23-year-old Flavia has been volunteering with the V Team for 18 months, she says: '

I began volunteering as I wanted to meet new people in my first year of university and also try something new. From working with children to working with older people and people with disabilities, it is a great way to give something back to the community."

Flavia won One Day Challenge Volunteer of the Year at the 2014 V Awards and says that volunteering has been key to building her confidence.

Volunteering helped to be gain more confidence in myself, and facilitating my own projects helped me to gain planning, management and leadership skills, something I was lacking before I started to volunteer."

My volunteering experience helped me to secure paid employment working in the library and I have also made lifelong friends. I would recommend to any new student to get involved in the V Team, it will change your life."