Why not every voluntary project works for me…

Hi dear followers! Hope you have a good day so far:) I am, as I am full of inspiration to work, following a Webinar this morning and will go for voluntary work this afternoon. It will be a productive day, I am sure.

As many of you see here and on my IG, The Sunshine Journey is active with voluntary work. With The Sunshine Journey, It’s my goal to inspire others. Whether I inspire you to be thankful, to be kind, to give to others, to donate or maybe do voluntary work; I hope to inspire.

But with that goal in mind, I try to do as many different voluntary projects as possible. In my opinion, showing a variation of possibilities may inspire more people in different ways. For this reason I join new opportunities almost weekly. Most of the time I love the new experience and I can’t wait to share them with my following. Most projects bring such beautiful stories to tell and happiness to share.

Last week, for the first time I joined a project which didn’t exactly fit my expectations. It’s a project I reached out to myself, and I offered to commit as a long-term volunteer for this project twice a month. So last Thursday was my first day. I prepared very well, read through all documents they’d sent me and I requested a special document from the government to prove I am capable to work with children. Because, I love working with children. I love to teach them a little, love to laugh with them, cuddle and create a relationship with children. That’s why I joined this project, which involved refugee-children.

Unfortunately the project was partly paid and partly volunteered. As a volunteer I got to do ‘simple’ tasks such as preparing. I do not mind doing anything less challenging, as long as I still feel appreciated. But in this project I could only do simple tasks, I didn’t get a change to play/laugh/ join any of the activities with the children. Something which would make my work as a volunteer appreciated. The only thing I could do was prepare and analyze their behavior. As I am a natural ‘hands-on’ person and I have not that much affection with pedagogy, I felt really unhappy during my tasks here.

Voluntary work is all about giving your free time to do something for someone. The only thing you would like to receive in return is fulfillment and satisfaction. And somehow a bit of appreciation. It should always give you something, bring you something. I personally love to learn, but therefore conversations or tasks should be a bit challenging. Or the people you work with, can teach you a life lesson. All of this wasn’t the case with my new long-term project.

And next to all of the above, I wasn’t in any way allowed to take a picture. As I mentioned in the beginning of my post, my goal is to inspire. To learn, to give and to help. All of this I do by sharing my story, sharing my experiences and sharing their stories too.

When all of this is just not fitting, the only option is to not do it for long. There are so many different voluntary tasks and different people, there should be a fit between you and your project. An organization isn’t helped with an unmotivated volunteer either. Just know that being a volunteer is a choice you should be happy with:) Nobody will force you to do it. Please, make sure whatever you do, it makes you happy and gives you satisfaction.

So I will continue finding new projects that fit me and my goals. I emailed my contacts this weekend to tell them I won’t be continuously joining them. I felt really bad doing it, but it’s the only way to go on. I will try a new project tonight and two more new ones this week. And I hope to share my experiences with you again!

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