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This article is the third of three in a series about creating a great volunteer experience that I am writing as ambassador of WeVolunteer.tv, a three year initiative by We TV to get more women to serve. Read the first article on searching for a good opportunity, the second on preparing for your day of service, and the intro to the series.
Me cutting up paper to decorate bags
Yesterday I spent a few hours with my sister decorating bags and packing them with healthy foods and toiletries for homeless shelters in NYC. This opportunity was coordinated by the Youth Planning Committee of Children for Children. There were numerous stations set up throughout the pier—from making cards and necklaces to decorating and packing bags. There were so many fun activities to do you almost forgot you were doing it for charity!
Onetime events are stepping stones to getting more involved and making volunteering a part of your life. However, in order to move forward, it helps to do some reflection on your experience.
- What about the activity did you enjoy the most/least? Maybe you discovered a new interest or realized what you thought sounded fun wasn’t really for you. I learned that Im too much of a perfectionist to enjoy making art!
- What about the event as a whole did you enjoy the most/least? Not enough structure? Opportunity to meet lots of people? It was a great bonding activity for me and my sister, although I wish I had something that could engage me a bit more.
- What about the org touched you? Would you volunteer with them again? Are interested in learning more and exploring more ways to help out? As I have previously mentioned, I am all for student leadership and community involvement in service. This event did a great job of mobilizing young people and their communities.
I would love to hear about people’s volunteer experiences. What’s a better way to wrap up National Volunteer Week and Global Youth Service Day than with reflection and sharing?
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Comments
04.27.09
Allison,
Last year I spent some time volunteering for a local youth center. What was interesting was that I didn't see how I was directly making an impact at first. I showed up, walked around aimlessly for awhile, then found a few kids and played some Playstation with them. It seemed useless until a few kids started hanging out with me week after week.
I realized that not all of the time you spend volunteering is quantifiable. My time there was short lived, but as soon as I wrap myself up in a new volunteer experience I'm going to remember that giving back is more abstract than you think.
-RP
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