Volunteering 102

A first-time Volunteer believes each individual should start with having a goal for oneself.

We have all heard about charity beginning at home. We have also heard that what goes around comes around (meaning, if you do good, good will happen to you). But what good is good if the people it is meant for do not see value in it?

It is probably due to a lack of understanding of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs on the part of the giver and the taker. Teaching kids aspirational aspects of career planning may not strike the right chord if their focus is on the physiological base of the Hierarchy pyramid. Maybe, when you said that you here to help, they didn’t get you. Or, they felt you are standing in the way of a game of gully cricket, a few hours of rest after college or, on a serious note, helping out with their parent’s shop.

Whatever it may be, any idea we sow in the minds of the young is bound to trigger a whole new way of life. Here’s my experience:

I volunteered through my organization’s employee volunteering program to conduct sessions on personality development to a group of youth from a central Mumbai neighborhood. They were a mix of school dropouts, first and second year college students, a housewife and a social worker. They had all enrolled for a basic course in English and Computers. There was one other common thread – their idea of earning a sustainable income was limited (when asked about their goals, one replied “playing carom”, another “playing cricket” and a third enquired if he should continue with his B.Sc. or drop out try Engineering!). I conversed in Hindi, and many words, terms and phrases that we use in our daily conversations had to be explained.

Participation was more than I could ask for. I spent two hours each over five days. The first session had 15, the second 5, the third a different set of five…my own goal was each session should have atleast one individual eager to pick up tips on getting through a job interview and spending six months on a job he or she likes to do. The rest was up to the individual.

And the goal I set for each was to have a goal of their own, based on their strengths and what they would love to do. That’s what I told them to have on the top of their resumés.

I think that’s a good enough point to start, for someone who is a first-time Volunteer!