Vol Spotlight18th November 2025
Hello, I’m Elsa – a 4th year medical student at the University of Birmingham.
I’ve been volunteering with StreetDoctors for three years now.
I first knew I wanted to become a StreetDoctor volunteer when I saw the Freshers Stall on my first day of university.
Having worked as a Youth Worker during my gap year, I was already passionate about youth empowerment and I knew I wanted to continue collaborating with young people for change – StreetDoctors was the perfect avenue to do exactly that.
Now in my 4th year of university, I have spent over 70 hours volunteering for StreetDoctors. In doing so I have had numerous invaluable experiences, such as presenting at the Joshua Ribera Awards event and attending the Team Leader Training days.
I have developed my confidence and various skills, including teamwork, leadership, teaching and youth engagement.
I have also connected with and gained real insight into my local communities in ways I hadn’t imagined I could do before uni. I am certainly a much more well-rounded person thanks to volunteering for StreetDoctors and the opportunity has contributed significantly to my portfolio as I continue to pursue a career in Paediatrics and Child Health.
Last month I got involved with community engagement projects in Solihull and Stoke On Trent.
In Solihull alone, we were able to interact with at least 50 young people as well as parents, grandparents and local stakeholders; delivering bitesize sessions on ‘what to do if someone is bleeding or knocked out’ whilst also spreading awareness about the charity and the work we are doing to address youth violence and knife crime.
I was pleasantly surprised by the level of interest and engagement from the public.
It’s a privilege to be able to share my medical knowledge with others.