Home Work & Study
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.

What do you do?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I'm just being nosey now.

Do you do any volunteering/activism on a regular or occasional basis?

I tend to forget that lots of people in the real world don't, and am still getting over the confused looks I got from colleagues at lunch about what I do.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I volunteer as a tutor for an organisation which goes into schools to teach sex ed. Am quite interested in global health (neglected tropical diseases), so get involved a bit with a society here at uni for campaigns etc. Also... I help school kids with interviews / UCAS applications as part of widenening access to medicine which I think is really important....

    I used to do a lot more when I was at school and I miss it :( I would love to do something a bit more youth worky, but I can't commit to one particular night every week, and I don't think I will be able to do for the forseeable future.... Ah well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Me?

    Not enough
  • LauraOLauraO Posts: 535 Incredible Poster
    :heart: this thread by the way scary monster!

    I am a bit of a volunteering geek and work with volunteers here at YouthNet. But in my spare time I also volunteer at a hospital, playing with the children to cheer them up and make them feel better :)
  • LauraOLauraO Posts: 535 Incredible Poster
    Scary - you didn't tell us what you do :confused:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I realised that.

    I'm pretty involved in Scouting, run a section, so that's weekly meetings plus planning and preparation for them. I'm also involved in one of the support teams at county level, so run taster nights for scout troops and explorer units through that, as well as training courses every term or so, and sit on the steering committee. Then when the weather is good I also do some watersports instructing, either as taster sessions for local groups, or with the local sea scouts.

    I'm the safety advisor at the rowing club.

    Then through links at work, I mentor an Engineering Education Scheme team at one of the local secondary schools, and then do occasional stuff doing science/maths out reach into schoools, running activities, careers talks etc.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    taster nights for scout troops

    I also do some watersports ......taster sessions

    I can't stop laughing.

    I'll get me coat.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She instructs kids how to do watersports, Rubberskin, keep with it.

    Shall I call the police or do you want to?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She instructs kids how to do watersports, Rubberskin, keep with it.
    Do you really think that will help with RS's mind?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do you really think that will help with RS's mind?

    It might do :yeees:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I decorate the world with my existence, surely that's enough?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    I decorate the world with my existence, surely that's enough?

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i volunteer to help at kids clubs and holiday clubs.
    i've done other one-off/occasional things too like helping with primary school events hosted at my uni and i'm on a committee actively promoting volunteering to students.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I volunteer one day a week at Marie Curie hospice doing administration work.

    I also volunteer one day a week at YouthNet in the office doing Trust Fundraising which is really enjoyable and interesting.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I am a fortnightly chmod for you good people :D

    I also occasionally get roped into doing here and there voluntary work for the hospice charity my parents volunteer for.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I am a trade union rep...

    I am involved with a few anti-cuts campaigns, both locally and nationally... I have also been involved in some demonstrations on animal rights related issues and anti-fascism, but my most ongoing stuff is anti-cuts.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I am webmaster for the Scottish Maritime Heritage Association,
    I'm on the committee of my local Conservative association,
    I'm a member of the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group
    and I recently joined Railfuture (The Railway Development Society), which campaigns for, er, more trains.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I volunteer at a local CVS as an adviser. I advise people about voluntary and learning opportunities
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I hate kids but I volunteer my time at a local cadet squadron as uniformed staff :eek2:
    I guess I do get to shout at them even if it is drill order :D haha
    I guess I help out in my abilities to blag kit, teach safe shooting and other classroom based stuff like the highly riviting history of flight O.o
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I volunteer as a school governor at a local primary school, which is fab!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I currently volunteer / do work experience with Cancer Research UK. Unfortunately, it's only for 8 weeks. I am hoping that if I don't find a job during that time, I can carry on with them.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I try to volunteer at a women's library doing some admin and things but my health has prevented me from going for a while. I also do some online volunteering on a self harm website where i'm part of a team providing (emotional) support via email and live chat.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm just being nosey now.

    Do you do any volunteering/activism on a regular or occasional basis?

    I tend to forget that lots of people in the real world don't, and am still getting over the confused looks I got from colleagues at lunch about what I do.

    I used to walk greyhounds.

    I moved and now don't do anything. I contact Greyhound Rescue West of England but unfortunately their kennels are over an hour away from me.

    I enjoy it so its not bad, but its not a hobby really. After a greyhounds useful life is over, the dog racers (generally undesirable sorts I've convinced myself) shoot it or leave it in a terrible state to have pups. They are massively neglected because a) its easy to get away with b) the penalties aren't really there to deter and c) not enough people try to change it.

    So a few organisations here and there have started up where they approach these dog owners and say, look, we'll home the dog and give it a chance of a life. Most of the owners are indifferent as to how they get rid of the dogs, it saves them digging a hole or whatever I'm sure. Problem is, greyhounds are racing dogs and as such are very high maintenence dogs. You can't rehome them easily, they aren't lap dogs you can give a token walk to the end of the road and back.

    But in the rescue centre the paid staff barely have time to do all the necessary home visits / vet trips / rescues let alone give the dogs the exercise they need. That's where an army of volunteers comes in. Walking dogs that want to pull you round the countryside, in pairs of two, picking up all the poop and then taking the next dog out, until every dog gets a good walk. And the next day you need a second army of volunteers. And so on.

    I really enjoyed doing it though as the dogs even though they pulled like a bitch you could tell they enjoyed it so much. A lot of them might never get re-homed because there just isn't the demand for racing dogs in the home, and with puppy farms churning out piles of cute fluff for people to take home without thinking about what happens in a puppy farm, these forgotten dogs really cherish just having someone there to give them 10 minutes a few times a week so they can go outside and sniff some poop.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy - remind me to PM you some stuff. Your post just gave me a happy :heart:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy - remind me to PM you some stuff. Your post just gave me a happy :heart:

    :heart:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I do volunteering work in a dog shelter. I love animals and i always wanted to volunteer at a shelter, so one day i went to a shelter near from where i live to sponsor a dog and while i was talking to the volunteers that works there they i told them that i love working with animals. They told me that they were in desperate need of volunteering work, so i told them that i would go and help them,we sat a date and time now i'm still going there 2 times a week and sometimes even 3 times.
    I am trying to find a work that involves animals, and when and if i do find a job i would like to still keep going there. I made lots of friends there:)
Sign In or Register to comment.