For years I have been volunteering even when I was also employed elsewhere. Somehow volunteering fulfilled a part of my being that has wanted to be free from ties like money, position or too many rules. Volunteering has given me the freedom to name many of my own terms. If I apply for a job I consider the position,the pay and the conditions but if I volunteer I draw from a different aspect of myself in relation to the work on offer.
Whilst I was a parish minister I saw an advert for a volunteer to be a companion in a house for people recently diagnosed with Aids. The person would be required to assist the residents with cooking an evening meal, eat with them and be present for after dinner activities until bed time. Yes that’s me, I thought, but not in the capacity of a minister/chaplain but just as a compassionate person. I applied and got the position to be at the residence one or two evenings per week. I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing I was just out on those evenings.
The house was comfortable and “homey” with between 4 to 6 male residents. Cooking was fun and mostly I was delegated to chopping and cleaning up. The meals were interesting and depending on who was there could be filled with lively conversation or fairly quiet and reflective. Once they got to know me, more and more personal stories were shared and such conversations continued after dinner, often in front of the TV. The men seemed sensitive to the fact that one or the other needed to have a deep and meaningful chat and would leave us alone. It wasn’t necessary to talk about their personal lives but I guessed that my presence was an invitation to do just that. I loved that I could be a neutral sounding board and at other times I was a bad chess player or just the other body in front of the TV. I did this work for quite some time until I moved away for my other work.
Whilst I worked in a psychiatric hospital as a chaplain I volunteered at one of the local prisons, also as chaplain. That was really my preferred occupation and a means to get employment in this field later on. I would spend at least one day over the week end inside and again I knew that I was making a difference and my ‘pay’ would be a deep satisfaction nurturing my soul.
After retirement from paid employment due to health reasons I felt motivated to volunteer some of my time at a local primary school teaching ethics. My new and fairly unfamiliar role challenged me quite a bit. Until now I had always worked with adults but little people were new to me. The classroom itself was fine but inevitably the room was buzzing with excitement and from time to time I had to call on the principal to come and help me restore order. I also felt a great responsibility to get all my facts straight and be prepared for some curly questions. Kids believe what you say and take it all on board quickly. Much fun was had I have to say and the kids loved my classes. Unfortunately health issues intervened yet again and I had to take a break.
For a while I conducted art classes for kids in a disused room attached to the local shop. Some earnest artists emerged among the local children of varying ages. I felt so good to be able to provide the space to explore creativity in a space totally different from school or home. We used the shop or it’s contents for drawing or colour exploration. It was so surprising how the children interacted, the older ones helping the little ones without being asked to do so. Behaviour was excellent and a far cry from the chaos at school.
In the meantime I was invited on an advisory committee dealing with recovery from mental health issues. I knew that the subject matter was of interest to me but after a while I couldn’t stand the beaurocratic approach to our meetings and it reminded me too much of some of the restrictions I had encountered in my work over the years. Luckily as a volunteer it was much easier to make the decision to call it a day.
A friend who had seen my emergence as an artist, recommended me to work as an arts and craft facilitator for a women’s program. The women are rehabilitating from drug and alcohol addiction and are under threat to lose their children. This was very much up my alley but I chose to volunteer as, again, I needed to gave some freedom to work in that capacity. I chose the day and time for my group and I could limit my responsibilities to the artistic activities. As the women are fragile and vulnerable I wanted to draw boundaries for myself. If issues crop up between residents there are staff members to draw on to deal with these. Naturally personal issues are inevitably discussed and that is fine but once problems emerge they are dealt with by assigned case workers. So far it has been the most satisfying and inspiring work I have been able to do as a volunteer. Precisely because of the voluntary nature of the work as a gift to the women, it had proven to be an affirmation and an inspiration that keeps on giving through the self esteem it fosters among the women.
So, why volunteer? Because it allows connection at a very different level to that of employment. That difference exist between all concerned the
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