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Volunteering
in the community
Community
Centre's across the country are full of people who give their free
time to help organise, run and offer advice to groups who provide
services and activities to people in the community.
Volunteers are absolutely vital in community organisation's, taking
responsibility to ensure that activities continue to run safely
and to benefit the community.
It is important that volunteers get the most out of the roles which
they choose to carry out and so the HCA aim to ensure that people
do so by receiving support, and training where neccesarily and some
recognition for their efforts, as while volunteers provide their
services for free it does not mean that the work they provide is
not valued. The links below should help you understand more about
volunteering, hear from some volunteers in the community and what
it is to be a volunteer as well as what to do if you would like
to volunteer in the community.
What
is Volunteering?
Volunteering is seen
all the time in the media, from people helping in other countries
who have suffered from disaster to those who donate blood and give
time to large organisation's such as The salvation Army, Scouts
etc. What is often not seen are the people that play the smaller
but none the less vital, role in our own communities. The people
that organise the tenants association meetings, the people who put
together and distribute our local newsletters, as well as the people
who run our community buildings and those who run the groups that
use them.
Volunteering is hard to define because the ways in which people
can volunteer can be very different, but in all cases of volunteering
people are giving their time to provide an activity or carry out
work that will help improve a persons quality of life.
Volunteering is also
about empowering and giving new skills to people in their communities
by giving them responsibilities and new skills which help them to
be more active in ensuring their communities are safe and to also
help improve the well being of local residents.
Why Volunteer?
Most people see volunteering as essentially about doing something
for free but this really underminds the idea of volunteers and volunteering
in our communities as it ignores the effects it has on a person.
Volunteering
is often thankless and goes unnoticed by the general community particularly
when it has been successful, however don't let this put you off
the idea. Volunteering Its not about recognition or reward its about
helping people and making a difference even if it is only a small
one. The real benefits of volunteering lie inside you, making you
feel good about yourself and knowing that you have made a difference.
Volunteering gives you the opportunity to make new friends learn
about people from different backgrounds and give you a better understanding
of the people around and in the community. It may give you the opportunity
to get some exercise that you promised new years eve? It could lead
to you getting new skills and experience which can help you get
further in work or help in changing your career. But most importantly
it will help to make you feel good about yourself and help others
to feel good about themselves.
Depending on the volunteering role you decide to take on there are
some benefits that will help not only yourself but also those who
you are working with, while you gain new skills and taking part
in training which will help you to help others.
Volunteering is used a lot to get into education or employment,
particularly for people who have no qualifications or are having
trouble getting a reference. Its an opportunity to get some practical
experience in a role linked to a job or position that you would
like to have in the future and is something that is highly looked
upon by employers as it shows good character by the fact that you
are willing to put others before yourself and that you can be dedicated
to a cause.
Volunteering
Opportunities
Please
read the points below and then click here for a list of all of the
volunteering opportunities currently available in Hangleton
When looking at volunteer
opportunities it is really important to consider these key factors:
Time:
Volunteer opportunities should state what time is required to carry
out the role. Some opportunities maybe flexible others may require
fixed hours, but this should always be made clear. If you feel you
are unable to meet time requirements then talk to the organisation,
make them aware of the reasons and think about any possible ways
around them making it clear how much time you realistically have
to give from the start. It is unfair for an organisation to expect
you to work longer than you possibly can and also for you to not
be able to complete the work for the organisation you may have ageed
to do.
Tasks:
Are you willing to do the tasks that are needed? You should be understand
about the kind of work that you are being asked to carry out and
say to the organisation if there are tasks that you do not feel
comfortable, would not line to be involved in or can not physically
do. It may be a possibie to get training and support in the role
to help you do the tasks but the organisation will not know to provide
this unless you say or ask.
Enjoyment:
If you are taking on a role then you should have some reason for
wanting to take part in the role, be it the types of people that
you will be working with, the work that you will be doing, or the
end results of the work will bring enjoyment. If you are not going
to enjoy the role then it will show in the work you produce.
When you apply for
volunteering opportunities make sure you get as much information
as possible about the role and everything that it will entail.
So you have decided you want to
be a volunteer, what next?
approaching groups: the best way to enquire about
volunteering is to simply call or write to the group saying that
you are interested in volunteering for them and ask for more information
and arrange to meet with them. They may or may not have a form for
you to fill in, if they do not it is a good idea to provide them
with details about yourself and why you would like to volunteer
for them. You should also ask them to send you any information they
have about the group its self.
Getting all the information you need: You can find
out details of a group in many places. Most organisation's have
a web site you can access or have at the very least details of their
activities on a community information site such as this one. All
groups put together some kind of annual report which talks about
their previous years work and they may also produce leaflets. Don't
be afraid to ask to sit in on the organisation's activities before
you start volunteering for them, to see what they are like as this
is the best way to get to know them.
What you and the organisation you volunteer for can expect &
how to be a good volunteer: As a volunteer you have rights
as well as responsibilities. It is important that you ask for a
volunteer agreement, speak to someone at The Volunteer Bureau if
you want out find out about the rights and responsibilities of being
a volunteer. The HCA has its own volunteer policy and induction
pack which explains these but some organisation's do not have their
own. If you feel that you have not been provided with enough information
then feel free to speak to people at the volunteer bureau and look
ask in the community centres office. Details can be found at the
bottom of this page.
Getting
the most out of volunteering
Accessing training: you will be able to access
training through your voluntary organisation from The Working Together
Project. This includes everything from health and safety to book
keeping and self development. Due to the nature of the role you
take on, you may be asked to take part in further more detailed
training. The good thing about training is you can have your costs
covered including child care costs, traveling and refreshments etc.
Getting where you want to be: Everyone has a motive about
why they volunteer and it is important that you keep working towards
your goal whether its to fill your spare time or to reach employment.
Its a good idea to form a plan with targets for yourself even if
it is only dates on which you want to try and increase your volunteering
hours or when you want to have aquired a specific skill.
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