If you think students spend all their spare time avoiding studying, going out with their mates and having a good time then you'd be right. Well our student bloggers do anyway. While they assure us they don't slack on the study, they've got a lot to answer for when it comes to enjoying themselves while volunteering.

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Monday Dec 13, 2010

From overseas volunteering to helping people overseas from home

On my first week at university I bought a Big issue. It's a simple idea, which looks to act as a social business, distributing magazines to a collection of street vendors, and as a charity, looking to help the vendors act upon the issues, which have resulted in their state of homelessness. The reason I talk about it is because when I bought the magazine, the vendor's gratefulness was so huge, even four weeks on he still recognises me when I walk past and asks me how my day has been, whether I intend to buy a magazine or not. I admire charity and volunteering because it helps people to better the lives of those who have been disadvantaged, and it requires people to work for free, just because they want to help and I love it.

My name is Natalie and I took a gap year last year and travelled to do some volunteering in South Africa (you can read my travel blog on this website), and the experience has made me a teeny bit enthusiastic about volunteering! I'm always trying to get involved in new projects and I want to let you guys know what's going on with me and maybe I'll be able to encourage you to get involved because it's a lot of fun!

So far I've been volunteering with Amnesty International to sell toffee apples to students around Newcastle University campus, in an effort to try to build a petition and interest in the subject of forced evictions. When I attended the Amnesty International meeting, people were discussing the forced evictions of Roma in Italy.

If I'm honest, my general knowledge is pretty poor and I don't tend to be aware of general topics, so didn't really understand who the Roma were. I learnt that they were a group of people who basically have no ground; they tend to live from place to place and struggle to settle in societies. Countries can be particularly hostile towards the Roma with parents struggling to get work and children to get basic education, being unable to access schooling.

The subject of Roma can be a controversial one, they are often referred to as gypsies, , and as a result of the struggle they face for basic living, many resort to crime, giving them many cynical enemies, and a reputation as an 'unwanted' group of people across the world.

Unfortunately the lifestyle they have has become somewhat of a vicious circle and they have been put in a position where the natural answer to their problems is through crime, many countries tend to ignore the problems, which the Roma face and no one seems to want to take responsibility.

In context of Amnesty International's campaign, the focus lays on a group of Roma, situated in Italy, and on the 'Nomad Plan', which plans the eviction of thousands of Roma from camps in Italy, and relocation to camps on the outskirts of Rome.

The Roma have not been consulted in a situation, which threatens to disrupt any employment and education they have been able to secure, and a plan which will also see many, without relocation plans and hence homeless.

On Bonfire Night, me and a few others volunteered selling toffee apples around Newcastle University campus and at night time events, and will be attempting to gain support in a petition to show our support of the Roma, in a situation which will violate many of their basic human rights.

That's what's so great about volunteering; you find campaigns and organisations, which you would otherwise have been ignorant of, and you become passionate about things which you never even knew you cared about. It's great to know that you're representing people who have very little support and who rely on you giving your time to, in an attempt to help better their lives.

Posted by Natalie ( 10:59 AM )
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