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  • EADD Moderators: Pissed_and_messed | Shinji Ikari

Voluntary Work

Eveleivibe

Eveleivibe

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So thought I'd ask have any of you done voluntary work? What did you do? What would you like to? Do you feel it's rewarding? Or do you feel that you would not work if you're not being paid for it? Do you feel that volunteering helps any of tge following?:
Yourself
Local community
Country
Organisations
Other? (Comment)

I am interestes in further volunteering but feel that this may spark an interesting discussion since I've noticed tgat a lot of people, experiencing substance abuse, have gone into the volunteering sector.

If you've volunteered n feel that this has saved you in some way, would you mins letting us know how this is the case? This may help n inspire others <3

Evey
 
Ok Evey.

I'll play.

I've never done voluntary work. But a few years back I used to tag along with a client who was doing some.

Did loads of interesting and back breaking conservation.

Planting shit. Hacking down shit.

Didn't realise how intricate managing conservation areas was.

One day we had to cut down weeds but leave the thistles as a rare butterfly had been spotted that likes thistles. That kind of thing.

The shit thing was every week the group got smaller and smaller because the dole office hassled the volunteers.

They thought glueing yourself to a PC and hitting refresh to look at the same 5 jobs was a more productive use of people's time.

Anyone with common sense would say that having something to put on your CV and a having a reason to get up would impress potential employers more, and be a less depressing way of life.

I'm still pretty pissed off that the system was so quick to rob people of any sense of achievement.

So, in a nut shell, I can recommend it. Some of it is really constructive and stimulating but just be careful if you're claiming anything.
 
Been thinking of doing some voluntary work for St Johns at sporting events and festivals this summer. They don't have that many HCPC registered paras as volunteers so might be beneficial.....

Something to think about anyway.....
 
I was going to be a service mentor with the aim to help and gain a couple of nvq's, anyway due to my mental health record which I never even asked for any mental health help has ruined that as I am not allowed to work with vulnerable people, alas it's fucked up future employment opportunities as well as let's face it, who is going to employ someone deemed psychotic. What pisses me off is I never asked for mental health help, I was forced into it and all they did was poison me and make things worse, they have ruined my life. If after all I have done to better myself if they won't allow me to earn it then I will have to find other ways to survive.
 
5StarSquatHotel said:
I was going to be a service mentor...
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear of your poor experience, 5*. I completed the course to become a peer mentor myself a few months back but out here in the Boonies there's not really much call for it. May well come in handy one day though and I'm hoping to attend the other relevant courses available next time they are running.

As far as voluntary work in general goes, I think it is great. Did five years as - of all things - an IT technician (yes, really) at the local internet access place before the council took it over (who promptly spent a fortune on it then set such tight controls on use and such overbearing intrusive lack of privacy that a thriving community resource is now a complete deadzone 8)).
 
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That's ace that you've trained as a mentor. When I wanted a mentor they gave me an old lady who was a mental health nurse. I polite said it wasn't for me. Although if I'm truly honest with myself I think I was hoping I'd find someone I could get opiates off as I was not truly ready for recovery at the time, though denied it to myself. After awhile I went to this place were they were mentors and they kept giving each other my number and reminding me that the drop in was in, which I find offensive as I didn't need to be reminded and I didn't like my information being giving round. .

Sorry, Star, to hear of this x

Evey
 
Yes, I've volunteered for St John's Ambulance, a hospice, a rape helpline and an LGBT organisation. I've applied for a few other positions, so fingers crossed.

Some positions are rewarding, some aren't. Finding the right position is definitely worth it, but you have to choose based on your interests, the organisation, and find a position that mirrors how much time commitment you want to give.
 
St Johns (or Victor crews as they are known by their callsign) do some good work. So much so that a lot of ambulance service trusts outsource a considerable amount of work to them. Mainly urgent stuff and not emergencies though.
 
St John's definitely do some good work, but the culture is a bit alienating IME and the admin is nightmarishly slow (I only got my uniform after a year and a half of consistently asking, and complaints about admin stuff are very common).
 
When I was on duty I just wore a white shirt and black trousers, brought my ID, and explained to the person leading that I didn't have a uniform. It was annoying, but it wasn't usually a problem.
 
I studied for an nvq level 3 qualification that needed a volunteer placement to run alongside it to be supervised and assessed.
volunteered 3 days a week passed my nvq in 6 months, applied for a job in my desired field, phone interview, face to face interview got the job (full time substance misuse recovery worker). I have quite a spicy criminal record but the experience, reference and motivation I showed working hard for no money got me somewhere now I wouldn't of dreamed if 6 years ago.
 
mickeyfinn79 said:
I studied for an nvq level 3 qualification that needed a volunteer placement to run alongside it to be supervised and assessed.
volunteered 3 days a week passed my nvq in 6 months, applied for a job in my desired field, phone interview, face to face interview got the job (full time substance misuse recovery worker). I have quite a spicy criminal record but the experience, reference and motivation I showed working hard for no money got me somewhere now I wouldn't of dreamed if 6 years ago.
Click to expand...

That's brilliant, Mickey. Well done <3 sounds like you worked hard n it was paid off, just goes to show people can turn their lives round fpr the better.

Evey
 
I want to volunteer but i'm not sure what to do i'm a very shy, quiet an anxious person. people have asked me why are you quiet? or say youre quiet.
 
St. Johns?

Although I'm not sure if that would be great if you suffered from a lot of anxiety....would probably do a good job of curing a lot of it pretty quick though....
 
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