What are you looking for, as a volunteer?

It is not voluntary work in the formal sense, but I have ‘adopted’ a couple of young people who are experiencing difficult times. One needs a helping hand in order to cope at university due to health problems, the other needs stability and direction because there are problems and health worries at home. Hopefully a bed for the night when needed, a welcome at our table and a lot of encouragement will help them. If we reach out to people, they in turn will reach out to others, this will lead to strong communities and a more caring world.

The times I’ve volunteered have been for causes I truly believe in and want to show support for. More than anything else I just think that your ‘employers’ as a volunteer need to treat their unpaid aid with respect so as not to lose their free help. A lot of times volunteers quit due to bad bosses which is kind of silly considering the nature of the work.

A very valid point RFL. There have been times when I’ve been volunteering when I’ve wondered what I’m doing there!

In UK we have so much legislation and ‘red tape’ relating to volunteers that it makes ‘employers’ think hard about whether they want to use volunteers at all. It is a shame because both sides can gain from it.

I like the feeling of being part of a community, of working as as a team to make positive changes.

Yes volunteering can be a good way of meeting other people with a similar outlook, and working as part of a team is very rewarding.

Yes volunteering can be a good way of meeting other people with a similar outlook, and working as part of a team is very rewarding.

That is true, it is also a good way of gaining additional skills and as an added bonus it looks good on your CV.

I think perhaps a little more emphasis should be put on volunteering as a way of gaining work skills. As well as specific skills, volunteers can gain leadership and organisational skills.

I like humanitarian and envionmental projects. I like to do hands on stuff where I actually get to interact with people.. Habitat for Humanity is my favorite.. I also do some projects with our local watershed council. I have a adopted a stretch of river and I remove invasive species and foreign objects. I also helped mark a brand new 22-mile hiking trail. Both are very satisfying and I’m just doing thing I would ordinarily be doing anyway (hiking and canoeing)

ZammaJannan, it sounds as if you have plenty to keep you busy. I like people based volunteering best, but there is plenty of choice, there is something for everyone.

If I volunteer, it has to be a subject that I am passionate about. I love dogs, for instance, so I would be interested in volunteering at a dog shelter.

Last time I volunteered I went on a trip with 10 to 12 year old kids to plant new trees. What I really liked was to teach kids about nature and giving something back to nature at the same time. And they were all very interested! That’s the most rewarding.

We have been volunteering at our CSA farm and an organic learning farm to gain experience in farming while living in the suburbs.