Volunteering Work

My First Volunteering

The first time I volunteered for a good cause or a charity was in 1975. I had just returned from the USA, where I finished my training (Air Force pilots’ training) and discovered that my younger brother Behrouze was terminally ill with leukaemia, a malignant disease of the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs, which leads to anaemia and deficiency of blood cells. My family kept it from me while I was in the US, fearing that it could affect my training. Behrouze needed lots of blood transfusions to fight the vicious disease, but the newly formed Iranian Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS - formed in 1974) was not yet fully known and short of donors. That was when I became a campaigner for IBTS, distributing leaflets and encouraging my friends and colleagues to donate blood. Unfortunately, my brother died within just a few months, and I was sent to the Dezful Airbase (southwest of the country) to finish my training on the F-5 tactical fighter jet. Later, I was sent to Tabriz Airbase to begin my military career, which ended my civilian activities and any active volunteering for years to come.

Tabriz Air Force Base

Soon after the 1979 Islamic revolution, while I was in the process of leaving the Air Force, the Iran-Iraq War began (1980), prompting me to return voluntarily to active duty at Tabriz Air Force Base (north-west of Iran) on a temporary basis.  That voluntary service lasted about six months, after which I conceived the idea of establishing an aeronautical research institution to launch an independent Iranian aviation industry, starting with the design and manufacture of small utility aircraft.  The idea was supported by many of my friends in the Air Force and outside it.

While I was at Tabriz Air Force Base, I supported my colleagues in administration and logistics during the chaotic first days of the war, and I also flew a few local reconnaissance missions in F-33 (a Beechcraft Bonanza, a small utility and training single-engine propeller aircraft) with some of my friends, who at the time were flying F-33 on a wide range of missions. As I was no longer qualified to fly F-5 (the fighter Jet), I also had time to write as a self-appointed journalist, interviewing my colleagues who were defending our country against Iraqi aggression. I have a notebook full of those interviews that I hope to publish at some point, probably on this website first.

After about six months of volunteering at Tabriz Air Force Base, I was told that I had to return to formal active duty or leave due to security reasons. After all, at the time, I was formally a civilian, and I decided to leave the air base and not return to active duty, partly because I wanted to pursue the dream of starting an aeronautical research institution.

Aeronautical Research

Back in Tehran, I first had to wrap up and close the business I had started in Shiraz after the Air Force.  This was a restaurant called Mehmunkade-ye Reza (Reza’s Inn) in Shiraz’s city centre, which I closed urgently and left for Tabriz (my previous air base) when the war started.  After selling the restaurant and paying some debts, I focused on establishing a charity called Tayran-Ababil (an Arabic Quranic name meaning “Ababil birds”), as it was the early years of the Islamic revolution, and such a name commanded sympathy and respect.

This was the longest (1980-1985) and financially the most gruelling period of my volunteering work, as well as my career in general.  It was financially gruelling because the charity (the aeronautical institution) could not generate any income, as the officials couldn’t decide how to legally support it, even though they constantly praised and admired the idea.  So I had to live on a little income during this period, mainly from the savings left over from the sale of the restaurant in Shiraz.

Nonetheless, the venture was a scientific success. We attracted many aviation enthusiasts, including several high-ranking scientists in aeronautics and the aviation industry. We even managed to design a small single-engine utility aircraft, with more than a thousand pages of technical specifications, drawings, and calculations, awaiting funding and approval. However, the country’s atmosphere and the government’s chaotic situation were not ready for such a leap. Finally, after almost five years, we lost our momentum, key individuals left us and the country, and I had to close the institution. The collapse and closure of the aeronautical research institution was a significant blow to me, psychologically, physically and financially, but I survived and started a business that was good enough to support my family and later helped me leave Iran for the safety of England.

Charity Works in London

I have worked with and supported several charitable organisations in London, including SOVA, Community Options, ST Christopher’s Hospice, Stuart Low Trust, Shaw Trust and King’s College Hospital (NHS), which promote mental health, educate the public and assist people in overcoming adversity and misfortune. I also resumed blood donation in London, which I had begun after my younger brother’s illness and death in Tehran. Here in London, I have donated blood, as long as my health allowed, for about 25 years.

My voluntary engagements have helped me reach out to the community, contribute a little and hopefully make a slight difference. As a result, I have made good friends, learned new skills, and, more importantly, gained a warm sense of connection and belonging. Volunteering offered me a holistic approach to personal growth, allowing me to make a positive social impact while investing in my personal and professional development.

Taking on new pro bono responsibilities and seeing the tangible results of my efforts gave me a significant boost in confidence, a sense of accomplishment, and self-worth. Contributing to a community project or a worthwhile cause helps us feel more connected to our community and provides a strong sense of purpose and fulfilment. Moreover, interacting with people from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds builds empathy, cultural sensitivity and social skills that are invaluable in a diverse world and in all kinds of workplaces.

The Social Inclusion Voluntary Action

SOVA, The Social Inclusion Voluntary Action, was a charity that relied on volunteers to help reduce crime and support the rehabilitation of a wide range of offenders, including those who committed sexual offences. SOVA is no longer active; it ceased operations in 2018. SOVA’s mission was to recruit and train community volunteers to mentor offenders in prison and after release.

I was one of those volunteers from 2009 to 2012, providing strength-based mentoring to ex-offenders after release to promote sustained engagement with support services and community involvement, helping them to stop reoffending. One specialised project I was involved in was called “Circles of Support and Accountability”. These circles helped manage and hold to account offenders convicted of sexual offences, in partnership with police and probation services, within a multidisciplinary support framework.

SOVA’s Circles of Support and Accountability were adapted from a similar programme initiated by Quakers in Canada in the 1990s, which focused on the rehabilitation of sex offenders primarily through the development of Circles of Support and Accountability. The Quaker’s rehabilitation programme, as well as SOVA’s, proved effective in reducing sexual recidivism. Follow-up studies have shown that offenders participating in these programmes have significantly lower reoffending rates compared to those not in the programme.

The three years I spent at SOVA involved social skills training, teamwork, and substantial psychological rewards and personal satisfaction, including improved mental well-being for me. I acquired new, transferable skills such as problem-solving, communication, and project management in multidisciplinary settings, and sharpened my existing competencies in practical, hands-on situations, which undoubtedly enhanced my professional skill set. I gained experience taking initiative in social settings, demonstrating commitment and a proactive attitude, qualities that are highly valued in life.

Working alongside diverse groups of people, including professionals and community leaders, helped me expand my social and professional network. Volunteering bridges the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application, particularly in niche areas such as Circles of Support and Accountability, allowing me to gain practical experience that would not be possible otherwise. Working in a team towards a common goal fosters camaraderie and strengthens collaboration skills. SOVA taught me how to navigate different personalities and resolve conflicts diplomatically. Moreover, engaging in meaningful social action has been shown to reduce stress, combat depression and anxiety, and improve overall well-being, as SOVA did for me.

Community Options

Community Option (CO) was a charity established in 1990 (in recent years, it was integrated into similar local projects). It had offices in Bromley and in a few other London locations. CO supported people with mental health needs (as a halfway house) towards full recovery and helped them lead an independent, successful and happy life. CO provided a comprehensive set of support services in collaboration with other organisations, including practical and skills training, social inclusion events and activities, and information and advice on finding and securing jobs and accommodation.

I was running Perspect Ltd, a corporate training venture, when I offered my services to Community Options pro bono in 2010.  I worked with them for nearly four years until 2014.  Every week, I organised day-long experiential workshops for them, initially for managers and support staff who were directly dealing with service users and bearing the burden of daily emotional labour. 

Later that year (2010), Sally Lawson, the Head of Training and Consultancy at CO, wrote in a letter that I delivered an eight-week Emotional Intelligence training course for their managers, enabling them to implement new strategies and to reflect on, interpret, and manage their own reactions and those of others. She emphasised that the training helped them create a positive, motivating environment for themselves and the team. Following that initial course with managers, I designed and delivered training workshops on Empathic Communication Skills for their support staff, which, as she put it, “was a great success”.

During the remainder of my time with CO (2011-2014), I continued to design and deliver experiential workshops for service users. These workshops, which became very popular, focused mainly on personal development, communication skills, and emotional resilience, both in Bromley and elsewhere in London.

Volunteering at Community Options was very rewarding for me, as working with people with mental health needs offers unique benefits, including reducing isolation, fostering purpose, providing a positive focus and building community and friendship. These benefits boost mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase self-esteem for both the volunteer practitioner and the recipient, creating a mutually rewarding, empathetic connection, building soft skills and promoting a sense of purpose that counters negative thought patterns and supports emotional regulation. It also reduces loneliness and isolation, strengthens social connections, builds support systems, and fosters a sense of belonging, all of which are crucial for overall emotional health.

Most participants (service users) acknowledged that the workshops increased their self-esteem as they gained new skills, which made a tangible difference to their attitudes and helped them build confidence, a sense of competence and independence in life. They were grateful and happy to have developed communication skills and emotional awareness, which could boost their employment prospects and give them a sense of agency and independence, crucial for recovery and resilience. Moreover, peer support and friendly relationships felt natural and reciprocal, reducing stigma and inspiring hope and self-efficacy.

The Stuart Low Trust

The Stuart Low Trust (SLT) was established in 1999 by Islington residents in memory of Stuart Low, who tragically died by suicide in 1997 after struggling to find the right support for his schizophrenia. SLT offers free, socially therapeutic activities, such as arts engagement, nature exploration, and other wellbeing activities, for isolated adults in Islington (London) with mental health challenges, aiming to build confidence and community in a non-judgemental space. Volunteers are a crucial part of the team, helping with events, welcoming attendees, preparing food, updating social media, fundraising, and even leading activities or directly facilitating programmes. SLT activities are often scheduled for evenings and weekends, when isolated individuals might feel most lonely.

I volunteered with SLT for nearly four years (2013-2017).  I ran group experiential workshops (informal group coaching sessions) covering topics related to personal development, emotional resilience, stress management, self-confidence, problem-solving, and dealing with toxic people.  Participants often shared their experiences and opinions, and the sessions became friendly discussions that the audience enjoyed.  These sessions were popular, and we usually had to bring extra chairs to accommodate everyone. These sessions were arranged once a month, often on a Friday evening. I used the printer I had in my little office at home and printed enough copies (around 25) of the presentation slides so people could avoid taking notes and fully participate in the discussions.

My pro bono work with SLT was profoundly rewarding, bringing significant benefits to my personal and professional life. It allowed me to apply my specialised skills for the public good, fostering a sense of purpose and connection to the community while expanding my expertise. The primary personal reward of volunteering like this is the deep satisfaction that comes from helping vulnerable individuals or organisations that cannot afford professional assistance. This collaboration reconnected me with the human impact of my work and the initial motivations for entering life coaching.

Working with SLT clients from diverse backgrounds and walks of life, with different perspectives, encouraged in me greater cultural sensitivity, empathy and a broader, more meaningful outlook on society’s challenges. This work provided invaluable opportunities to develop and refine a wide range of professional skills in a hands-on capacity not available in a typical commercial practice. Of course, I had to step outside my usual comfort zone, explore new areas of the human condition, and develop niche expertise, which made me more professionally versatile and adaptable. In short, I enjoyed this experience immensely and personally benefited from its invaluable insights.

St Christopher Hospic

St Christopher’s Hospice, the world’s first purpose-built hospice, was founded by Dame Cicely Saunders in 1967, marking the birth of the modern hospice movement worldwide through the integration of expert pain and symptom control, compassionate care, teaching and research. Saunders (1918-2005) was an English nurse, social worker, physician, and writer.

St Christopher’s Hospice provides free, high-quality palliative and end-of-life care to thousands of people each year across several London boroughs, including Bromley (Sydenham). Beyond clinical care, it delivers extensive community programmes to help people live well until they die and to support those affected by loss.

St Christopher’s Hospice is deeply embedded in its local community, working to change perceptions of death and dying, reduce isolation, and empower people to support one another. The hospice partners with local groups to normalise conversations about death, dying, and loss, helping to break down cultural and social barriers to care. The hospice also operates several high-street charity shops across South East London, which generate vital funds and serve as community hubs (staffed mainly by volunteers).

I offered my pro bono coaching services to St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham in April 2019. After completing initial checks and administrative requirements, I began weekly one-to-one coaching sessions with some of their staff and, in a couple of consultation meetings, shared my views and professional strategies (including written policies) on staff coaching and training. However, about a year later, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns ended my collaboration with them. After the lockdowns, in addition to my own business activities, I was busy at Shaw Trust and King’s College Hospital and did not have time to resume my work with St Christopher’s Hospice.

Hospice staff and nurses often engage in intense emotional labour and face constant confrontation with death and suffering, leading to burnout and compassion fatigue. They manage family dynamics with differing expectations and a fundamental shift from curing to caring and comfort, while contending with systemic issues such as understaffing and administrative burdens that hinder holistic care. Hospice nurses constantly navigate the end-of-life journey, which requires emotional resilience, strong team support, and a redefinition of success as quality of life rather than a cure. Supporting them provided me with deep personal fulfilment, enhanced empathy and compassion, reduced stress, increased confidence and a strong sense of purpose, making it a uniquely meaningful experience.

Shaw Trust

Shaw Trust was established in 1982 in the village of Shaw, Wiltshire, UK, by a small group aiming to help local disabled people find jobs. It grew from these local roots into a major national charity through new initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, becoming a leading UK non-profit in the employability sector. Shaw Trust focuses on employment, skills and independence for disadvantaged individuals. It supports people with complex needs, offering work preparation and skills training. It also delivers government employment programmes in collaboration with Job Centres or Jobcentre Plus, which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

I started volunteering with Shaw Trust in 2019 and worked with them continuously until early 2025 across various sites in London, except for a short break during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Even during the pandemic lockdown, I continued working with the assigned participant through telephone and Zoom. However, this was less successful than face-to-face coaching.

I worked with the “Work and Health Programme,” which was designed to help people (often long-term unemployed) improve their employability, prepare for job interviews, and develop the skills and habits needed to retain a job and even secure a promotion. Unfortunately, most people of working age who remain unemployed for extended periods, in addition to lacking skills and education, also face financial, relational and health problems (often a combination of physical and mental health). They also suffer from an acute lack of self-esteem and confidence. In the Work and Health Programme, they receive personalised support and training to help them succeed, with a dedicated employment specialist by their side for up to 15 months.

However, my expertise in coaching and positive psychology was a perfect match for what most participants needed in this programme. So I devised a supplementary programme for them, called “How to Boost Your Confidence”, which covered more than a hundred related topics, including positive psychology techniques and interventions. I delivered this programme through weekly one-to-one coaching sessions and experiential group workshops. As usual, I used the printer in my little office at home to print enough copies (around 20) of the presentation slides so people could avoid taking notes and fully participate in the discussions. Some of the articles I’ve published on my blog, posted on this website under the titles Health and Happiness and Positive Psychology, were initially inspired by my pro bono workshops at Shaw Trust.

I’ve always found pro bono work deeply fulfilling because it blends moral purpose with high-value professional growth. While my primary motivation has been altruism, the rewards and enjoyment come from a combination of psychological, professional and social benefits. For me, helping vulnerable individuals provides a powerful sense of personal satisfaction and meaning. Engaging in pro bono work has, on every occasion, boosted my mood, increased my self-confidence, and reduced the daily stress in my life. For me, providing pro bono services is a way to fulfil a professional responsibility and live by my personal values. I’ve always taken community service seriously, felt more connected to my city (London), and experienced intense job satisfaction and a pleasant sense of belonging.

King’s College Hospital

Pastoral support (chaplaincy department) in healthcare provides emotional and spiritual care (which, for some, also includes religious care) for patients, families and staff, helping them find comfort, meaning and hope during health crises or end-of-life care. Chaplains (pastoral support carers) offer compassionate presence and listening, helping people connect with their values, faith or personal beliefs, regardless of religion. Hospital chaplains are trained professionals who work within multidisciplinary teams to address emotional and spiritual needs, offer crisis intervention, support bereavement, and provide a non-judgemental space for big existential questions, often facilitating connections with specific faith leaders, belief representatives or appropriate rituals and resources.

Religious chaplaincy has deep roots in Christianity and has been an official part of the National Health Service (NHS) since its inception in 1948. In contrast, non-religious or humanist pastoral care is a relatively new development that has gained formal recognition only within the last decade. The first significant milestone came in 2015, when the NHS England Chaplaincy Guidelines, for the first time, mandated equal access for non-religious people to like-minded pastoral care, and Humanists UK established the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network (NRPSN). In the same year, the first paid non-religious pastoral carer, Jane Flint, was appointed at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. In 2018, Lindsay van Dijk became the first humanist appointed to head an NHS trust’s chaplaincy and pastoral care team at Buckinghamshire NHS Trust. Furthermore, in 2023, the new NHS guidelines reinforced equality, mandating that hospitals guarantee provision for non-religious patients on the same basis as for religious patients.

I applied for non-religious pastoral support training with Humanist UK in September 2020; however, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns cancelled all scheduled training. In April 2022 (after the lockdowns), I completed my non-religious pastoral support training with Humanist UK and, within a couple of weeks, attended an interview with the head of chaplaincy, Revd Dr Alfred Bania, at King’s College Hospital (KCH) NHS Trust in Denmark Hill.

Within a few days, I started my NHS volunteering training, which consists of 12 modules covering health and safety at work (including fire safety procedures), infection control and hygiene (including personal protective equipment, PPE), data protection and privacy legislation, and more. After that, I began a probationary period in King’s College Hospital’s Chaplaincy Department, where I had to complete a lengthy induction, including a minimum number of hours shadowing experienced colleagues and taking the NHS’s internal pastoral training course, before I could independently go to the wards and meet the patients.  I also completed a couple of external short courses on pastoral support in healthcare, read several books, and registered with the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC) to ensure I had the highest professional standing and could carry out my pastoral (chaplaincy) duties to the highest standard, as I was the only non-religious chaplain in a large department of religious clergy across the whole Trust. 

I used to provide non-religious pastoral support at Denmark Hill on Wednesdays and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) in Bromley on Mondays.  I built excellent relationships with Revd Bania and the other staff and chaplains in the department, as well as with nursing, medical and support staff across the various wards.  I continued volunteering regularly with the King’s College Chaplaincy Department for over three years (until summer 2025), despite working in my own business (freelance teaching, training, and coaching) and volunteering with Shaw Trust.

For me, working as a non-religious pastoral support provider (or humanist chaplain) and offering a crucial, underrepresented form of care and connection to individuals who were humanist or did not identify with a traditional faith was of significant value and meaning.

For non-religious patients, who may feel isolated in settings that default to religious care, the presence of a non-religious chaplain offers a vital connection to someone who shares or understands their worldview. This unique empathy can alleviate feelings of marginalisation and validate their identity and belief system. All people grapple with profound questions about meaning, purpose, death, and suffering, regardless of their belief system. Non-religious pastoral support workers like me are trained to help individuals navigate existential challenges using a framework grounded in humanist principles, reason, compassion, and the human experience, which can be deeply reassuring and fulfilling for both the patient and the provider.

Instead of applying a predefined religious doctrine, non-religious pastoral care is highly individualised, focusing on the patient’s values, concerns, and life story. Providing this tailored, person-centred care, which respects the individual’s autonomy and values their perspective, is a gratifying experience. By offering a non-religious option, humanist chaplains help ensure that care environments, whether in hospitals, universities, the armed forces, or prisons, are more inclusive and representative of the diverse populations they serve. Knowing that I was contributing to a more equitable and inclusive system of care was a strong motivator and reward.

Pastoral care often involves being present at some of life’s most vulnerable and significant moments, from profound loss and grief to quiet reflection or even celebration. Being trusted to share these intimate experiences and to offer comfort without judgment was a profound reward for me. As a humanist with a secular worldview, I found that applying those principles to genuinely help others in their time of need offered robust validation of my own worldview and its capacity for positive impact.