Natalie Holmes, 21, is in her final year of an English degree at the University of Sussex. Two days a week she volunteers as a project administrator for Moving Voices, a part of South East Dance.

Six months ago I decided I wanted to pursue a career in arts administration when I graduate. I began searching for volunteering opportunities to gain work experience in this area. I found the 'Moving Voices' project on the do-it.org website, applied and was invited for an interview. My family run a dance school in my hometown of Wolverhampton and I have danced all my life. A dance administration role sounded like the perfect opportunity for me.

'Moving Voices' is a three year project aiming to set up youth dance committees across the South East to encourage young people aged 16-25 to get involved with dance in their area. You don't have to be a dancer to get involved in the project: there are opportunities in web design, marketing, fundraising, photography and filming.

My role is office-based and I assist the project coordinator by fulfilling general administrative tasks including updating databases and booking visits to schools and youth groups to talk about the project. I'm also planning an awards ceremony to celebrate the project's first year and thank the volunteers who have been involved so far. The free event is called MV09 and is open to anyone aged between 16 and 25 who would like to come.

I've been organising the whole event with another volunteer and we have both found it a great experience. It's also been a pretty steep learning curve! We've had to book the event, organise the sound and lighting, arrange the designing and distribution of the advertising materials and liaise with the celebrity guests, including the dance group Funkstarz and members of the cast of Britannia High.

I love working at South East Dance. The staff are really friendly and supportive. I know I've learned many valuable skills I can take with me into graduate employment. Hopefully these skills will enhance my CV and help me stand out from the crowd when I begin applying for jobs in the autumn.