The magic of volunteering
In my job I talk a lot about the ‘magic of teams’. The unknown factors that just make things work; the glue you can’t quite describe that brings a team together – one that on paper shouldn’t work but does. The chemistry, the collaboration, the trust, the belief in each other, the relationships that are stronger than the obstacles in the way. All things that help to create winning teams and all things I’m incredibly passionate about. And now, I can say I’ve seen the same magic in volunteering.
I’d like to share just three of the magical things I’ve learnt about volunteering in the past year or so…
Say ‘yes’ to the unknown
It’s much easier to say ‘no’ when what lies in front of you is unknown. The natural reaction to fear is to walk the other way. But, when you’re brave enough to jump the first hurdle and commit, then the magic starts. You’re in, no backing out. My first experience was to create and deliver a CV writing workshop in Brixton prison. But I started questioning myself – can I do this, will they hate me, it’s supposed to be three hours, what if it collapses in 5 minutes? Do I even know what a good CV is..? All questions I could only answer by actually doing it. And of course, when the time comes the experience might not be the perfect carbon copy of your plan, but I can guarantee you it will be full of value to everyone involved. Why? Because you’re there, you’re doing something positive, your helping – maybe a little, hopefully a lot, but you’re helping – and it’s because you were brave enough to say that one magical word: ‘yes’.
All you need is you
Last week, I read an article on volunteering and in one passage, the author wrote “passion and positivity are all you need”. I couldn’t agree more. I’m a huge believer in transferrable skills, and through the passion and positivity of volunteering you will undoubtedly learn that you know more than you think you do. Even if it’s as simple as knowing how to talk to someone, no matter who they are, or connecting with someone who is as different to you as you could imagine. Or simply being able to listen. We all have something in us that can make a difference – and what you know from your everyday world can be applied to one you never imagined. It works. So don’t think you need a specific set of skills, a raft of experience, a particular personality – all you actually need is yourself. Because we all have magic in us.
Education
