Yesterday I went to an introduction session to become a volunteer for SeniorWise. This is an effort funded by the Australian Government to use volunteers to spread information amongst the senior community about what services they can use to help them continue to live their lives comfortably.
This is a pilot programme which means that it could end at any time, but I think that this is a good idea, and after the days induction am quite willing to take up the challenge.
For me much of yesterday was a bit of a waste of time, as they spent the entire morning talking to us about stereotypes and ageist problems, which was a bit like preaching to the converted as the room was mostly made up of educated women of a certain age who were well aware of such things.
Mind you there were also a couple of young would be volunteers – who as it happened were all “new” Australians. They needed to “work for the dole” – so they were looking for a good cause that would satisfy Centrelink, and also give them something useful on their CV.
Having left the workforce 18 months ago I am just as the stage where I need to fill in some more time. Bridge is fine for a couple of days, but this is my attempt to help the wider community. If they want me that is as there is a fairly formal application process, and a police check, as part of the work is home visits to the elderly.
It was a fairly good day, marred only by a presentation by a gentleman who has been a professional volunteer for many years. His brief was to tell us about his different volunteer roles, but he chose instead to try to impress us by his obvious attempts to take over the volunteer world and by hints of politics in the back office! I thought I had left that all behind in my last job!
Anyway – upwards and onwards – hopefully I will soon be an official volunteer.
