Note: One of the greatest Christmas movies EVER! besides Love Actually
Christmas is slowly gaining upon all of us, for those with children it can be a time of bliss and happiness. To wake up and see your children’s faces, as they quickly become overwhelmed by the sight of the over stacked present and a half-eaten carrot left by Rudolph. It’s also the time that we get to see all the family members that we hugely avoid all year, I mean love seeing… well at least pretend to for the day.
But before I continuously ramble on about how much I love Christmas (Bah humbug) I must dive into talking about gifting Santa’s real helpers.
Santa’s real helpers
Volunteers are very much the real helpers in the world. Like Elves, volunteers work tirelessly without pay and put the needs of others before themselves all year round. Such selfless acts should not go unrecognised. So I think it would only be right if we all rewarded our helpers with a little something this Christmas. A thank you is all very well and an excellent way to show your appreciation. But at Christmas, everyone loves a present.
I’ve made a list, I’ve checked it twice and I know which gifts are just right…
Custom thank you boxes
A cost-effective gift that can be customed to your helpers. Perhaps more for the lady helpers in the world, but will look very impressive under the tree. In the box could be bath bombs, creams, soaps and candles (no one holds a candle to you). You can thank me for that one later.
Handwritten cards
Simple but a handwritten heartfelt card with true meaning will pull at the heartstrings of your helpers. The words which you write will really count.
Helping hand tree
Volunteers love a personal touch! Which I highly recommend for those helpers who work with children. Using cut-outs of the children’s hands and getting them to write a small personal message. This would be a well-received gift.
Thank You for your Thyme Plant
Small but comical gesture for your helpers, after all, they have spent a lot of their thyme with you. Maybe it’s about thyme you gave some back… Okay, I’ll stop now.
Christmas Party
Go on throw a Christmas party, celebrate your volunteers for a whole evening. Awards, certificates and special guest speakers would help show your true appreciation to your helpers. Watch out for Mary on the double Ports though!
Everyone loves a mug
Now we know for a fact, volunteers love a good cuppa tea. And I’m sure as a volunteer manager you know only too well. So logically your helpers would probably appreciate a customised mug.
The true spirit
No matter what you end up giving your volunteers this Christmas, really it doesn’t matter. Providing you’ve put sincerity behind your gift I’m sure your helpers will be thankful to have received something.
“You’re joking not ANOTHER one?!” The viral video from the last General Election still stands relevant today only two years later. In a time where Brexit has had more dates than most of the British public, we’re back awaiting yet another General Election.
There have been six elections in my 20 years on this Earth and four of them have happened since 2010.
That’s four elections in nine years.
If we were sticking to how often elections were actually supposed to take place we’d be waiting for our second election since 2010 right now… I think it’s fair to say our current government is quite unstable.
Anyway, I digress. The real reason for this blog is to highlight how these election campaigns would be nothing without the hard work of volunteers. Work that is probably made even harder with the rate we’re having these elections at.
Campaign volunteers for all parties work tirelessly to traverse through neighbourhoods, talking to residents and giving out leaflets that will probably just end up in the bin. (If you do bin them at least recycle… Especially if it’s a Green leaflet you’re binning.)
Without the work of these volunteers, politicians from all parties would not be able to get their messages out as quickly and reach as many people across the country. In some places, volunteers even offer services to help people get to their polling station, giving everyone as much chance as possible to vote.
What can volunteer managers learn from political campaign volunteering?
Flexibility
The flexible nature of campaign volunteering could inspire the structure of other volunteering opportunities. For many people, volunteering is too time-consuming and structured to fit around their busy schedules. What campaign volunteering does well is it allows the volunteer to choose when they give their time, with no real commitments. This opens up the opportunities to a wider range of people who are willing to help out.
Another thing is the range of activities volunteers can choose from. A quick visit to any party’s website shows you that you can do a range of activities. From knocking on local residents’ doors to inputting data and answering phone calls in offices. Flexibility like this is likely to encourage more people to sign up and volunteer.
If volunteer recruitment is what you’re after, maybe look to campaign volunteering for some tips.
Use of Technology
Technology is used massively in elections. Especially in today’s society where we seem to go no longer than five minutes without our phones. In particular, parties make use of social media to both rally supporters and attack the opposition.
Hopefully, more general examples of volunteer management don’t involve attacking anyone online. We can still learn a thing or two from the use of social media platforms to communicate with volunteers and get them enthusiastic about opportunities.
Making information about opportunities more accessible, i.e. posting about them on social media, will encourage volunteers to sign up. Posting about experiences of other opportunities – perhaps with pictures/video from the day – can also help new volunteers feel more comfortable deciding to work with your organisation.
Take a look at this tweet from the Labour Party. Here, they recognise and show the work of their volunteers. This would certainly make me more comfortable with the idea of doing some campaign volunteering!
As millions went back to work yesterday, thousands of you hit streets and stations across the country to protest against #TheDailySqueeze
We want to say a massive thank you to our brilliant volunteers! If you were out campaigning, see if you can spot yourself in our video 👇 pic.twitter.com/tPp5kDm7WS
We offer volunteer management software for organisations of all sizes. This includes tools to recruit, manage, and reward volunteers. For more information on how we can help you, feel free to contact us on social media (Twitter/Facebook), visit our website, or give us a ring on 0161 914 5757.
More than 1 billion people volunteer globally, as you can imagine that is a lot of volunteering hours to be added up. In fact, this is equivalent to 109 million full-time workers. Safe to say that volunteer managers have their work cut out for them, but why do we need so many volunteers?
1. Richness is not what you think
You can spend endless money on watches, clothes and gadgets. But how much have you spent being there for the ones we love and care about the most?
Do possessions make you rich? Well, I don’t have that type of richness. My richness is life forever.
Bob marley
Volunteers are not there for the money, but only to be of assistance to others they can work and connect with. Not because they’re employed to, but because they want to. They put their needs before others without monetary requirements – it’s purely from the heart. Here at TeamKinetic, we have been able to witness millions of logged hours from thousands of volunteers, it’s simply astonishing to see and we hope to see many many more wonderful people engaging with fantastic volunteering opportunities.
2. The greatest gift of all
Volunteers truly grant their greatest gift of all. Time. We’re all constantly caught up in the rat race of busy working lives, sometimes I think a few extra hours in the day would be a blessing.
Volunteers give their time day in, day out. This value can not be quantified or replaced, but it can be valued and respected. We can all agree that without volunteers’ generosity, many services and experiences would be much worse off.
3. Lights in the darkness
Volunteers provide comfort for those who are going through difficult times in their lives. A small light in the darkness can really affect someone in a million different ways. It’s the light that sparks hope that someone cares and is willing to spend time but most importantly listen. Read more about how volunteers are making others feel better about themselves, visit Samaritans and see the true difference being made by volunteers for yourself.
4. Resilience and reliability
Volunteers weave safety nets within various organisations which give organisations a resilient and reliable backbone of support which can help the structure and workflow within many organisations.
Volunteering creates solidarity and connections among people by working together to build resilient communities. At TeamKinetic we know the importance of being able to build and unite people through volunteer management. Management allows volunteers to be able to join and find opportunities easily within communities.
5. Irreplaceable value
We take many things for granted in life, how many of us allow ourselves to sit back and take a moment to appreciate one another?
The same goes for volunteers.
The value a volunteer holds is irreplaceable. Every volunteer is different in their own way. Although volunteers may be completing the same opportunity, each will have characteristics which make them uniquely valuable.
Five seems such a small collection and I assure you, there are many more reasons why we need volunteers. We champion the idea, that our customers and users, to value and respect volunteers more often. They achieve a lot more than we sometimes imagine, they truly are the backbone of many brilliant organisations.
You can find TeamKinetic on social media and listen to our podcast:
Volunteer managers are vital to a number of organisations and do a lot more than you may even realise. Managers should be celebrated all year, not just on the 5th of November. We’d like to say a huge well done to all the volunteer managers we work with and have met; keep up the amazing work!
Importance of volunteering
Let’s go back to basics… Why should we place so much importance on volunteering in the first place?
Well, volunteering has a range of benefits:
It’s good for your mental and physical health.
It connects you to others, allowing you to make friends and improve social skills.
It can advance your career, teaching you valuable job (and life) skills.
It brings fun and fulfilment to your life while letting you give back to your local community.
Even reduces the risk of mortality!
Volunteer Managers
Volunteer managers all across the world help to bring these benefits to people who work with their organisation, making them one of the most important positions at any non-profit. They have to keep volunteers engaged, excited about the work, and productive. It is also important that the volunteer manager thank volunteers for their contributions by any small means possible, being polite can mean a lot to your volunteers.
While the volunteer manager is responsible for rewarding their volunteers, we believe they should be recognized for all their hard work too. What better day to celebrate them on than International Volunteer Managers Day?
Perfect time to say thank you
If you’re a volunteer, work for a non-profit, or just know someone who is a volunteer manager, why not send them a quick message thanking them for all their hard work? And if you’ve come across this blog on any day other than the 5th of November, you can still thank them! We shouldn’t feel like we need an excuse to appreciate the hard work of others.
Thinking of becoming a volunteer manager?
Here are a few things you can expect to be in your job role.
Working with departments within your own organisation or with organisations for which you’re recruiting volunteers (e.g. charities and councils). By understanding how they work and developing partnerships.
Generating appropriate volunteering opportunities based on the needs of the organisation.
Promoting volunteering (internally and externally) through recruitment and publicity strategies and campaigns.
Ensuring there are appropriate supports and training for volunteers.
This is just a few, to say the least, but you never know what your future may hold. We could be celebrating you on a day like today.
Are you a volunteer manager wondering how to make your life easier?
Why not look into volunteer management software? It can save you massive amounts of time and let you direct your efforts to what really matters. What’s more, any good system will allow your volunteers to take ownership of their accounts, show you a variety of reports, and enable you to reward those who give their time for you.
If you’re interested, go to our website, follow us on socials, and check out what TeamKinetic can do for you.
Fresh air and endless miles of thick grass green carpets cover the many hills and mountains across the English countryside. Doesn’t sound like the worst place to volunteer. Volunteering for any National park or green space across the UK is an excellent way to be active outdoors. England is fortunate enough to have ten national parks spread across the country. So why not get involved? Volunteering in green areas can include a whole range of excellent opportunities.
Peak District National Park volunteers
Osian Wilson
Osian, who is autistic, started as a Youth Ranger and now volunteers almost every day. During his time as a volunteer Osian has built drystone walls, repaired paths, pulled ragwort, cut bracken, planted trees, felled trees, litter picked and carried out ecological surveys. Osian spends at least 9 hours a week volunteering.
MTB Volunteers
The Peak District MTB volunteers participate in a number of activities to protect, promote and preserve mountain biking in the national park. Members work voluntarily with The Peak District National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council, carrying out sensitive repairs to many of the most popular trails in the Peak District
Which opportunities are best suited for you?
Volunteer Rangers
You could be like John Wayne Or at least pretend to be…
Volunteer Rangers commit themselves to help maintain the National Parks. Rangers can expect a whole variety of tasks, from being up to their waists in waders, to helping park tourists. The excitement of being a Ranger is that every day can bring new challenges with the opportunities to work alongside new people. This may seem like something just for the older adults however, young rangers can start from the age of 14.
How do you fancy?
Red Squirrel transects to monitor squirrel behaviors and populations.
Interacting with visitors is an essential part of being a Ranger. Especially in the busy summer Holidays.
Building otter holts to encourage otters to re-colonise and breed along waterways.
Cotswold Wardens
You could also be like Ned Stark (warden of the North). But we all know how that ended…
Anyone can become a Cotswold warden (Not everyone can be John Wayne though). All that is required is a commitment, willingness and a positive attitude. In exchange for your hard work wardens are provided with full training, all the equipment they need and travel expenses.
Activities can include
Working Parties take part in a range of projects from drystone walling, hedge laying, and tree planting to installing kissing gates and pond restoration.
Parish wardens work closely with parish councils, farmers and residents to help keep footpaths open and identify local features in need of restoration.
Guided Walks, the Cotswold Way is one of the very famous walking paths among many which attracts thousands of tourists each year.
Maybe you could help with school assemblies and days out exploring the Cotswolds.
The National Trust received over 61,000 volunteers between 2017 and 2018 giving more than 4.6 million hours of their free time to chip in and help the National Trust. Could this be you in the upcoming year?
TVC aims to make happier healthier communities. Many urban communities lack green space TVC aims to unite communities and green spaces together to deliver lasting outcomes for both.
Wildlife Trusts are located across the UK totalling to 35,000 regular and casual volunteers. There are many ways volunteers can devote their free time to help wildlife from, species surveying, community gardening, plant identification and the many more opportunities for you to explore.
People don’t get access to as much green space as they should to stay healthy, this can be because of many reasons. Nature of your job role, city living and limited green areas. So why not try to get out there? Think volunteering and think green!
You may have witnessed driving past a rescue team late at night in gruelling weather conditions, with deafening sirens and eye-capturing flashing lights. Or alternatively, you may know someone personally who may have ended their night by dialling the emergency services. Many UK rescue teams work voluntarily like Mountain Rescue and British Red Cross. But why would anyone want to keep volunteering for a cause which is considered physically and mentally tiring?
Here are 5 ways how your organisation can help retain your hardworking volunteers and keep them smiling.
1. Be Realistic
The Earth isn’t flat.
Let us skip back to basics if you want to engage your volunteers. Opportunities should have actionable goals in which will enable your volunteers to be successful when volunteering. If your volunteers have no clear set of directions, then how will he or she find their way? Volunteers also need to be clear on what your organisation stands for. Volunteers should be made clear of your mission and vision statements. This will then allow them to understand the type of organisation they are working for. Retaining volunteers to work coherently to achieving what your business wants will help aid success.
2. Show Results
It’s all very well getting volunteers to join opportunities, however where are the results? Showing results is highly important to positively motivate your volunteers. Volunteers want to hear feedback from an opportunity they have participated in. This can easily be communicated in a polite informal email or text, this would make the volunteer then feel valued. It’s key that your volunteers feel valued for their efforts. Because this generates a sense of belonging, which is a key psychological need which will help retain volunteers. Volunteers who feel like they belong will not need to leave.
3. Communicate And Recognize
The best way to establish trust between an organisation and its volunteers is to talk to them. This is a really simple way of further developing relationships. Which can be done over a vast amount of platforms, emails, text messages, phone calls, and social media. It’s important to know where your audience is so you can communicate with them in the most appropriate form.
Everybody likes to be recognized for their achievements, even your non-profit volunteers. This recognition will stimulate a sense of gratitude between the volunteers and yourselves, making them want to volunteer again. A key part of retaining volunteers is recognising any type of achievement because this affects the self-esteem of anybody. Think about yourself for a moment, would you like an achievement you’ve done to be praised? I know personally that any form of praise or congratulations lifts my mood and motivates me to keep on the right path. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a huge gesture, it could be verbal or written. Volunteers who are recognized for their achievements are more likely to have higher self-esteem, a more positive outlook on life, and better mental health.
4. Involve the community
Try to be inclusive to everyone to retain volunteers, by encouraging volunteers to get neighbours, friends, and family members from the community to join opportunities with them. This will only make the experience more enjoyable for the volunteer. We all need to feel emotionally and physically safe, and we all need close supportive relationships. A sense of community provides this, by giving local people a voice to connect with one another and meet new people.
5. Volunteer Management
Does your organisation offer opportunities which are concise, clear and easy to connect to online. If not, then it will be vitally important that you consider using volunteering management software. If your services are easy to use then you are ten times more likely to retain existing volunteers. Making your volunteering management system easier will help your organisations productivity, plus will help the volunteers connect to your opportunities. Statistically, adults over the age of 65 are more likely to volunteer; this age group of people do not consider themselves to be most confident online and are hesitant to use a computer. Meaning the simpler your online portal, the more likely you will be to retain existing volunteers.
A final note from Teamkinetic
Although these five tips for retaining volunteer are important to follow, it’s equally important to note. People consistently volunteer because volunteering is aligned and persistent with their own personal characteristics and self-image. People value what they are doing and are able to extract benefits from the volunteering experience, which helps with their own self-growth. Like anything in life people either want to do something or they don’t, you won’t be able to retain everyone. Although we hope you can.
World Mental Health Day is a day of global mental health awareness and education, which aims to eliminate the stigma behind mental health. Life, as we all know, can be difficult and these problems can arise and affect many of us in a whole range of ways. How our bodies cope with this can have different effects on our mind and soul. Before we judge one another be mindful of what that person may have gone through, what wars they may have battled and what obstacles they may have overcome or maybe overcoming. It’s time to leave our judgmental thoughts and started looking after each other. The world we live in today faces too much animosity and hostility. We must all learn to love and get along with one another, we all live in one world – it’s time we became one and start working together.
Mental Health in the UK
Around one in four people in the UK will suffer from mental health issues each year, while only one in eight people are receiving treatment for mental health. One in six people in England each week suffer from a common mental health issue such as depression and anxiety.
A total of 70.9 million prescriptions for anti-depressants were given out in England in 2018 by the NHS. This is an increase of 3.4 million from 2017 to 2018. From 2015 to 2018 the number of prescriptions for anti-depressants for young people increased by almost 1 million! From these figures, it is clear to say mental health is an issue which is rising in the UK.
Causes of mental health issues
Mental health issues can affect people for a wide range of reasons. Trauma, loss, isolation, abuse, unemployment and the list keeps going. For many individuals, it’s a various combination of factors/experiences which have lead to negative outcomes. Yet everyone is different, one person’s mental stability will have different variances to what they are more tolerant of than others.
Social media
Over the last decade, social media has grown dramatically making each and every one of us more connected than we ever have been. Developing relationships which are halfway around the world is now a reality. On average a person in the UK checks their phone 28 times per day! It often makes me think what has the world come to, is this right? or is this wrong? or is this just the world we live in today and this is merely just evolution?
Implications of social media
The bottom line is that social media can have a detrimental effect on our mental health. Especially on the younger generation. Who are almost dependable on their mobile device, almost feeling lost without it. I know myself only being 20 that I do find it hard to break away from my device, I’m not proud of this and I do wish I could separate away more easily. Essentially social media is minimizing the human connections we make with one another. Limiting our social and communication skills in the real world because our heads are buried way beneath endless tweets and trending hashtags. Taking us away from the real world and keeping us trapped in virtual reality. Where we only care about our virtual selves and how others view us on various social platforms.
Low self-esteem is something young people suffer with when scrawling down photoshop perfect Instagram profiles. Where the immaculate and perfect image is captured – after hours upon hours of makeup editing and light adjustments! A study found people suffer from envy and self-doubt, as a result of comparing their own lives to those which are deemed to have the perfect lavish lifestyles we apparently all crave.
This leads me to say that it’s no wonder that social media is leading to unhappiness in people if used without caution. Causing anxiety and depression. We’re in a constant battle with ourselves to be better than everyone else, to look and dress the best, when really we should be happy and comfortable in our own skins. However many of generation Z have realised their infatuation with their smartphones and social media and have begun to quit various platforms. In an attempt to restore their mental health.
Volunteering and Mental Health
Volunteering can significantly boost your mental health and well-being. Mental and emotional well-being was found to be better in those who volunteer frequently, and worse in those who didn’t offer their help in any form. Recently universities in Birmingham and Southampton conducted a survey of 5,000 households across the UK. Those that volunteered regularly scored six per cent higher on the health and wellbeing.
Older generations
Voluntary work done by those over the age of 65 is set to be worth £5bn more in 2020 than it was in 2010. Volunteering provides a purpose and meaning, especially to older people who may find themselves more isolated than they used to be. Allowing them to build a social network of friends in which they can meet up with on a regular basis improving the well-being of the volunteer. The association is simple, the higher your well-being the more inclined you will feel to help others. Vice versa, the more you help others the higher your state of well-being.
Unemployed
Those in unemployment tend to have lower self-esteem and mental health. Without employment, people find it hard to motivate themselves for the day ahead. They have no structure, paid income, and feel they have less of an identity. Voluntary work will be able to benefit someone who is unemployed, helping them regain structure in life. Although the work is unpaid and will not be able to replace that aspect, it still gives people meaning and purpose.
Employers are more likely to employ someone has done voluntary work, over someone who has not. Volunteering allows you to acquire skills and knowledge which can be put to good use in employment, demonstrating higher levels of productivity as a potential employee. Also, it’s not just about what you know, it’s who you know to get you in the front door! Volunteering allows people to network giving them the opportunity to meet people they may never have met before, which could lead to great employment opportunities further on.
On a final note
As many of you already know TeamKinetic is a strong believer in volunteering and all the good in which can come from volunteering. But today the most important message of all is to be aware of mental health issues globally. If you suffer from mental health issues seek help and seek advice, don’t be afraid to talk to.
See below specialist mental health services.
The Samaritans offer emotional support 24 hours a day, in full confidence. Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
Mind provides information on a range of mental health topics to support people in their own area from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday. Call 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk.
Anxiety UK runs a helpline staffed by volunteers with personal experience of anxiety from 9:30-5:30, Monday to Friday. Call 08444 775 774.
MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for all adults.
There are many alarming issues highlighted in today’s society. Unemployment, lack of funding in the NHS, the destruction of our environment, and of course Brexit – just to name a few! However, not all stories are so negative. There are thousands of volunteering stories that are challenging some of these issues.
Unemployment
Currently, 3.7% of the UK are not in work – that’s around 2.5 million people! Now, some of you may be thinking “what’s that got to do with volunteering?”. Many studies & statistics show that volunteering can help boost employment for individuals. Sports clubs, in particular, have done a lot to boost employment opportunities through volunteering.
Newcastle United FC transformed the life of one of their staff who came to England from Syria as a refugee. Hikmat didn’t know much English or have many qualifications, but his attitude and desire to learn were unmatched. Despite his lack of experience, Newcastle took on Hikmat in a volunteering role, giving him a chance to prove himself. Since starting in 2013, he has been directly involved in many Premier League projects including helping out at children’s hospitals over the busy Christmas period.
Helping the elderly
Numerous elderly people
in the United Kingdom have no living children or close relatives to help them
in their daily care. Many relocate to areas which are far from their hometown,
making it nearly impossible to provide the assistance required. As a result,
many seniors spend much of their time living in isolation and loneliness. They
often rely on the services of volunteers to provide services and opportunities
for socialisation and entertainment.
These findings imply
that adolescent volunteering may increase resilience over time and that
school-based volunteering programs may help prevent criminal involvement over
the course of a person’s life.
It would also suggest that volunteering from an early age is likely to mean that you are less prone to getting into trouble with the law. This will be beneficial to today’s society and it lays down a foundation for future generations.
Inspire the adults of tomorrow, today!
Building on the point of
reducing crime rates, giving the youth of today a positive role model is
important. Young people aspire to be who they look up to and who that person is
can change the course of their life. Because of this, by pushing young people
to volunteer the chances are they are less likely to look up to people who may
be a bad influence, and more likely to want to be someone who brings something
positive to society.
In 2018, only 39% of people aged 16-24 volunteered and even some of those people only said that they did it once a year. A lot needs to be done to drastically increase this number if we want to improve society and produce a higher amount of upstanding adults. Highlighting the charitable work that celebrities do would be a good way to inspire the youth to volunteer.
People such as Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, and Miley Cyrus have all been heavily involved with charitable work in the past (stay tuned for a blog on celeb charity work!). These role models can help give a positive stigma around the way charity work/volunteering is viewed.
Volunteers make great events
It’s not only the deprived that can use volunteering to change their lives. Many major events use volunteers and without them, the events simply wouldn’t be possible. In the 2012 Olympics over 70,000 “games makers” made the games what they were. Many international fans and athletes described the volunteers as “world-class”, see the video below for more.
A further event that was made successful by volunteering was the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The tournament had a total of around 2,500 volunteers with roles that varied from; welcoming fans to organising matches and helping out the media. The volunteers were given their own space: The Volunteer Centre. This was described as a friendly, hospitable space, where volunteers could get together, chat about their experiences and have some fun when they are off duty. Hear more about the World Cup volunteers in this video.
Volunteers at both these events had to pay for their travel to and from some paying huge amounts to get to do their particular roles. However, many said that it was the best experience of their lives and it was all totally worth it.
Read more about how volunteering has helped sporting events here.
How can TeamKinetic help?
Managing volunteers can often be a big struggle for people in the third sector. This is where TeamKinetic can help you. We offer a volunteer management system that can help you recruit, manage and retain your volunteers. If you would like to find out more please do not hesitate to visit our website and book a free demo today!
Alternatively, you can contact us on our social media pages:
No, I’m not joking and no I haven’t got the secret for that either…but anyway, often volunteering is recommended for older adults to keep them active and busy. People aged 65 and over are the age group most likely to have volunteered recently. As we get older many people naturally slow down however we should only gear up!
I can rest when I’m dead, I’m too busy living.
My beloved Great nan
Volunteering can cover a wide spectrum, from volunteering locally or abroad through various organisations. The nature of how you volunteer is irrelevant really, it’s the spirit of volunteering which really counts.
Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology suggests that volunteering can have clear benefits which improve the psychological and physical well-being of the volunteer, not just the recipient.
Research by psychologist Stephanie Brown indicates volunteering helps manage stress, provides greater relationship satisfaction, reduces depression, and the biggie – increase your life expectancy. Taking into consideration medical history, age, social activity and other uninteresting factors. But volunteering appears to reduce the risk of death by 25% – which is a good enough reason for me!
Stress-less volunteer more
Don’t stress, it’s more likely to cause death! Stress plays a large factor in our bodies immune system and volunteering reduces that stress. The act of helping elicits feelings of usefulness. This produces the hormones oxytocin and progesterone which bring feelings of happiness and combats the symptoms of stress.
Working too hard!
Overworked volunteers can become stressed which doesn’t allow them to receive all the health benefits from volunteering. Your volunteering like anything should be managed and controlled. Volunteer management is very important and should be done to prevent burnout and increasing, instead of decreasing, stress.
What to take from this
Those who devote time, about 100 hours per year (just 10 days), are most likely to exhibit positive health outcomes from volunteering. The secret to a happy and healthy life is to remain mentally and physically active right up until the very end, especially after retirement, and volunteering is an excellent way to achieve that. That’s what my Great Nan did!
Across Greater Manchester, 5,564 people are homeless. Homelessness in Manchester City Centre has dramatically increased over the past 5 years.
What is Nightstop?
Nightstop is a service run by Depaul UK. It provides young homeless people with emergency overnight accommodation. Saving them from facing a night on the streets or an unsafe place. The services are run by communities and charities in more than 31 locations around the UK, including Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow.
Nightstop is a unique project which relies on volunteer hosts to provide a safe, welcoming place for young people in crisis. These hosts are ordinary members of the community who volunteer to open their homes to young people aged 16 to 25. In 2018, they had 603 registered volunteer homes which helped provide a safe place for 1,224 young people to stay the night.
Why it’s needed
The service they provide is admirable, opening your home to a stranger can’t be easy but these volunteers are helping to tackle what has, unfortunately, become quite a big problem in Manchester. Recent research shows that Manchester has one of the highest rough sleeping rates in the country, as well as the highest number of deaths of homeless people. This is an issue that needs to be addressed and Depaul are doing that through all their work – including this service.
We recently visited the Nightstop Greater Manchester offices to meet with the team and learn more about what they do. We got some great stories from some amazing volunteers as well as their service manager. The work they do for homeless young people is inspiring.
From left to right:Rosemary (Volunteer), Dave (Nightstop Service Manager), Beth (Community Partnership Coordinator at Depaul UK), Milo (TeamKinetic).
We’ll be uploading a new video from our visit to Nightstop every day this week, either on YouTube, social media, or both – so keep your eyes peeled!
