It was a sunny Spring Saturday in Battersea for our Volunteers Training today. Some of us were there for our first training session and some were there for their last. Leading us through the day were James T of Volunteers in Action; Father Selvam, the Youth Ministry Delegate from East Africa; and Brother Sandy, who made his First Profession to the Salesian Family in August 2008.
On arrival, Sandy had tea and coffee, fruit, croissants and cake laid on for us, and this was just one of the many moments where we witnessed the warmth and community among the Salesians. And, after having spent a little while introducing ourselves and explaining why we were there, James got us in the mood with a slideshow of his year volunteering in Pasil in the Philippines. It was a sobering and humbling journey for him to share with us, and it was fast coming into sharp focus just how challenging and extraordinary the volunteering experience would be.
‘Practicalities’ was the first big topic we tackled, probably so that any concerns or worries might be dispelled early on in the day. And so, from Visas and passports through to Insurance and Vaccinations, James took us through the necessary steps that we will need to have in place before we leave. It was good to see that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a great deal of information and advice in place which we can tap into; certainly, for me, volunteering overseas will be pushing my boundaries a great deal in terms of travelling and I’m relieved there will be some guidance!
Father Selvam was also able to offer invaluable advice about sensible ways we can keep ourselves safe and healthy while we are on our placement, including his suggestion of multivitamins and looking to ‘Local Wisdom’ in terms of what to eat and what not to eat!
‘The Developing World’, I felt, was one of the most challenging discussions we had during the day. Together, we read an essay written by a Kenyan author on tips for writing about Africa. It laid bare the shamefully stereotypical images that may be held of the developing world and it made us question how we may have formed these misconceptions. But perhaps the most important part of the discussion was to consider how, as a volunteer in a developing world, we might be able to transcend these preconceptions and truly connect and serve those we meet on our placement.
Finishing the discussions off, James talked us through some very helpful general pointers for lesson planning and the issues of ‘Safeguarding’ which must be considered when working with youngsters. We brainstormed the rights of a young person in three main areas: their right to be treated with dignity and respect, their right to a safe environment, and their right to be loved and cared for as youngsters; and we then looked at how, as volunteers, we would be able to provide these things for them.
I feel huge excitement and anticipation over what lies ahead. At the moment, it looks as though I will be sent to either Bolivia, Nairobi or the Philippines. And I am going to get cracking with the Spanish just in case it is South America.
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1 comment:
yes please blog ... Mark Skipper kept his going during his 2 years of VSO in Kenya, and Mark Jeunette kept his while doing a year in Nepal, and his current year in Eritrea. Both dancers - so let me know if you want contacts for them to chat to about culture shock. And talk to David Z about South America (and practise your Spanish with him!)
Huggles miss
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