RagazzaRaffinata One day at a time.

Find somewhere to volunteer (read all 7 entries…)
Untitled 17 months ago

This is something that I have been thinking about for a long time. My ideal career is to work for an organization that focuses on challenging a particular social issue. But I need to get more experience, and maybe find a place where I can get my foot in the door and meet people who work in this field. It is difficult to find time to volunteer, what with being a student and also working part-time to pay the bills. I basically have no free time already. But I suppose that is just an aspect of volunteering. I need to create time for it.

Aug 08, 2008, 04:16PM PDT | 3 cheers


Comments:

Thinking About Milk

you shoudl check and see if the Hands On Network is in your city. I’ve worked with them in Atlanta and Tampa, and they’re really easy to work with. Flexible schedules and a lot of variety to activities. Just a thought…:)

Aug 09, 2008, 01:10AM PDT | Thread | Respond to this

RagazzaRaffinata One day at a time.

Hey

Thanks! I will check them out..

Aug 09, 2008, 10:58PM PDT | Respond to this

Dyanna L

Ultimately do what interest you but I have a few ideas for ya

A feel good volunteer is with an animal shelter. Believe it or not they look for cat cuddlers and people to play with the dogs (as well as serious sometimes dirty jobs too).

One thing not a lot of people don’t know about is that most Canadian children’s aid societies have a program that is looking for various volunteers. For example in Ontario, specifically the organisation in my city looks for people to manage the childrens clothing closet for under priveleged families. For people to put together baskets and wrap presents at Christmas time. I volunteer once a week as a positive adult influence called a special friend. The commitment is one year for 3 hours per week. My focus is on tutoring with my buddy but the needs are different. You can also become like umm..how do I descibe it. I guess you go in and kind of instruct the parent. Lead by example kind of thing. This is how you clean your oven. Or how to prepare healthy meals or plan outtings and stuff. There are millions other jobs in a childrens aid society that you could do, just get in contact.

I’ve looked at tonnes of others of things….and done a few myself. My bro was a little bro and I volunteered with the organization quite frequently. My thing was gift wrapping. We had a donation for gift wrapping table in a mall, over 2 or 3 years I logged over 100 hours gift wrapping LOL

You’ll find something that interests you.
I am a student and making the time was hard for me. BUT there is the little pay off of having yet another scholarship that you can apply for – I had like 4 last year ask about my community involvement. And I didn’t really have anything current…

Also, look at your university. For examply my university the gender issues centre, aboriginal awareness, multicultural centre etc etc etc are all volunteer run.

Good luck! Have fun!

Oct 15, 2008, 05:50PM PDT | Thread | Respond to this

RagazzaRaffinata One day at a time.

Hi!

Thanks for your advice. It really helps.

I basically have ZERO experience volunteering. It was something I was never really encouraged to do as a kid, unless it was some kind of forced requirement for school. So I never really valued it. But now I am realizing that I should be more active in the community. I also need some more experience under my belt in order to help my future career situation.

I’ve felt that many of the volunteer positions I’ve looked at are very competitive, like it was almost as if I was competing for a job. Either that or they were not looking for people at the time. Which is kinda frustrating. All I want to do is help out somewhere. Maybe I am just not looking in the right places or maybe it is just my city, I’m not sure.

But the university is a good idea too, I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks!

Oct 15, 2008, 07:50PM PDT | Thread | Respond to this

Dyanna L

After I got your reply

I realised I had one more suggestion that even I overlook all the time.

I am sure in your community you have the Elks, or the Royal Legion, or the Moose or something like that. Well, those groups are non-profit groups. For example I am a memeber of the Moose, which makes me a Woman of the Moose. Although my membership is not considered volunteer the activities that I participate in that raise money for our local and international Moose community are volunteer as are the countless things we go to benefit local fundraising initiatives. (we used to do parades!) Every community has a different level of participation in these types of lodge/fraternities but they all have a woman’s membership as well.

These lodges and fraternities are becoming a thing of the past with new young membership declining but they are still an important part of some communities. Your dad or grandpa or someone you now is likely a member.

So I get to learn all these neat things with the ladies I work with like….Roast beef dinner for 150 people and having a christmas tea and all kinds of stuff. I really enjoy it. My actual amount of time that I am involved is really only a few hours a month so it works out great….BUT here is the best part.

Thunder Bay has two members of parliament and I know for sure that one of them is a member of our lodge and I believe the other is also. (although I guess not now as of the election, TB went from 2 liberal ridings to NDP by a landslide…) When we have important dinners we often invite these MPs and even our mayor to our dinners, so I get to hob nob in a very small gathering with people of great importance.
I basically grew up in our lodge helping out before I was even old enough for memberhsip so I have been around these guys all the time. These are connections that will always be there, whether I made them as a child or now, I am sure they will be beneficial in the future in some way shape or form.

I don’t know if these things happen at all sorts of lodges but no doubt there are other huge benefits. Plus, they keep ya honest (old ladies don’t take crap!)

Oct 16, 2008, 12:10PM PDT | Thread | Respond to this

RagazzaRaffinata One day at a time.

Haha

Yeah that sounds pretty cool. I wish I had been involved in more stuff like that as a kid, it definitely would have left me with more connections. And being around an MP would be fascinating! (Well to me at least… but I’m a nerd like that.)
Not to mention learning more about the social aspect of things from different generations…. it’s the kind of stuff you can’t really learn in school.

You seem to have quite the inventory of volunteering experiences! I hope that someday I will be able to say the same about myself. :)

Oct 17, 2008, 01:30PM PDT | Respond to this


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