By Burham, Lourdes, Morgan and Mike, November 2024
We are Burham, Lourdes, Morgan and Mike and we are Volunteering Hub Creator volunteers! Our volunteering role is all about deciding what this new Volunteering Hub is going to be like and what articles or videos we want on there. We decided it would be good to have an article on what volunteering means.
Volunteering is helping others without getting paid. It can include things like helping in your community or supporting charities. It benefits both people and communities.
Volunteering isn’t when you help yourself. When you clean your house you aren’t paid but you are helping yourself and not other people. This is still an important thing to do but it’s different to volunteering. If you were cleaning in care home or a charity shop, you would be volunteering.
Volunteering isn’t the same as having a job. When you have a job you get paid with money. Volunteers don’t get paid with money. Volunteering can help you to get a paid job because it helps you to get more experience and to learn new skills. Sometimes you might be given free drinks or vouchers but this is still different to having a paid job.
Volunteering isn’t doing the gardening in your own home. When you do gardening at home you aren’t paid but you are helping yourself and not other people. This is still a good thing to do but it’s different to volunteering. If you did gardening at a community garden, you would be volunteering because other people can enjoy a community garden, not just you.
Activities aren’t volunteering. If you are going to an activity it is to do something fun that you enjoy. Going bowling or clubbing is fun for you but it isn’t helping other people. Activities are good for trying new things and meeting new people. They can help you to improve your confidence ready for trying volunteering.
If you pay to take part in the session it isn’t volunteering. You don’t need to pay to do volunteering. If you pay then it is an activity or a support service. You need to pay for things like day centres and some activities like swimming or yoga.
Training is different to volunteering. When you are training you aren’t paid but you aren’t helping other people either. Training is good because it helps you to learn new things and it helps you to be a good volunteer.
Examples of volunteering are:
- Dog walking for Cardiff Dogs Home. This is because you aren’t paid and you aren’t just helping yourself. You are helping to look after the dogs by giving them some exercise and helping them to get used to new people.
- Volunteer Hub Creators and Testers. This is because you aren’t paid and you aren’t just helping yourself. If you are helping to improve the volunteering hub by testing it out or sharing your ideas you are helping other people. The Volunteering Hub will be better thanks to your help.
- Conservation at Porthkerry Park. This is because you aren’t paid and you aren’t just helping yourself. You are helping to make the park better for the visitors and the plants and animals that live there.
- History volunteering with the Secret Garden Project. This is because you aren’t paid and you aren’t just helping yourself. You are helping the museum and its visitors to learn more about the people who used to live there.
- Policy Group volunteering with Participation. This is because you aren’t paid and you aren’t just helping yourself. You are helping the people supported by Innovate to be supported in a way they like.
