volunteer for a cause I am passionate about

Well this isn’t a “cause” but at least I’m volunteering?

It’s a one day thing for my school and I’m signed up as a dresser. It’ll be exciting, I hope. I have to wear all black and comfortable shoes. What the heck are comfy shoes? I don’t think I own any….

Anyway, it’s “volunteer” but we get paid a little stipend. So maybe it’s not volunteering but I’m classifying it as such anyway!

I signed up to help a bit at the Fringe Festival coming up in a few weeks. I am considering participating in a Macy’s Fashion Event thing as we get a free ticket if we do two or more shifts…that’s enticing! Then, in October, there is GirlFest and the start of Nano season…I really want to find some way to participate more actively in GirlFest and also for the NaNo Team (OLAL) in Oakland. I shall see…it’ll be a very busy busy quarter.

crisis counselor position I wanted to volunteer for I mentioned in my previous post – that isn’t going to happen, I think. They really want a bilingual speaker and I just don’t feel confident enough in my abilities in Cantonese. I’m okay for basic (and more than) conversation but when it comes to traumatic experiences, I’m just not on that level. I wouldn’t want my lack of skills to jeopardize anyone’s emotions.

HOWEVER!!! However, I found another organization that is similar – that’s anti-rape and they accept interns. There is a lesser time commitment (minimum commitment) for interns, which is great for me since I might have to do an internship for school in a few months so to know I’m not under contract to be tied to any one place makes me happy. If time constraints allow, then of course I’d want to stay. It’s the SFWAR organization and it sounds really good. I’m afraid interns have to put in a lot of time, though…which would worry me only because if it’s like a full time job, I don’t even know if I can – homework constraints. I’ve been so busy I can’t even find a part-time job (because I know my work would suffer). So if a volunteer/intern position is just as time-consuming, I’d be very disappointed that I can’t do it either. sigh I want to intern for a Media Relations position, though – it helps plan events and such. It’d be so great, especially since I want to learn about event planning (studying for it now) and it’d be both a great resume enhancer while being in a cause I support!

I may go ahead with the domestic abuse crisis counselor position that they’ll train for (has a 100 hr minimum, though) once I move to San Francisco. The other option is to participate in GirlFest Bay Area :D. I’ve been to 3 of GirlFest Hawaiis so…yeah that’d be a really interesting thing to do, I think. I don’t know how different they are, but yeah…I know GF Hawaii has lots of guest speakers and performers from SF, though. That’s always a good sign. I wonder if GF SF invites people from Hawaii over.

Maybe I’ll go volunteer for both in 2008. GF SF doesn’t start till summer (volunteering would be before that but probably not as demanding as the counseling). We’ll see…I’d really like 2008 to be a good year – one where I give back to my communities.

That’s my goal – to stop saying I one day to plan to do it and bring that “one day” here sooner by doing it.

I really hope this happens in the next 5 years – my goal is to really travel to another country and actively participate there but if I can’t, I shall find something in my hometown.

I’m most concerned with female genital mutiliation and domestic abuse.