Discussion VOLUNTEERING MEGATHREAD 𓆩♡𓆪

[PoisonedOxygen]

𓆩♡𓆪
VOLUNTEER DISCUSSION
Whether you plan on leaving soon, you are in recovery or still not decided and you want to do something good for someone this thread is for you!
Here we can all discuss, give ideas and our own thoughts, tell our stories about volounteering.

- I'D LIKE TO HELP, WHAT CAN I DO, WHERE CAN I VOLOUNTEER? -
There are no boundaries to doing good and giving help! It can even be a small amount
of help in garden for your neighbours or borrowing your friend grocery money when their budget is tight. You can also post your
ideas about coming to someone's aid! Here are some ideas:

♡ ANIMAL SHELTERS
♡ DONATING TO A CHARITY OR SOCIAL INITIATIVE
♡ HOMELESS SHELTERS
♡ RETIRING HOMES
♡ HOSPITALS
♡ LOCAL LIBRARIES
♡ HELPING YOUR FRIENDS
♡ GARDENING
♡ OUTDOOR TRASH CLEANING
♡ PETSITTING
♡ CLEANING HOMES OF SOMEONE IN NEED
♡ HELPING UNCUREABLE DISEASES PATIENTS
♡ HELPING SOMEONE WITH A WHEELCHAIR
♡ HELP WITH CROSSING A ROAD
♡ HELPING WITH A SMALL BUSINESS
♡ PLANT SOME TREES

Remember, you can start any day. If your anxiety is killing you no worry, you should not feel
obligated when you don't have a strenght for any of this. By creating this topic I hope it brings some peace to us all. Either when you are
CTB'ing soon or you are looking for something to help you during recovery. I'm hoping it all affects us in a good way.


USEFUL LINKS:

The Rewards of Volunteering at a Retirement Community – All Seniors Care

If you're interested in volunteering with a seniors' organization, read all about the benefits and how to apply for a student volunteer scholarship at All Seniors Care.

allseniorscare.com

Ways to Volunteer At Your Local Animal Shelter | Petfinder

You don’t have to be an animal expert to volunteer at your community’s shelter, you just need the time and desire to lend a helping hand. Learn more at Petfinder.

www.petfinder.com

Top Benefits Of Hospital Volunteer Programs

Discover rewarding hospital volunteer opportunities and make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. Join us today!

www.springhills.com

5 Benefits of Volunteering - Zig Zag Railway

Volunteering in general involves the act of giving your time, energy, and skills to help others without expecting any monetary compensation. Volunteering can be provided in many forms, such as…

zigzagrailway.com.au

​

 

[hot]

Cool Idea

 

[PoisonedOxygen]

Cool Idea

I'm really glad you like it and see the benefits

 

[persimmon]

I volunteer for a couple of charities. One links up tutors to refugees looking to improve their English, another which links up tutors to kids from disadvantaged backgrounds doing their GCSEs/A-levels. It's all online, a few hours a week and I can do it from bed which is useful as that's where I mainly live. I can recommend it. It's one of the reasons I haven't CTB yet.

 

[moshimoshi]

This is awesome!! ♡

 

[lost_ange1]

I'm a volunteer at an animal shelter in my town. Have been helping there since 2022, every week , 2 days in the morning. It gives me a reason to get up although it's a pain sometimes but I haven't missed on day due to mental sickness just when I was really physically sick.
IT obviously gives me something and they made me a foster home for cats after my 1st year and I have had foster cats till early this year as they all found a good forever home. I like working with animals and they are just pure and honest in a way no human can ever be.

 

[falling_snow]

I volunteer in Red Cross (for young people), as well as have done some with cancer-associated charities. Also, have done with homeless shelters and helping people to donate food for those in need. It's nice to do it.

 

[Dot]

WWOOF: My comprehensive experience volunteering, and why I recommend it

To preface, this will be a very long account of personal experience. If you'd like more practical guide to WWOOFING, I will try to write something more organized. WWOOF stands for worldwide opportunities on organic farms. Founded in 1971, it's a way to connect farmers in need of extra help with...

sanctioned-suicide.net

 

[Dot]

I volunteer for a couple of charities. One links up tutors to refugees looking to improve their English, another which links up tutors to kids from disadvantaged backgrounds doing their GCSEs/A-levels. It's all online, a few hours a week and I can do it from bed which is useful as that's where I mainly live. I can recommend it. It's one of the reasons I haven't CTB yet.

Slf wsh tht hd knwn abt thse chartis b4 epsde - defntly typ of wrk tht wld hve bn invlvd in

 

[Unicr0n]

Volunteering helped me from offing myself when I felt I had no purpose in life. Did Red Cross, animal shelter, ACS, and prosecutor volunteering. It kept me busy most days. They really loved the help during the holidays, especially Christmas. When COVID hit and we were unable to do any volunteer work, I was going downhill fast.

The only downside to the Red Cross is that there's a loooooot of training. omfg like 40 hours of videos before I could deploy as an EMT for Disaster Action Response. But it's worth it. Seeing people devastated by Hurricane Sandy made me appreciate the life I have.
We need more volunteers than ever. It gets you connected with real people in real life. No connection online could compare.

 

[persimmon]

Slf wsh tht hd knwn abt thse chartis b4 epsde - defntly typ of wrk tht wld hve bn invlvd in

And a totally understandable one. It's a terrible shame you can't currently get involved, as you would like to.

 

[Marie France]

Oui, cela peut être une bonne idée pour se reconnecter au monde et se sentir utile !

 

[Throwawayacc3]

I kind of already do a lot of the animal sanctuary stuff.

All the human stuff can GTFO (my personal take). All cases for the animals in the sanctuary are due to people. No wonder a broken person has more in common with other species than its own.

 

[Nefera]

I've done my fair share of mental health treatments and I must admit that volunteering is what kept me grounded to the earth the most!

I would highly recommend it to anyone, you get to meet incredible people along the way as well.

 

[PoisonedOxygen]

I kind of already do a lot of the animal sanctuary stuff.

All the human stuff can GTFO (my personal take). All cases for the animals in the sanctuary are due to people. No wonder a broken person has more in common with other species than its own.

I get you, what do you do there? The animals rely on their caretakers you have a good heart

 

[Throwawayacc3]

I get you, what do you do there? The animals rely on their caretakers you have a good heart

The owners are really picky about who volunteers there. My capacity is effectively keeping the animals mentally engaged. You can't just have a nice area and clean their poop and expect them to be fine (just like people).
They've become really accustomed to me. The two Canadian geese would not let anyone touch them or go near. Every time anyone had to do clean up, change water or change the hay they would attack. I dealt a lot of with exotic birds so just replicated the physiological onto geese (I'm not very knowledgeable on those types of birds, same with owls or raptor species) but it's worked and I am the only one that they will let touch. It's not touching, I basically emulate preening which is bonding for birds so they see me as another "flock member".

Some animals require much less. Dusty is a Shetland pony and when I'm there he will come to the fence and he wants just a boop on his nose with my hand and that's it. He doesn't like people but he tolerates that with me and that's his social bit for the day.
Red the other horse (much larger) asks me for ear scratches now. He doesn't really like human interaction either but they are in separate areas next to each other. He put his head on my chest last week which is a first but I've been going since last year.


I do miss the sanctuary in Spain with the aviary, lemurs, monkeys, etc. that's where I wanted to be but it is what it is.

Edit: some birds are very very difficult. Corvids like jays for example. I'd need to study them in a lot of detail but I managed to teach one about 6/7 sounds/phrases then one week he stopped so I definitely did something he didn't like or wasn't correct but body language and how they act is quite different to a cockatoo or a macaw. I still try to engage with him (there are two other jays in the enclosure) but I'd imagine I'd have to be there every single day to make progress. Birds are notorious for throwing tantrums and if trust is lost (say you went to hospital for a week), they see it as abandoned or punishment as in the wild, the flock members wouldn't do that.