A Year of Growing Together: Elisa’s Journey as a Volunteer Co-Worker at Sturts
When Elisa arrived at Sturts Community Trust twelve months ago, she was stepping into far more than a new role.
She had travelled from Germany to spend a year with us as a volunteer co-worker. A new country, a different language, unfamiliar people and a completely different rhythm of living and working all lay ahead of her.
What followed was a year of learning, friendship, challenge and growth — not only for Elisa, but for the people she has lived and worked alongside.
Arriving Somewhere New
Starting life in a new community can be daunting.
For Elisa, those first weeks meant finding her feet, building confidence with English and beginning to understand what life-sharing at Sturts really means.
Over time, the unfamiliar became familiar. Faces became friends. Daily routines became shared experiences. And Elisa began to find her own place within our community.
Her confidence grew, but perhaps more importantly, so did the relationships around her.
More Than Volunteering
Being a volunteer co-worker at Sturts isn't simply about coming somewhere to volunteer for a year.
It is about sharing everyday life with people.
Our co-workers live and work alongside the people we support, becoming part of a community where everyone brings something different.
For Elisa, that has meant celebrating good days together, being present through more difficult ones, sharing meals and conversations, working side by side and recognising that support is rarely only one-way.
As Elisa describes it, the people she supports also give something back — friendship, encouragement, laughter and a different way of seeing the world.
That reciprocity is an important part of life at Sturts.
Elisa supporting a member of our team to develop barista skills.
Learning Through Doing at Gullivers & Sturts
Much of Elisa's working week has been spent at Gullivers Farm Shop & Kitchen, where meaningful work provides opportunities for the people we support to develop practical skills, confidence and greater independence.
For Elisa, teaching has often happened through the ordinary moments of a working day.
Rather than simply completing a job herself, she has learned to slow things down, break tasks into achievable steps and give someone the time and encouragement they need to succeed.
One relationship that demonstrates this beautifully is the one Elisa has developed with James.
One Coffee at a Time
Making a coffee might seem like a small everyday task. But when somebody is learning a new skill, those small tasks can represent something much bigger. Elisa worked patiently alongside James as he learned how to make coffees in the Farm Shop. They started with individual parts of the process — first making the espresso, then learning to steam the milk, before gradually bringing everything together.
There was no rush. With repetition, encouragement and the opportunity to keep trying, James became increasingly confident.
Today, he can complete much more of the process independently and proudly carry the coffees he has made out to customers. That moment represents exactly why meaningful work matters.
It isn't simply about making the coffee. It is about having somebody believe that you can learn, being given the opportunity to practise and experiencing the pride that comes from saying: I did that myself.
Growing Alongside One Another
One of the special things about our volunteer co-worker pathway is that growth happens in both directions. The people we support develop skills and confidence, but our co-workers are learning too.
They learn patience. They learn to communicate differently. They discover that progress looks different for every person. They learn when to help and, equally importantly, when to give somebody the space to try for themselves.
And somewhere amongst all of those everyday experiences, they often discover something new about themselves. For Elisa, twelve months at Sturts has meant becoming more confident, building meaningful relationships and experiencing what it means to belong to a community very different from the one she left in Germany.
Finding Joy in Everyday Work
Reflecting on her time at Gullivers - Sturts Community Trust, Elisa said:
“At the Farm Shop, I never get bored because there is always something to do. I especially enjoy completing jobs together with companions. Sometimes it takes a little convincing, but in the end, they are proud of themselves.”
There is something important within that simple reflection. Meaningful support isn't always about doing extraordinary things. Sometimes it is making a coffee together. Preparing food. Completing a job in the Farm Shop. Having a conversation. Encouraging somebody to try once more. Sharing a laugh when something doesn't quite go to plan.
It is the accumulation of those ordinary moments that creates relationships, confidence and belonging.
Thank You, Elisa 🧡
As Elisa reaches the end of her twelve months with us, we want to say a heartfelt thank you. Thank you for the patience you have shown, for the skills you have shared and for the encouragement you have given to the people we support. But most of all, thank you for becoming part of our community.
Elisa arrived from Germany twelve months ago not knowing quite what the year ahead would bring. She leaves having made friendships, shared experiences and memories that will remain long after her time as a volunteer co-worker comes to an end.
And that is perhaps the best way to describe life as a co-worker at Sturts:
You arrive expecting to give a year of your time. You may leave discovering just how much that year has given you in return.
Could a year at Sturts be part of your story?
Each year, volunteer co-workers from the UK and around the world come to Sturts Community Trust to live, learn and work alongside the people we support.
It is an opportunity to experience community life, connect with people and nature, develop new skills and discover what can happen when people with different experiences and abilities share everyday life together.
If you are considering taking a year to do something meaningful, we would love you to discover more about becoming a volunteer co-worker at Sturts Community Trust. For more information, please email: office@sturtsfarm.com.