in my footsteps, which I happily answered. Moments like these really remind me of the honour it is to be able to not only teach young people how to save a life but also inspire them to achieve their dreams as well.
Overall, StreetDoctors has shaped a huge part of my development as a teacher and future doctor, and I am so proud of our work. I’ve seen my understanding of first aid and anatomy improve alongside the teaching and communication skills that are essential when delivering sessions at schools and Youth Centers. Beyond that though, I’ve learnt how important it is that topics such as knife crime are approached with care and sensitivity, especially when working with the young vulnerable people that we have the privilege to teach. I am so grateful to be a part of the StreetDoctors team, and the impact we continue to have on each young person continues to drive me to be an avid volunteer.