All kinds of volunteering can make a difference to society, but opportunities like these have community enrichment at their core.

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Wednesday Aug 17, 2011

Feile 2011 - Epic

I really don't know where to start with Feile 2011. I was so much more involved this year and more to grips with everything - it was amazing. Hours and hours of volunteering from volunteer stewarding to volunteering behind the scenes and meeting people from all over the world.

So after the Bikers Festival 'Roaring Meg' it was all go with going through evaluation forms and then onto finding volunteers for all the events. There was so much going on it was unbelievable with Over 100 events since the Roaring Meg and ending with a fantastic very wet Feile Finale. It was amazing Roaring meg selling merchandise, raising money for charity, getting sun burnt and music from the Band Skazz you couldn't beat, it or so I thought. The next event for Feile that I volunteered at (Well I couldn't volunteer at them all) was a Feile version of the TV show 'Take Me Out' and all I had to do was take tickets on the door and sell the few that were left, easy yes? It was until you had to turn people away then I had to find men that would volunteer to be part of 'Take Me out' not so easy but all good fun. Was a bit different in that we had a few rounds and 2 rounds for women and 2 rounds for men. Very busy but fun night.

So after that my volunteering was behind the scenes making sure volunteers knew what events they were volunteering for, completing the Roaring Meg evaluations, making up signs for Feile, enrolling new volunteers, making sure volunteers knew where and when they had to be during the events. Making up Luncheon vouchers for volunteers for the Feile Finale weekend to ensure everyone was fed over the long hours in the sunshine and the rain.

During the Feile Finale I was helping out at the fun day with setup and with running one of the activities at the fun day and taking donations for Feile, which wasn't so long a day which was a good thing as Monday's Feile Finale was fast approaching. I started at 2 and it didn't finish until midnight. During Monday I did work in Volunteer Investment Project office and counted up donations made for Feile just from that afternoon, then put together notices for to let people know there was to be no glass brought into the Gas Yard. Then I ended up on reception from what turned into a few minutes into couple hours got to love Feile time so busy, answering the phone to just those looking to see what was on for the rest of the day and what bands were playing on the night time.

Then straight onto sign up for Kids 'Jog In the Bog' Fun Run, which really started when was on reception as I was given the job of texting volunteers as to where they were to be positioned and telling staff when I caught them where they had to be at what time. The sign up for the 'Jog In the Bog' wasn't to bad but had lots of people signing up so again was non stop. Then I had to eat couldn't do anything else, so quick stop for sandwich and then back to the madness outside in the rain at the Lost children / information area, what a busy night but got to see all the acts too so just a perfect spot. At the end of the night I got autograph and my picture taken with Rubber Bandits after watching them and Cashier No9 just to name a couple, live at the Gas Yard Feile, so all in all fantastic Feile.

Posted by Moira ( 11:44 AM )
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Thursday Aug 04, 2011

From unemployment to volunteering to employment....

During those dark dreary, post-University days that move so slowly through the Autumn and Winter that I, like so many others thought to myself, 'Where have all my friends gone?', 'What am I doing?' and 'Was all that money really worth it?' I was bored and unemployed. I left University and searched for a job for months and was ultimately left demoralised and unsuccessful. The abstract thoughts of working were too much for a brain and body that was rarely up before 10am. I needed to do something.

So, as I am now so accustomed to, I searched Do-it, for volunteering opportunities in my local area, and thus a new journey began. I got in touch with the local Youth Action Team and swiftly joined; motivated by communication, drive and possibilities, it was exciting. Here I spent time working in a team of other young people, putting together events, fundraising, sharing ideas and occasionally going to the pub. What a life!

A fellow Youth Action Team member was living away from home and volunteering full time with CSV, this sounded intriguing. I wanted to move out, but couldn't get a job; yeah a full fridge is brilliant but a life away from home is better. I knew that volunteering full time for a year would give me the skills and experience to move forward and hopefully never lie on the sofa, slouched like a dying bear at 2:20 in the afternoon watching Come Dine With Me... again.

So it was that I too applied for the CSV role, a role which could send me anywhere in the UK, possibly supporting people with disabilities or working in a school, it could have been anything, but at least it was something. Find out more about residential opportunities here.

Thankfully I was accepted, and asked to come to work in CSV's London offices. I was given the scope for an intergenerational project called Young at Heart that links 16-25 year olds with older members of the community. I couldn't believe my luck. I'd never worked in an office before and had been given this fantastic project that would build community links around Camden and Islington and got to live in London for the first time as well!

Through volunteering full time I learned so many basic skills that I simply hadn't at University. Whilst it was a vital experience, managing your time at University isn't a priority - if anything, I had too much time to know what to do with - now I had to plan, organise and manage. I arranged events, gave presentations about volunteering to young people, developed skills and was on interview panels. I even started writing a blog for Do-it about my experiences.

It felt like I was finally getting somewhere! I was gaining confidence, I understood what a charity did and how important the work of its employees is to achieving that aim. I worked with brilliant young people who could talk and engage with older people whether we were designing World Cup mascots or creating film posters.

These experiences carried on throughout my one year placement and by the time I left I was sure that I wanted to work for a charity. Now, that might not be the same for everybody, but the sureness of conviction that I found, the pleasure that I got from working in that environment and the skills I learned and the people I met were invaluable, and would be invaluable to any young people struggling to find a job at the moment.

By creating strong links through my volunteering, and also having the back up that a degree reflects I have now been springboarded into a job with YouthNet, the charity behind Do-it, where I first looked for opportunities, and where I posted opportunities for my volunteering project. It feels like I should perhaps break into a rendition of the 'Circle of Life'.

Posted by Andy ( 10:12 AM )
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Monday Aug 01, 2011

Feile Festival time

This is all about the run up to Feile 2011 as I'm now organising volunteers to cover events until 15th August so it's all hands on deck.

The Feile Launch was great and everyone seemed to enjoy it and got some to volunteer for events over the Feile and everyone got some Birthday cake too, so was all good! At the start of the event I got everyone to sign in and then the fun began as it was also about volunteers meeting each other and learning about what events and help was needed over Feile. There was a good turn out and a few signed up to helping at events.

Last week I was getting my head round volunteer management for Feile - I started going through the volunteers who were already signed up for events and working out which events needed more volunteers. So it's all go at the moment.

I've started an introduction to Basic Sign Language too. It's very interesting but hard to learn when you're left handed. I've only attended one class of it so far so I'll see how I go with it.

On Saturday I had great time volunteering at a local event which happens just before Feile begins; called 'Roaring Meg' a Bikers Fundraising event and was selling t-shirts/badges and raffle tickets and not forgetting handing out Feile 2011 booklets too. I was told before the event that it nearly always rains but for Roaring Meg but it was lovely it caught a bit sunburn not so good but was fun day with live Music too.So good start to festival time and hopefully will get to some other town's festivals too over the week.

Posted by Moira ( 2:13 PM )
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