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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Thursday May 04, 2006

Why volunteer?

There is such a thing as a selfless good deed. Whilst working as a Support Assistant with people with mental health needs after graduating I spent many a cold, dark Wednesday drinking milky Nescafe in a draughty café, where grease dripped from the walls and the old Italian owner scratched his bacon fat ridden crotch with his yellowy grey stained fist, watching the time creep further and further into my evening, listening to client tell me for the fourth time in 3 hours about her chronic depression and short time amnesia (not a good combination for a support worker to contend with, think about it). I garnered no virtuous sentiments. 

My current situation differs somewhat. I have, indeed, embarked upon a stint not just as a volunteer but, specifically, as an intern. What is this, exactly? An opportunity I, like so many graduates hankered after for career and learning opportunities, to attain skills and be given responsibilities? Or is an intern just a bit of polite rhetoric used when an office has a back log of photocopying and wants someone to do a three month tea run?

Actually, there is a pretty fair distribution of tea making around the press office of Shelter, the housing and homeless charity I where I will be working for the next three months. And I’ve hardly been near the photocopier.

Having told my wealthy friends (the money driven ones, who are happy to spend 8 hours a day auditing large company’s accounts in order to ensure that their pay packet exceeds 30k a year) that I would be working for no pay for 3 months, they were horrified. But, to be honest, a degree in English and Communications qualifies you for sod all. It furnishes you with the ability to read quickly and sporadically and talk nonsense with conviction.  A career in the media beckons.

And there are a variety of ways to furnish oneself with sufficient experience to become a press officer for a charity.  But learning from the inside, understanding the issues and campaigns, the structures and processes is, I believe, the best one. One Million children in Britain today grow up in housing that is in terrible condition, temporary or overcrowded. Three months of my life to help that cause whilst learning vital skills seems pretty fair to me. 

Posted by Rachael ( 12:12 PM )
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