So, I’ve been volunteering for around five years now, in various formats, across different places and various organisations, some with payment for involvement, some just because I felt strongly about it…
What do I get from this?… I get purpose, connection, friendship and validity.
I’m at a point where I have a bit of time to offer, which I know not everyone can have, so I am always interested in ways to learn new things, develop skills, or even find one’s I never knew I had.
I’ve found creative ways to influence change, understood how to speak to the media, participated in podcasts, even helping create new policies and procedures through research.
I’m involved with a group called LIFE here in York, we use our collective lived/direct experience of poverty, homelessness and other things to inform statutory and voluntary sector organisations of what works, needs amending, or simply keeps people in a cyclical way of living in crisis, with limited chances of changing circumstances for the better.
So, I guess for me , volunteering is a gateway to making a difference for others, its enriching, nourishing opportunities and individual growth….that’s why I continue to offer my time at this point.
Try it, try something you’d never thought you’d be interested in, find your space to shine, add value… its not just a task, or role, it’s a vocation.
Written by Miles Goring.
