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 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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