Volunteers Week Scotland: Christelle

Hi! I’m Christelle. I’m originally from Cameroon and have British citizenship. I’m an athlete and I’ve qualified to represent Scotland in wrestling at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

How did you become a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

I had known Stella (Refugee Project Development Worker) for a while and was part of LGBT Unity which is a community group that supports Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Asexual and Transgender Refugees, Asylum Seekers and other Migrants in Glasgow. We both used to attend the group meetings regularly and we became good friends.

Stella then started working at LGBT Health and Wellbeing. Each time she would put on an event, she would invite me as she knew I was also supporting people with their asylum cases. Stella invited me to volunteer for the organisation and so we worked on setting up a dedicated social group for women in the LGBTQ+ refugee community.

What do you do as a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

With the women’s group, I provide them with mental health support on a 1-to-1. I have an email that they can contact anytime when they feel they need help, advice or support. I also DJ during group events.

What are you the most proud of as a volunteer?

Seeing my own people’s faces because a lot go through the system thinking that it’s the end of the world, and that it will never get better. I’m there to remind them it’s just a process and that it’s all going to work out – even if it might not be the exact way they imagined. Being there to support people with their mental health, help them go through the process, and give them confidence again.

What more are you hoping to achieve as a volunteer at LGBT Health and Wellbeing?

What I hope to achieve with the women’s group is to keep bringing women together to make them feel safe and comfortable, and to feel free to speak their mind. In the future, I would love to be more involved, like supporting them as a full-time qualified social worker. There’s so much to learn in this field and I want to look for professional training to assist them more.

If you could change one thing for the LGBT community, what would it be?

If I could change one thing, it would be the mindset of my people. The way people from an African background grow up is so different from here. I’d like to change their minds so they don’t worry about being themselves – just be you.

I would also want to change the asylum seeking system. It needs to give more credit to asylum seekers and be better at making them feel safe even if they aren’t granted residence right away.

I would also like to change the mindset of people from around the world who still discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. Especially the mindset of those from the same background as me, who think that they will never be understood or that it is forbidden to be some type of way. I want them to feel it’s ok to feel how they feel without any worry.

Do you have a role model or someone that inspires you?

I don’t have a specific role model. I’m an athlete so I get to travel around the world where I meet different people and learn new things, which opens up my mind. I’ve learned throughout the years to be more open minded. It wasn’t always the case. There was a time when I wasn’t so open, but I’ve learned it’s ok to be more open about who you are. The lesson that I could be free was invaluable.

I don’t even a LGBT+ role model because growing up in Cameroon, you can’t even think of having such a role model (though here I can see it’s different). But I’m conscious some people look up to me so I try to give the best of me.

In the world of sports, I do look up to my mother who I got my taste for sports from. She played handball (netball here) for a long time and she inspired me to get into sports. I also look up to this one wrestling champion from back home. The way she works and dedicates herself reminds me that anything is possible with commitment and discipline.