When I tell my friends and family about new volunteering opportunities I've applied for and found online I often get the following comments:
"Not again....!"
"Aren't you sick of this stuff yet?"
"How much is it going to cost you this time?"
"How much time will this take up?"
The most frequent question I get it "Why on earth are you spending your own time and money doing this?"
I hadn't really given this a lot of though previously. It's just something I've enjoyed doing! I hate wasting my time, so if it's a choice between volunteering at an event or lying on the sofa, I know exactly where I'll be - even if it does cost me a little bit of money!
The first time I gave any serious consideration as to why I'm so addicted to volunteering was when I was asked to give a speech at the launch event for the BUCS Championships in Sheffield.
As I mentioned in my speech - all the people around me ever see of my volunteering is my lack of weekend and evening availability and the draw full of free t-shirts, pin badges and random sheets of paper detailing rotas, and the like!
One of the biggest misconceptions about my volunteering is that "it's something to put on my CV". I have to admit, at the start when I signed up to Newcastle University's Sports Volunteer Programme, I thought it would be good for getting a job when I graduated, along with getting a few free coaching qualifications, but many years on, I'm still volunteering - with most of what I do not listed on my CV as I really don't think it fits with my academic life of being a civil engineering PhD student!
Volunteering, no matter in what sector, does allow you to develop a side of you no school, college or university can build upon. There's no other situation I can think of where a group of people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, abilities and stereotypes come together to achieve something.
During the 2011 UK School Games in Sheffield I had one of my most memorable times being a volunteer, where I learnt exactly what it means to athletes to have volunteers around! I was standing in the 'holding pen' before the opening ceremony (I was parading team Gateshead into the arena!) and after I'd be chatting to one of the athletes about where he saw the UK School Games in rankings of athletics competitions, when he made a comment implying I was being paid to be there - how wrong could he be!
After I explained how everyone in the maroon t-shirts were volunteers and how I'd travelled down from Gateshead to volunteer at the event, he was speechless. After a moment or 2 he then asked, so all these people aren't getting paid? But yet they are here, wanting to help me compete? but aren't getting paid? you guys just get a uniform and some lunch yeah? But really? Seriously?......after this sunk in he said, Wow, I honestly hadn't realised this.....all these people around me who are volunteering just so I can compete and do my best aren't getting paid. Wow, seriously, thank you, actually I can't thank you enough. Wow, I've been relying on volunteers all my life, thank you.
It's moments like that you realise why you volunteer.
"Not again....!"
"Aren't you sick of this stuff yet?"
"How much is it going to cost you this time?"
"How much time will this take up?"
The most frequent question I get it "Why on earth are you spending your own time and money doing this?"
I hadn't really given this a lot of though previously. It's just something I've enjoyed doing! I hate wasting my time, so if it's a choice between volunteering at an event or lying on the sofa, I know exactly where I'll be - even if it does cost me a little bit of money!
The first time I gave any serious consideration as to why I'm so addicted to volunteering was when I was asked to give a speech at the launch event for the BUCS Championships in Sheffield.
As I mentioned in my speech - all the people around me ever see of my volunteering is my lack of weekend and evening availability and the draw full of free t-shirts, pin badges and random sheets of paper detailing rotas, and the like!
One of the biggest misconceptions about my volunteering is that "it's something to put on my CV". I have to admit, at the start when I signed up to Newcastle University's Sports Volunteer Programme, I thought it would be good for getting a job when I graduated, along with getting a few free coaching qualifications, but many years on, I'm still volunteering - with most of what I do not listed on my CV as I really don't think it fits with my academic life of being a civil engineering PhD student!
Volunteering, no matter in what sector, does allow you to develop a side of you no school, college or university can build upon. There's no other situation I can think of where a group of people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, abilities and stereotypes come together to achieve something.
During the 2011 UK School Games in Sheffield I had one of my most memorable times being a volunteer, where I learnt exactly what it means to athletes to have volunteers around! I was standing in the 'holding pen' before the opening ceremony (I was parading team Gateshead into the arena!) and after I'd be chatting to one of the athletes about where he saw the UK School Games in rankings of athletics competitions, when he made a comment implying I was being paid to be there - how wrong could he be!
After I explained how everyone in the maroon t-shirts were volunteers and how I'd travelled down from Gateshead to volunteer at the event, he was speechless. After a moment or 2 he then asked, so all these people aren't getting paid? But yet they are here, wanting to help me compete? but aren't getting paid? you guys just get a uniform and some lunch yeah? But really? Seriously?......after this sunk in he said, Wow, I honestly hadn't realised this.....all these people around me who are volunteering just so I can compete and do my best aren't getting paid. Wow, seriously, thank you, actually I can't thank you enough. Wow, I've been relying on volunteers all my life, thank you.
It's moments like that you realise why you volunteer.
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