Lauren's Story
29.10.2024
"The more I learned about the services Crisis offered, the more I wanted to get involved... Each role I took on has taught me valuable lessons and contributed to my development."
From a Crisis Volunteer to a Learning Content Officer within the Learning and Development team, Lauren details what her career journey has been like at Crisis so far.
"Before joining Crisis 8 years ago, I worked in a pub just around the corner from Crisis Skylight London. This is where I began to see how prevalent homelessness was in the community first hand. I met many people experiencing homelessness, and I often found myself trying to point them toward local support services. It was during this time that I became aware of Crisis and its work. The more I learned about the services they offered, the more I wanted to get involved, so I began volunteering at the front desk.
As a front desk volunteer, I would support with greeting visitors, answering queries, and guiding people to the support services they needed. This role gave me invaluable insight into the work of the charity, particularly the importance of the work done by Client Services. This experience also gave me an appreciation of the complexity of homelessness and the how different it can look from person to person.
After a year of volunteering, my manager let me know of vacancy coming up in one of the new retail spaces. As I had a background in customer service and hospitality, she encouraged me to apply.
I jumped at the opportunity to work for the organisation and began my role as Assistant Shop Manger at the Archway store, which we set up and got ready for trading. Working in the shops required a wide range of skills. I learned to oversee daily operations, process donations and raise funds for the charity. It was a fast-paced and rewarding role, and one of the highlights for me was working with the team of volunteers.
After moving to the Finsbury Park store - our busiest shop and an excellent place to learn and gain more experience - I then progressed to a Shop Manager at the Islington shop. I went on to open and manage two shops in my time with the retail team and learned a lot about leadership and working with local communities.
After taking part in various training opportunities as a Shop Manager, this eventually led me to the charity’s learning and development team, where I transitioned into the role of L&D Coordinator and then to Learning Content Officer. In this new role, my focus has shifted to creating training materials, learning experiences and general learning and development support for staff.
Each role I took on at Crisis has taught me valuable lessons and contributed to my development. There are such varied roles across the different departments and I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had."