Tag: Christmas Volunteering

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Volunteering over Christmas, from a younger heart. 

Volunteers

I don’t know about you but I can’t think of a Christmas that has had so little joy in the build-up (and I consider the two Covid pandemic Christmas’s). A combination of war in Europe, the cost of living, the state of play with the climate, and even the weather with the recent cold spell seem to be inviting us to have a pessimistic outlook on the festivities. You could say there is no point fighting reality or you could, as I’m about to suggest, think of things from the heart and let that bring a glimmer of joy to the end of 2022. 

Christmas is always an interesting time for volunteering and volunteers. It is during this period that society notices the contribution of volunteers and the voluntary sector the most. The massive efforts put in to ensure rough-sleepers get some relief. The reaching out to the lonely and isolated. The collecting of items to pass on to children who have very little. The food banks bulging with generosity being distributed widely (too widely for a first world country in the 21st century, some would say) to families in need. All these things can be seen and they remind us that we still have a population that wishes to contribute and assist. 

It is also a tradition that people offer themselves up quite at this time of year, engaging in the volunteering activities listed above: a sign that the spirit and drive of volunteering lives on regardless of the harsh realities of the year that is ending. This annual influx of volunteers is made possible by the meticulous organisation and preparation of homeless shelters, toy banks, food banks and befriending schemes. All of them need to plan months in advance to ensure volunteers are trained and DBS checked.  

If there is one part of 2022 that lifts my spirits it is the age demographic change that has taken place. Understandably there has been a noticeable drop in the cohort we used to call “time rich” (retired in old money) since the pandemic. Usually, this would be a cause for concern but actually what has happened is a younger cohort, one we were struggling to connect with pre-Covid, has stood up to more than compensate for the decline in older volunteers. This is a development that raises spirits across the age demographic, even the most jaundiced of volunteer managers will be heartened by this development. 

Of course, if we can persuade those with extensive life experience back into volunteering we would have the best of both worlds. Combining the enthusiasm of the young with the knowledge of the old. Imagine the successful delivery of all the vital tasks needed over Christmas and New Year and the goals that could be achieved this time next year. Volunteering is being reinvigorated by the young who are putting their hearts into it, that for me provides more to look forward to than any lack of enthusiasm generated by the headlines. Christmas 2022 can be enjoyed and all of us at Volunteering Kingston wish you all the joy there is for the festive period.  

 

By Michael Green

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Celebrate the festive season by giving your time

 

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, people are often keen to volunteer at this time of year. Here are some great ways of giving back.

Giving time at the British Heart Foundation

The British Heart Foundation is looking for volunteers to help out at their shops in Kingston over the Christmas period as many of their regular volunteers are on holiday. Email burrowsj@bhf.org.uk to find out more.

Image: Asma volunteering at the British Heart Foundation shop in Kingston for Christmas

 

Support Oxfam Christmas with your time

Christmas is a very busy time for Oxfam shops with just a short window of opportunity to capitalise on people searching for perfect sustainable presents. The money raised funds Oxfam’s emergency and development work all over the world, for example providing clean water and sanitation to camps for displaced people.

The role will mainly incorporate:

* Offering great customer service

* Managing transactions through the till

* Receiving donations

* Keeping the shop floor looking beautiful

* Ensuring stock levels are maintained

No previous experience is required but enthusiasm and cheerful nature are essential.

Please pop into your nearest Oxfam shop or contact Judi via email (jthompson2@oxfam.org.uk) for further information. Roles are available in New Malden, Surbiton,  Kingston Town and Kingston Riverside.

 

Welcoming new arrivals

The Refugee Council are asking for people to write letters of welcome to families arriving from Afghanistan. Write your message of hope.

 

Raising money and awareness

If there is a cause that is particularly important to you, this season is a great way of raising money and awareness as people want to get together and think about others.

Some ideas:

* Hold a Christmas film viewing party – charge people to vote for their favourite film

* A Christmassy coffee morning to raise money for a cause

* Toy donation drive

* Fundraising walk or fun run

If you are collecting items to be donated, make sure that you check with the charities beforehand whether they have the capacity and space to receive the items and what they need. Generally, money, gift cards or brand new items are preferred.

 

Mitzvah day

Jewish people come together on 21st November this year for Mitzvah Day, the largest faith-led day of social action. Find out more here.

 

Involving your family in volunteering

If you want your children to be thinking of something other than what Father Christmas

* Contact your local residential service for older people and ask if they are interested in receiving letters/cards/drawings

* Get involved in some wintery micro-volunteering! Have a look at some activities here from The Conservation Volunteers

* Donating toys and books to charity shops

* Litter picking

 

Contact local groups and churches

Bigger charities that hold specific Christmas events (e.g. for people experiencing homelessness) will normally have their volunteering needs organised months in advance. However, smaller groups and churches may welcome an eager volunteer. So contact your local older people’s group, put a post in the communities’ WhatsApp group or pop down to your local church and find out how you can get involved.

 

Help Princess Alice Hospice raise vital funds as a Santa Fun Run volunteer

Support the Santas with your festive good cheer as they run around Bushy Park on 5th and 12th December or spread the word about the event. Find out more here.

 

Volunteering for your health and wellbeing

With lots of parties, treats and long movie marathons Christmas is not always the healthiest time of year. Volunteering is great for your mental health and you can also volunteer in ways that improve your fitness.

Join people from over the country to create a National Walking Network as part of SlowWays. Go for a walk in your local area and record it on the website.

Get involved with GoodGym and get fit while helping out with activities to support local charities.

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Involving volunteers in this most unusual of festive seasons

Lots of people get the volunteering urge in the run-up to Christmas, from the desire to teach their children that there is more to the day than presents to the need to clear their head after too many mulled wines, it Is always a period for people to give their time.

This year, with many of the usual celebrations altered or stopped altogether, many people will be even more keen to volunteer.

For organisations, managing volunteer interest during a busy time can be a challenge. Please see the tips below for how to support and involve volunteers – and make the most of the season of goodwill.

Keeping Christmas safe

Regardless of restrictions, people have always been permitted to volunteer outside their home if necessary. People who are extremely clinically vulnerable are advised not to go to work or volunteer outside of the home. When recruiting for roles which involved leading the home, please inform volunteers of the steps you have taken to keep them safe and ask them to confirm that they are not in a group asked to take extra care.

Organisations must take precautions as much as possible when using volunteers to deliver services in person. Please check our resource bank and the government guidance on how to keep people safe. Please get in touch with us if you’d like some bespoke advice.

Spreading joy at home

As we will be spending a lot more time at home why not encourage people who want to volunteer to get involved from the comfort of their sitting rooms? This is a great way of softening the blow to people who wanted to get out there volunteering, as well as keeping your current volunteers engaged and feeling rewarded.

Ideas to encourage volunteering from home:

*  Writing Christmas cards to service users – whether you give out their names (with permission) or just have people write ‘Hello’, this can be great if you are supporting people likely to be lonely this Christmas.

*  Zoom carol services.

*  Lots of people have clear-outs before and after Christmas – so encourage them to donate to your charity shop or why not look into creating an eBay shop?

*  Socially distanced Santa fun run. Rather than a parade of Santas running down the high street, you could have people run their usual running route in fancy dress and encourage people to spot Father Christmas ‘in the wild’.

*  Families will be looking for lots of activities to get the little ones busy over the Christmas holidays. Here are some ideas that engage families – they could be charged for as part of a fundraising campaign, but it is worth bearing in mind that many families will be struggling with finances this year, therefore, price accordingly – you could also allow entries based on ‘pay what you can’.

  1. Christmas drawing competitions
  2. Photo competition – the strangest place to find Santa’s elves
  3. Creative writing – e.g. wishes for 2021
  4. Toy clear out – encouraging donations for your charity shop. Send out digital certificates for children who donate toys etc.

*  Recording Christmas messages for service users – a great task for existing volunteers. They could record themselves singing Christmas songs, reading Christmas stories (for children in particular) and tell so-bad-they’re-good cracker jokes.

Once someone has been involved in a small way, they often are interested in volunteering more. Make sure to follow up with volunteers (if they consent!) with details of any volunteering opportunities in the new year.

Christmas free zones

Some people, after a difficult year, will be looking forward to the festivity and joy of this period. Others may find it hard to celebrate this year, especially if they have suffered from bereavement or are facing a lonely Christmas.

You may find that you want to focus more on 2021 and a fresh new start that the new year brings. Focusing in on the benefits that any new volunteers might bring, or what you are planning in the new year may be more effective.

Of course, there are many people who do not celebrate Christmas. Consider noting other religious holidays in your communications.

Some Jewish people volunteer on Mitzvah Day which this year was held on 15 November. We spoke to Rebecca Singerman-Knight, the Deputy Chair of Kingston Liberal Synagogue, who said:

“We have been involved in two volunteering projects for Mitzvah Day this year. For the first, our members recorded videos of themselves singing favourite songs or reading poems, and we compiled a playlist to share with elderly residents in Jewish Care homes across the country who have been suffering this year due to lack of visitors.  You can watch the playlist here.

 

We are also running an ongoing project in which our members are putting together personal hygiene bags for homeless people and we will be delivering these to Kingston Churches Against Homelessness at the end of November”.

Why not get in touch with your local place of worship to ask if they are interested in celebrating a particular holiday through volunteering.

Directing people to opportunities

If you have people interested in volunteering who you can’t accommodate, encourage them to read this festive volunteering blog and find out more about activities they could take up this festive season.

You could also encourage them to search for roles using our new website.

Remember, we are always here to help and support with any aspect of involving volunteers.

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Celebrate the festive season with volunteering

The run-up to Christmas is very different this year and volunteering for Christmas is no different. While there are still some volunteer roles that will require in-person volunteers it is likely that most volunteering will be done from home.

 

Out and about

There will be fewer opportunities to volunteer out and about this Christmas, but there are a couple of ways to volunteer:

Safety first – always following NHS and government guidance. Never volunteer when you are unwell or told to self-isolate, and do not volunteer outside of your home if you in a high-risk group.

 

From the comfort of your own home

If you’d prefer to do good from the sofa, here are some ways you can show goodwill to all this Christmas:

  1. Organise a virtual Christmas quiz to raise money for a good cause. Lots of big charities create quiz packs ready-made to be used – they are a great way of bringing together extended family over zoom.
  2. Order your Christmas cards from a charity’s website, for example, Cards for Good Causes or from a charity shop.
  3. Sign up to be a telephone buddy and commit to a half-hour friendly conversation with a lonely person into the new year.
  4.  Join Sewing for Kingston and use your crafting skills to make important items – from scrubs for medical staff to face coverings to blankets for premature babies: “Our community are a font of knowledge and are always happy to share tips and expertise via our Facebook group, so I’d encourage anyone who’s a bit nervous about sewing or related crafts to join up and give it a go”.
  5. Become a Street Champion and be a hub for local donations of food.

 

Places to donate

It has been a very challenging year for everyone, and if you’re in the position to donate, there are many charities in Kingston who will be very grateful for whatever you can spare:

  • As sadly big parties are likely to be out this year, if you are able, why not donate the money you would have spent to Kingston foodbank?
  • Donate to Voices of Hope to help families enjoy the festive season with gift boxes full of presents and festive activities.
  • If you want to learn more about organisations before you make your mind up as to which one should receive your money, you can find stories about the amazing things they have done over the past nine months.

 

Looking forward to the new year

Want to put 2020 behind you? You are not alone!

If you want to embrace the challenges and joys of 2021 then why not have a look for a volunteer role in the new year. You could improve your admin skills, befriend people who are isolated or get outdoors helping with gardening. Get in touch with us to find out more.