What I got from volunteering at STAMMA's Family Day
Speech & language therapy student Beth Martin tells us about volunteering at our Family Day event in October and what she got out of it.
Last month, I volunteered at the STAMMA Family Day in Sheffield, the charity's event for children and young people who stammer, as well as their families. I was working with STAMMA's Comms Lead Giada, who was doing interviews with families, parents and children to see how they were finding the event.
As a student speech & language therapist, this role was an amazing one! I got to hear about experiences from the day on a more personal level, people's own individual struggles and worries about coming to Family Day, and how it went so much better than they imagined. I heard (a lot!) about the circus skills workshop and how much fun the younger kids had doing that. At a few points, we were told by some children (and parents too) that they were swapping details with people they had been chatting to throughout the day, so that they could stay in touch.
It was really interesting to hear what some people had to say in their interviews. A comment I heard that stood out to me was from a couple of children who stammer, saying it was weird to be in a place where so many people were stammering. They said this in a positive and excited way, but their description still really got to me. Opportunities like this, where people who stammer can come together for a day and form a supportive community, are rare. It shows just how important things like this are and how there should be more of them, so that people can support each other and watch others around them stammer openly, and realise that it's okay for them too.
Opportunities like this, where people who stammer can come together for a day and form a supportive community, are rare.
Generally, it really felt like people let their guards down that day. The atmosphere in each workshop was so open and non-judgemental. One that sticks out in my mind was the panel of adults who stammer, where individuals shared their raw and real experiences of stammering with parents. It was sometimes emotional and sometimes incredibly positive, but consistently it felt honest and supportive. The audience were encouraged to ask aloud or write down their questions for the panel, which led to a really understanding, and insightful discussion between parents of children who stammer and the panel of adults who stammer.
As students, I think experiences like this throughout our course are vital. Of course, we have lots of lectures that teach us about stammering and the impact it might have on individuals, but genuinely hearing this from people with lived experiences is what really matters. Placements, volunteering, and out in the community is where I believe we get our key learning from as student speech & language therapists, which is why opportunities like this are so good — not just for the amazing atmosphere and community they bring for people who stammer and their families, but for everyone else involved too.
If you would like to volunteer at our STAMMAFest conference in August 2026, either at the main event and/or the Family Day that will be happening alongside it, see our Volunteer With Us page.
Want to write about your experiences too? See Submit Something For The Site or email editor@stamma.org
Related Links
Become a member
It's free
Join the movement to change how people understand and react to stammering.
Campaign. Fundraise. Connect. Meet. Vote. Talk.
