I want three volunteers! You, you and you!

[luckykaa]

I'm a little annoyed that because of vague interview related things I can't do IDP camp this week. 

Last week I mentioned thinking up some goals for the this year.  plumsbitch  mentioned the possibility of voluntary work.  Now, I do IDP camp, and that's about it.  That's about 4 days a year.  I should do something else.

Why do I volunteer?  For the same reason I volunteered to spend a couple of hours doing various odd jobs at Worldcon, and why I did a first Aid course.  Partly it's because I get free coffee, but it's mainly because I enjoy doing it.  It's a lot of fun to semi-traumatise* charity workers.  penguin_worship's gratitude means a lot as well.  I will meet interesting people.  And yes, I get free coffee.  

So, I enjoy it, and it helps other people.  I should do more.  I have other things I like to do.  Work tends to get in the way.  I can't even do IDP camp because one company or another might want to interview me this week.  I have no idea where I'll be working in three weeks' time, have various hobbies that I like to keep doing, and I have no idea what I want to do. 

Something I enjoy.  Something I can fit around my schedule.  Is there a list of things that I can do?

Activism, and community stuff was mentioned.  It's tricky.  There are a handful of things I care about but nothing that's deeply personal to me.  I think it's important that it is personal.  I'm heterosexual white male middle class and fairly right wing.  I live in a society that's designed for me.  I have certain concerns about freedom of speech, but all I can really think of there is that I should write to my MP regarding the Libel Reform Bill.  So I will do that, because it's important, but it's hardly going to get me out and doing interesting stuff is it?

I wonder if there is something I'll enjoy doing, is useful, fits around my schedule, and provides free coffee.

*We're not allowed to traumertise them.  This is clearly different from traumatising them.

Comments

[omylouse.livejournal.com]

Join St Johns & use your first aid training? It's good fun but there's a minimum number of hours you are meant to volunteer per year.

Loads of animally/nature volunteering options from rescue centres through to habitat management (mostly cuttting stuff down & burning it! *grins*)

Human type volunteering - with the elderly, disabled, kids...

Charities often need volunteers to help with collections/paperwork. My mum volunteers with traidcraft selling tasty foods & pretty homemade stuff fairly traded from poorer countries.

& these are just the ones I've done/my parents have done. Problem with the latter especially is that it can be during the week when you'll be working.

What sort of volunteering would you like to do? Who do you want to help? I'm sure you can easily find out about local volunteering opportunites in your local area...

[masterofapath.livejournal.com]

Some good suggestions already. There's all sorts of stuff out there, it really depends on what sort of thing you want to do, and when you want to do it.

If you can think of things that are important to you and find related things to do you're more likely to keep doing them. I really know where you're coming from with the 'nothing that's deeply personal to me' though.

Also invest in a good thermos if you don't have one... then you can include options that don't come with default free coffee ;D

Can't really say too much else on this stuff myself as I haven't done as much as I feel I should. There's a place in town here that is a shop unit with people in and details of local volunteering opportunities, I've not been in there yet (I seem to have a fear of being press-ganged). If you can find something similar near you, then you could see what they are currently looking for.

[plumsbitch.livejournal.com]

Volunteering one-stop shops are a great suggestion. Not sure about physical spaces in Brighton these days, but there are a couple of searchable databases there and here

Also, there's also ally work things. As a heterosexual etc etc etc, you likely get listened to alot more than alot of other people and/or have to fight through a lot less exhausting systematic grim to make yr points. Also, is much harder for people to dismiss someone *not* from a particular minority/not normative group who is making the protest. Googling things like straight/white etc ally brings up lots of stuff.


Mostly irrelevantly, this:
"I live in a society that's designed for me. "

boggles me. not in a 'grr' way, especially. Just, really cannot imagine what that must be like.

Finally, there's also volunteering as a way to do more moving around the world stuff in ways that also make it easier to meet people? Again, google is your friend.


Freedom of speech, is a tricky one personally, but maybe hacktivism/geek things along those lines, EFF etc?