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Months later I'm still volunteering and I love it
MorgsSmiles24
Posts: 32 Boards Initiate
in Work & Study
I had only planned to volunteer at my local hospital for a short while, as I planned to get a job and wanted to see if I could use it for my mandatory work placement at college. Well, I found out that I couldn't use it as a placement, though I was able to do my placement another way. At first, I didn't enjoy volunteering that much, as it was quite daunting being in such a busy place and having to help with directions etc. with minimal knowledge. Fast-forward to nearly 9 months later, and I'm thankful that I stuck it out. The job market is so hard right now, so I'm still looking for a job and feel bored most days, but volunteering once a week gives me a purpose and I feel like I'm making a difference. As cheesy as that sounds, the way you can make someone's day by just easing their anxiety by helping them find their way to an appointment or giving them that reassurance if they're lost. I would recommend volunteering to anyone who is interested.
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furthermore i applied for another charity. i believe it was like a cashier position. yeah, they never got back to me. i was showed the place around and submitted all of my references too. i never ended up calling them as well because im socially awkward and i dont want to put myself in a predicament. i just feel like i lost a very good volunteering opportunity all because the charity failed to contact me back. the least they could do is tell me that i didnt get it because of lack of availability or something. and also the assistant manager who showed me around told me that because of my disability i always need someone to supervise me all the time like a carer and what not. like how am i supposed to get a carer? i dont understand. my social worker cant even get me the 117 aftercare from when i was in hospital a year ago so how is she supposed to get me a carer?
now, i didnt just apply to these two. i applied to multiple volunteering positions. yes, multiple. but i never got anything back from them. i was just ghosted. its good when you start to volunteer somewhere, however to get there its very hard. its like trying to find a needle in a haystack. sorry for ranting, i just needed to get this off my chest since this seemed like a very fitting post to do so. now i feel a bit guilty for wanting to rant to such a positive thread because i dont want to bring anyone down, i just wanted to share my experiences with trying to volunteer. mods feel free to delete this if you feel that this reply is inappropriate.
That sounds really frustrating, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for venting about it. Volunteering should be accessible, and it’s disappointing when unnecessary barriers make it so difficult. You’re doing your best, and it’s unfair that charities aren’t even responding. Keep trying there are places out there that will appreciate your willingness to help. Hope you find something soon. I know we were talking about it earlier but echoing what I said then it all seems a bit overkilled just for a volunteering role like myself I don't even think I have 3 sets of ID, just driving licence, passport and im a bit older than you so probably unlikely someone your age will have it. I would have thought 1 set of ID is enough then your set. Then other stuff then life experience and £100 headset. Life experience I maybe can understand a little bit like it can help but if you can support people that's good enough and a work headset, if anything they should provide that. Anyway the fact you're trying and looking to do these roles I amazing you want to help people which is incredible.
thanks @Redemption i talked with my dad about it yesterday and he said that i also have a birth certificate that i could use for my second ID. in terms of my third set of ID im not sure, but ill sort that out eventually. i hope i find something too. and for a headset i found something really cheap online for like £35 so im going to get my dad to get me a £50 amazon giftcard so that i can buy a headset if i get the volunteering role. im going to try and go through the application process if its not too hard. and btw they didnt ask me explicitly for life experience but they made it seem like i needed it because of the bizzare steps you need to do in order to get there. yeah i want to help young people but these charities are making it extremely hard to do so.
That all sounds good @toffuna101 birth certificate is a good idea if it works, I thought they were looking at photo ID but great if birth certificate is OK. Yh £35 is dirt cheap, I hope all that goes well for you.
@Redemption it should be ok. thanks, ill update you in pms to see how that goes.
No problem
It's okay, I don't mind. How you feel is valid, some volunteering roles can be hard to get, depending on what the setting is. For my current role I had to have two references, ID and do a video interview. It can be annoying when the application process is long for something that you aren't getting paid to do. I hope you're eventually able to get the role you want.
thank you @PurpleRainbowCloud24 for the first charity that i applied for i need to do an interview, take an IT test, have two references dating back 5 years, have a headset and a functioning computer. so thats a lot of boxes to tick in terms of that. edit: and also pass police checks since this is a counselling role.
References dating 5 years..that's a lot. It's great that you want to help out other young people.
@toffuna101 , thank you so much for sharing your experiences here too. It sounds so draining and demoralising to have to go through all those stages of the application process and all those references and checks when you're simply trying to volunteer and donate your time to a charity you care about! Keep us updated, if you wish, with how things go. I wonder if the referencing feels a bit intense (going all the way back to being 11) whether it might be possible to contact the volunteering team at the charity, explain that the advertisement for the role mentioned hiring people 16 and over, and how, given that you're 16, 5 years of references would take you back to being 11 which makes things hard. I wonder if they'd be able to advise or support you?
It sounds like you are really keen to begin and to be supporting others, and I hope you get answers soon!
@Sian321 i could contact them when it comes to references yeah. thank you. ill make sure to update you on this thread on how things go.
In the top message are you referring to my post as the @ is someone else's user?
One of the main things I've learnt so far while volunteering is that being patient with someone can make a difference and you can use it in all aspects of life. A smile and laughter is great medicine.