Let's face it, most people who volunteer are passionate about helping people - but for some influencing social change is also important. Volunteering for a campaigning organisation allows volunteers to help make things happen for large charities. Find out what the grass roots activists get up to here.

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Saturday Sep 23, 2006

The V Factor what happens next?

Hi everyone

What a week this has been-  I found out this week that I passed my degree YEAH! haha which to be more than honest my volunteering contributed to getting since I did my dissertation on Evaluating a volunteers training pack that Barnardos NE ran for the first time, so they said I could evaluate it.  Shows what volunteering can help you do for yourself too I think!

Right that was the begining of the week what happened next.....

We are still planning our Eco Recycle and Design Fashion Show -The V Factor at the moment there is loads to do still.-  What did I do for it this week though? I planned for our workshop which we had today-thankfully no PARTY! Meeting to go with it-sorry guys but last time was bit hetic having both meetings in the same day.

Today was much better organised we had more people attend yeah-  We even had someone come in and talk to the group about Millenium Volunteers- Which was a great help and they can see that they will get something from thier volunteering-  There going to get  so many hours counted towards their award if they want to do the Millenium Volunteer Award.  Which they seem up beat about getting.  The members of the PARTY will also get the option of doing the award (If there not already doing it I'm sure some of them are though)  It so easy to get once your volunteering, I should know.  People started to design and thing about materials they want to use for them to strut there stuff on the catwalk.  In fornight we will be designing outfits and practising strutting our stuff!

As well as young people strutting thier stuff we're having the young volunteers group hopefully if they agree (fingers crossed) To do things like rovering reporters, a compare(a narrator easier to understand :),

This week has just been mad to help get young people involved in the PARTY! and the fashion show, I went back to my old school yesterday to see if could get some interest which I think I have (fingers crossed) And interest in 'The PARTY!' too!  Helping to recruit more young volunteers for Barnardos I hope.  Its a special school and I went to brag about my degree haha!  It has meant that I can go back and tell the young people that it is possible to do something if you give it a shot! Ive even been asked to go back to an assembly and do bit talk about what I've done.  I will be going back to help out the group interested in the eco fashion show!

I had a meeting with our Barnardos NE manager  of shops too this week to see how we could get them involved in the show- And all is bright, we have lift off the people can go into there local Barnardos Shop and pick up to 6items that they would want to use to design thier outfit.  That reminds me must make some cards-so yp can get them signed so they dont keep going back to get more items from the shops lol(You never know)! This is helping to gain recognition for Barnardos Shops too!

Hope that meeting goes well its updating management on what the Young vols group are doing and where were at with everything. we (being the volunteer worker  and me!)also hope to meet with the fundraising coordinator for Barnardos NE on Monday to see how we can incorporate fundrasing into the V Factor event

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Moira ( 4:29 PM )
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Tuesday Sep 12, 2006

Volunteer Award 2006

Hi everyone this is just a short entry co I wanted to brag basically!

Barnardo's recognise the work of thier volunteers through a volunteers award and for te 1st time this year has been more targeted to 16-25 year olds in recognising their volunteering.  The award is for all volunteers throughout Barnardos UK, so you have all regions and Nations - for those that dont know what that means, Its Basically England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland- the reigions are all the regions in England- No im not listing all them

Anyway the point of this is to brag!

So........

I WON it for the North East Region for the work ive been doing with them this year I guess!

I did get a commendation last year, but this year I went step further and won it for the Region and hopefully next year as the PARTY! develops we could have more of the same next year, with someone from the group being nominated.  Come on the North East!!!

I was told a couple of weeks ago but I didnt really believe til yesterday as part of your award you get (IF YOU WIN REGIONAL!) a 200 reward as well as your certificate- Which is always nice was nice to get yesterday!  Then you also get a certificate which I have to wait a bit longer for -gives me time to pick a place to show it off!

Cant believe next month I'll be volunteer for Barnardos alone; for 5years in October.

Anyway thats enough bragging

Posted by Moira ( 10:59 AM )
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Saturday Sep 09, 2006

Never plan 2 meetings in 1 day

Hi Everyone

Today we had a meeting around the V Factor Eco fashion show and we do have some materials since we're recycling materials.  There wasnt much of a turn out though which we thought might happen considering the timescale we gave for today, nevermind we've another 1 in a couple of weeks.

Anyone Under 25 and living in the North East can get involved in this Fashion show just contact me for more info and I will let you know whats happening and answer any questions you may have.  There can be a group of you size of the gropu is 1-6 and then you pick a model. or how about being a model for your own outfit-hmm every fancied giving modelling a go?  If you want to design something and dont want to model thats ok we can get people to model for you!

Then today we also had The PARTY again not the turn out I expected but we got some really good work done today- weve started to really think about the DVD -thinking of themes - seriously thinking about doing a timeline of Volunteeing and Participation within Barnardos -which is helping to get the volunteers research group up and running as well.  As they've decided to do there first bit of research around the timeline of Barnardos Participation /volunteering.  Plus we had a new volunter join the group and people who were there we ensured they had volunteer forms filled out.

Also considered posters so were looking at ways in which voluntereing is advertised - had some really brill ideas with that- also if things go to plan with this we'll put a display up of entries of poster competion at the V Factor.

Whats left - oh yeah Ive got another planning meeting for the Social work training this week which we practically have sorted just need to finish materials off and find out for defo if we can do some things-like advertise the V Factor-Eco Fashion show!

So things are progressing well I think

 Bye for now

 

Posted by Moira ( 3:33 PM )
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Thursday Sep 07, 2006

Oxfam University Campaigns Co-ordinator

have you noticed that posh header for this blog entry? Well thats my new title, groovy or what?! when i was told my contract had ended at my previous job, i was head-hunted by Oxfam to use my skills in setting up student campaigns to get universities promoting Oxfams work across London and the South East. Unfortunatly it is unpaid/ a voluntary role, but it beats watching daytime TV! So i am now spending half my week setting up a programme for universities to become involved in Oxfams campaigns and spending the rest of the week applying for jobs and going to interviews (getting lots of interviews, but nerves take over, so dont get lots of job offers - cry!). To my surprise working with students isnt something Oxfam, despite being around 50 years old) has really explored, so its a really exciting opportunity. Its pretty fustrating too though, as im having to job hunt to afford life in London, it means im coming up with lots of exciting ideas but having to restrain myself so i dont get too carried away and then end up leaving with lots of projects half finished. If only Oxfam had more money to enable me to stay on and make things happen. So that Oxfam is able to put more money into its operations across the world, a surprising number of people within the charity are full or part-time volunteers. Employment within Oxfam looks unlikely but this is a fantastic volunteering  opportunity and i intend to make the most of it!

Posted by Helen Bryant ( 10:22 AM )
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Saturday Sep 02, 2006

Disabled volunteer

Hi I was just checkin out the do-it.org website and it mentioned about volunteering with a disabilty.  I have a physical disability and thought this could be a good thing to write about how it has been for me!  To show how it is possible.

The reason I got involved in volunteering was so I could meet new people and help me get out of the house, or out of bed in the morning at one point.  Because I became more disabled than I already was due to an accident and became very depressed, because of this.  My disabilty is that I have Cerebal Palsy and then when I was 15 I dislocated my knee, causing my disability to worsen.

I know it is a real hurdle sometimes to meet new people no matter how much you want to.  Volunteering opened a window to make this possible for me.  I first volunteered at a local group in all honest to see if I could become part of the group activities but not long after I started there the place closed down.

Then the opportunity arose for me to volunteer at The Young Carers project a Barnardo's service which at first I felt really awkward doing because they knew my two brothers who went there as service users.  Although I never went to any of therd groups to help out, I went to the younger gropus which was so much fun.  I volunteered at this service for 3years and then decided to move on also because of the way things were changing and it wasnt suitalbe for me to go anymore.So went into the line of work in what I hoped (At the time to do in the future)  volunteering in the Human Resources Department.  between June 04 til March 05.Then things changed within Barnardos and I started to work with the Volunteer Development Manager for Barnardos NE.  Which I am still doing while doing this role it has given me I suppose insight more to volunteering and I think I would like to in the future have this as a career option to work with volunteers possible higher than a volunteer coordinator as I'm doing this already with young volunteers, my title being 'Young Volunteer Coordinator',  in helping to recruit more young volunteers within Barnardos.  Oh that reminds me I recruited my first young volunteer properly on my own this week!

Im really enjoying this and am learning new skills all the time as well as putting into practice ones that I already have and again if there is anything that I cant do they always try to find ways round this.  Im also looking into doing a volunteer Mangement course at the moment to possible take my role further!

The point of this really is to show that even though you might have a disabilty of any kind you can still volunteer and there is opportunites out there.  Its just finding what suits you best, which is the same for anyone no matter who they are.  I just wanted people to know that volunteering is possible no matter who you are and that it is a good opportunity to meet new people, learn new things and go places you might of imagined.  Cant say when I started volunteering I ever imagined doing what Im doing now jus shows the mad roles you can do as a volunteer as well I suppose!

Just go out and DO IT! lol

Posted by Moira ( 8:38 PM )
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