As I was scrolling through Instagram I saw a post about Aspire, a program I remembered fondly, and realized that I could sign-up, and provide inspiration for a new generation of kids, like the program had done for me many years ago.
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Though I applied to volunteer at Whatever It Takes Trust, I was fortunate enough to score a paid role. For seven hours, five days a week I got to hang out and talk - both specialties of mine. It honestly did not feel like work.
And ‘calming’ may not be a word typically associated with me by those in my daily life, but volunteering at Anxiety NZ has shown me that anyone is capable of providing comfort and support to those who need it.
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Over the uni summer break ‘22/’23, I travelled around Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa for 11 weeks and spent some time volunteering in local communities along the way. In this piece I’ll tell you a little bit more about my adventures as well as some things that may be helpful to think deeply about when considering volunteering overseas.
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March 26th was when I heard that Roe V Wade was overturned in America, I found out via my routine morning TikTok scroll. I can remember feel sick to my stomach, I sent an article to my mum, to my flat group chat and to my social work cohort alongside a paragraph rant that summed up to ‘what the hell is this?’
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Volunteering is a space that has traditionally been viewed as going out and helping the community. When moving into this space myself, it didn’t take long to realise that this field is female dominated. Now that I reflect on my experience within the volunteering space, I ask myself why is it that currently men struggle to come into this space?
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I first started volunteering at the SPCA because I’ve adopted a few pets from there and I think it's an awesome organization. I also just missed my cat.
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Last year in the months of September and August 2022, I participated in the Aspire Programme through the Social Impact Studio. We buddied up with year 7 and 8 students from local schools in Dunedin, and each week would participate in an activity with them around campus.
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Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to help the Halo Project team in repotting 20,000 seedlings at their nursery in Pūrākaunui. As I was an online student for two years and only moved to Dunedin a few months ago, I was excited to get out of my shell and be involved in volunteering activities.
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The impact of volunteering is very much a two-way street. You can bet your bottom dollar that you will be getting just as much from the experience as the people or planet you are helping.
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It might seem a little counterintuitive to ask what you get out of volunteering. Maybe you picture volunteers as only selfless soup-kitchen helpers and street-corner bucket-shakers. While these are necessary and noble roles, volunteering is often more nuanced than the giver and the receiver of help.
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Last Friday night I participated in the third annual Dunedin Sleepout. The Sleepout raises money for the Dunedin Night Shelter and raises awareness of homelessness in our southern city. Despite the stories from others and my own knowledge of Dunedin and it’s frosty winters, nothing really prepared me for my night in the Octy.
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