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nightwolf

Volunteer work

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Recently I've been thinking about getting off my ass and doing something, I've sorted a weekly thing for me and my mate to go kayaking with a group round the corner and then at a later date join the union kayaking group, but it seemed too little when I have so much time on my hands anyway.

 

There's a farm round the corner (you sheffers might know heeley farm!) and they are asking for volunteers, I'd specifically be working with the animals if I contact them.

 

So has anybody done any volunteer work? What was it? Did you enjoy it?

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I haven't done any, but I would consider doing some (I would need to be able to drive first though, working on that soon!). Same as you, I'd prefer to work with animals. Probably at an animal shelter or a petting farm or something. Working with animals is one of those things I'd even take on as a job if I can't become an illustrator, so doing it as a volunteer would work well for me I think. =)

 

Hope you find something you enjoy!

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I did some when I was younger. Didn't do it for long. Didn't particularly enjoy getting on my hands and knees and cleaning out owls' cages.

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From here. This is what I did when I was 19.

 

At age 19, all Mormon men are expected to spend two years on a mission. (Women serve too, but for 18 months, and at age 21.) It’s tough. They pay their own way, often saving from childhood. There is no discussion over destinations: McAdams served in São Paolo, despite learning French for four years at school. And the pre-mission training is gruelling: held at one of two dozen training centres around the world (one is in Preston, Lancashire), “you get up early and work 12 hours a dayâ€.

 

At the MTC’s headquarters, in Provo, Utah, visitors are not allowed: my request for a tour gives pause to the church’s otherwise well-oiled public affairs department. It takes weeks for the OK to arrive. When I visit the campus in late February, I find a dozen redbrick buildings with views of snow-capped mountains. Inside one building, I walk down a long, empty corridor with pictures of Joseph Smith on the walls alongside framed snaps of missionaries. A young man in white robes stands, mid-baptism, waist deep in the sea; the photo is labelled “Suava, Fiji, 1999â€. In another shot, two teenagers in blue overalls stand next to a bale of hay: “Seridal, Japan, ‘85â€.

 

Here and at the other training centres, new arrivals are assigned a “companionâ€; they will study, eat, exercise and sleep side by side through the length of their stay. Life inside is regimented, and leaving the grounds is not allowed. Ralph Smith, the MTC’s president, says: “These young people are like most 19-year-olds, going to school and playing video games. And here they are plunked down into a situation here which is very structured, with significant demands on them to study, work hard and set goals for themselves.†He swivels round his monitor to show me a typical timetable, for a female missionary heading to Ukraine. Her day begins at 6.30am, with lights out at 10.30pm, sharp. She spends most of her time studying Ukrainian, with shorter periods for eating, exercising and religious study.

 

McAdams says the MTC opened his eyes, not so much to discipline as opportunity. “I found myself there alongside peers whose fathers were bishops in the church, or from wealthier families. It was an environment which wasn’t predetermined by who my parents were.â€

 

. . .

 

Rodney Stark’s work shows that successful religions normally find ways to “socialise the youngâ€, and he argues that “nothing builds more intense commitment than the act of being a missionaryâ€. If missionary training is tough for young Mormons, the sink-or-swim experience that follows is often worse. I met with McAdams after our talk in the canteen, for a conversation outside Utah’s gold-embossed senate chamber. I wanted to discuss his time as a missionary in Brazil. “Everybody says going on a mission is the best two years of your life,†he says. “But that quote is not given by anyone in their first six months.†McAdams remembers that, despite his language training, “I still couldn’t really speak to anyone, and no one understood me. I remember dreaming in English and then waking and remembering I was in Brazil, where there was no one I could communicate with. It was incredibly frustrating.†During a missionary posting, all contact with family is banned, except for phone calls at Christmas and on Mother’s day. And reading anything other than Mormon scripture is frowned on. A senior investment banker and Mormon based in London, who was also a missionary in Brazil, recalls how alienating this could be: “I remember one of the very first lunches. All I wanted was a drink of water, and I was ashamed because I didn’t know how to say it. I literally started to break down.â€

 

Armaund Mauss, professor emeritus of sociology and religious studies at Washington State University who specialises in the study of Mormons, has noted a “seeming paradox†in religion, in which some faiths inspire loyalty precisely because “people become committed to that for which they suffer or sacrificeâ€. And yet the suffering built more than loyalty; it helped McAdams and his peers develop skills eminently useful in modern-day business and government. As his fluency improved and he learnt to overcome the rejection that followed unsuccessful attempts to convince converts, McAdams embraced the experience. And when it became clear that he was competent at his work, the Church asked him to become a “trainerâ€, helping other missionaries develop their skills. It was a subtle process of leadership development.

 

Mormon and management guru Stephen Covey, who served his mission in the 1970s in London, says the time abroad changed his life. While he is careful to stress that the ideas in his books are not based on his Mormon faith but upon what he calls universal, timeless principles, he does remember particularly enjoying the chance to preach in public. “I would hold public meetings at the front of movie lines, on the top of buses, at Speakers’ Corner, or outside the Tower of London. Anywhere I could get an audience.†He returned to America to tell his father he no longer wanted to enter the family business. Instead he wanted to be a teacher, ultimately signing up to become a student at Harvard Business School, and then an academic. His mission, he says, “taught me to take responsibility early in life. It gave me my voice.â€

 

I'm not sure if you would count it as voluntary work in the vein of this thread, but it was voluntary and it was hard work. :p

Most formative years of my life - I am a better person for having done it. Being rejected over and over and over again is good for character.

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I've been doing some volentear work on and off. I kind of stoped going after a while because I'm trying to focus on getting this driving license.

Was working at the British Heart Foundation in Dumfries, its pretty standard work. Stacking shelvs, bringing in stock ect.

The people were nice, aside from one inparticualr person which kind of got on my nerves.

I'll be getting my arse back there after a while, so yeay!

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Volunteer work is a great!! I've done 3 voluntary jobs and one I'm still doing now, I've worked on a music event for under 18's which was a fun experience and it helped me see where my strengths were too. Then I've recently been volunteering at the Wildlife Trust as a marketing assistant again, great experience, I liked working to support a charity I believe in (which is what I want to do in a payed role eventually) and good for the old CV too.

 

But what I really wanted to tell you about is Oxjam, the voluntary job I'm doing at the moment! It's fantastic, I'm the regional manager for the Oxjam music festival in Sheffield! I've met loads of great people, learn't plenty already, ran a fundraising event which raised almost £1000 for Oxfam and I'd encourage all in Sheffield to come voluneer with me :)

 

To give you an idea of what it is, in October there will be the takeover event which is in 6 venues, DQ, Bungalows and Bears, Forum, Green Room, The Harley and The Washington and live music will be on in them all. People will buy a wrist band to get them in all venues and enjoy the show!

 

Alongside that we are organising 3 or more fundraisers over the next few months to raise awareness and more pennies for Oxfam, they'll be fun to get involved with too, ones a pub quiz and I'm looking forward to our 12 hour buskathon in the city centre.

 

There's so muh you could get involved with no matter what experience you have so far, we have a regular meeting in the City centre once a week, if you fancy getting involved in this send me a personal message and join the Oxjam 2010 team!!!

 

Also for those not in Sheff, Oxjam is going on in 37 other regions around the Uk, so you may be able to join one near you :D

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Being rejected over and over and over again is good for character.

You must've misunderstood when they assigned you this "companion".

 

Silliness aside, what mission-esque stuff did you have to do?

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I'd love volunteer work if i could do something hands on like help a seagull out of an oil slick. Yah. That's the kind of stuff i want to do. But i bet those satisfying jobs are well and truely spoken for, and you'd end up sweeping up seagull poo or something.

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Volunteer work is a great!! I've done 3 voluntary jobs and one I'm still doing now, I've worked on a music event for under 18's which was a fun experience and it helped me see where my strengths were too. Then I've recently been volunteering at the Wildlife Trust as a marketing assistant again, great experience, I liked working to support a charity I believe in (which is what I want to do in a payed role eventually) and good for the old CV too.

 

But what I really wanted to tell you about is Oxjam, the voluntary job I'm doing at the moment! It's fantastic, I'm the regional manager for the Oxjam music festival in Sheffield! I've met loads of great people, learn't plenty already, ran a fundraising event which raised almost £1000 for Oxfam and I'd encourage all in Sheffield to come voluneer with me :)

 

To give you an idea of what it is, in October there will be the takeover event which is in 6 venues, DQ, Bungalows and Bears, Forum, Green Room, The Harley and The Washington and live music will be on in them all. People will buy a wrist band to get them in all venues and enjoy the show!

 

Alongside that we are organising 3 or more fundraisers over the next few months to raise awareness and more pennies for Oxfam, they'll be fun to get involved with too, ones a pub quiz and I'm looking forward to our 12 hour buskathon in the city centre.

 

There's so muh you could get involved with no matter what experience you have so far, we have a regular meeting in the City centre once a week, if you fancy getting involved in this send me a personal message and join the Oxjam 2010 team!!!

 

Also for those not in Sheff, Oxjam is going on in 37 other regions around the Uk, so you may be able to join one near you :D

Wooo nami posts! -- to shamefully beg for volunteer help, but still, a post! :P

 

Sound slike you're doing pretty well - that's a pretty fantastic line-up of venues. You should totally hassle nightwolf about it more.

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Silliness aside, what mission-esque stuff did you have to do?

 

It's long, really old now and cheesy to the max, but this is a nice summary.

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Wooo nami posts! -- to shamefully beg for volunteer help, but still, a post! :P

 

Sound slike you're doing pretty well - that's a pretty fantastic line-up of venues. You should totally hassle nightwolf about it more.

 

Haha, don't you encourage her!

 

It does sound very interesting, but I'm determined to work with animals rather than musically/under 18's etc, I think its partly to due with me craving owning so many animals and I can't because of the student life/housing etc.

 

Its nice to hear that people have great experience volunteering mind you. MOAR pl0x?

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Wooo nami posts! -- to shamefully beg for volunteer help, but still, a post! :P

 

Sound slike you're doing pretty well - that's a pretty fantastic line-up of venues. You should totally hassle nightwolf about it more.

 

He he! Was that a bit obvious :p

 

I should post more I like it on here, reminds me of bishing! And the summer!

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man i should really get into some volunteer work, looks great on cv's right? Trouble is I know of nowhere nearby, or even what I'm looking for... Google would be a good start I suppose.

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I helped teach at a school every week for a year during my first year at university. That was good fun, and quite rewarding.

 

On my way to work now I see a year 6 I helped teach, he always looks miserable and I asked him how his friends are doing, he didn't know since they've all gone to different schools. How sad.

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I've volunteered for a Theatre company before, my dad volunteers there and I had a go when I was 17 during the Summer. I was essentially the Goafer and just got the milk/cleaned the bushes etc. but it was good. :)

 

I've volunteered at the Library before again I was doing all the remedial tasks but it helped build up my work status or whatever. CV that's the Tidying and putting books back on the shelves was suprisingly peaceful.

 

I've volunteered in Oxfam again because my mum worked there only occasionally but it was a bit of a mess and not much got down sorting things out.

 

My ultimate volunteering experience was Christmas Crisis or something and it helps shelter the homeless and give them places to stay/eat and for other help and services, it happens each christmas and the charity does things to help out all year round but that is the time when they need most volunteers.

 

So we helped to all different jobs and tasks it was a very rewarding experience, everyone there just wanted to do good and actually getting to talk to the homeless people was eye opening. Particularly this one man who had just been let out of prison, he was great to talk to, I never asked what he'd been in for though. :)

 

I've volunteered for a Theatre company before, my dad volunteers there and I had a go when I was 17 during the Summer. I was essentially the Goafer and just got the milk/cleaned the bushes etc. but it was good. :)

 

I've volunteered at the Library before again I was doing all the remedial tasks but it helped build up my work status or whatever. CV that's the Tidying and putting books back on the shelves was suprisingly peaceful.

 

I've volunteered in Oxfam again because my mum worked there only occasionally but it was a bit of a mess and not much got down sorting things out.

 

My ultimate volunteering experience was Christmas Crisis or something and it helps shelter the homeless and give them places to stay/eat and for other help and services, it happens each christmas and the charity does things to help out all year round but that is the time when they need most volunteers.

 

So we helped to all different jobs and tasks it was a very rewarding experience, everyone there just wanted to do good and actually getting to talk to the homeless people was eye opening. Particularly this one man who had just been let out of prison, he was great to talk to, I never asked what he'd been in for though. :)

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I do the one afternoon a week at the BHF in the local town, every Thursday. I used to do three but now I have actual employment. I really like helping out there just because everyone's just lovely.

 

The people were nice, aside from one inparticualr person which kind of got on my nerves.

 

FYI, he's left. Now he works at the BHF Furniture & Electrical stored just down the street.

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