Want to Volunteer?
“Fascinated by Experiences!”
Kim D’Souza, Volunteer
My first experience of life in New Zealand was as an international student at AUT. When I saw Volunteering Auckland on campus one day, I thought, “here’s a good way to get among the Kiwis”. Although I already had my sisters living here, my interactions at Volunteering Auckland made it much easier for me to settle in.
The volunteer referral officer position at Volunteering Auckland seemed to be tailor- made for me, as it allowed me a deep insight into the multicultural nature of Auckland’s society while utilising skills I has developed through my work back home.
The support and encouragement received from Volunteering Auckland went a long way in building my confidence and self-belief. I love every minute of my time here as I feel I am contributing towards society while doing what I love best. The fact that no two days are ever the same had me coming back for more.
Even after a year and a half, I still find myself fascinated by some of the experiences shared by people who are interested in volunteering. There’s nothing like the knowledge that people are still willing to give to keep you smiling.
“Being confident in my Abilities”
Sanoja Lokuliyanage is twenty-two years old and in her final year at AUT. She is studying a Bachelor of Communication, majoring in Advertising Creativity. She says, “I chose to do this degree mainly because I wanted to become an art director maybe in an ad agency or in another industry. The major I chose allows me to develop as a creative person”. She decided to volunteer so that she could develop her technical and personal skills in a “non-pressured environment”. She also wanted to meet new people.
While doing a search for volunteer work online, Sanoja found the VolunteerNow website, which has all of Volunteering Auckland’s jobs listed. When she found a volunteer job that interested her, she rang Volunteering Auckland and made an appointment with Volunteer Central, which is a satellite office in the city. In regards to registration, she says, “the questions I had to initially fill out at the Volunteer Centre were comprehensive and made me think twice about what I wanted to focus on and what I hoped to gain from the whole volunteering experience.”
Sanoja was then referred as a volunteer graphic designer on a flyer for Communicare, which is a day centre for the elderly, disabled and lonely. “I designed a flyer as well as a billboard/poster to increase awareness of this centre. As soon as the flyer is printed it will be put into mailboxes and the billboard/poster design may perhaps be used next year.” Because working for Communicare is like taking on a freelance project, she had no set volunteer hours and did the designs from home. Initially, she met up with the volunteer coordinator from Communicare, and they discussed ideas about the flyer and later the billboard/ poster. In the end they were very pleased with the mock-up of the final.
According to Sanoja, one of the benefits of volunteering is that it helped her to gain more confidence in her abilities. “Volunteering is a good way to use your skills in a non- stressful environment. Volunteering allowed me (for at least a moment) to do something more meaningful and bigger than I am and the ambition/status driven culture I’m surrounded by.” In addition, she says that volunteering for Communicare made her feel good. “ It felt great to see their excitement and appreciation towards my work. I thought they were kind people who were full of personal warmth. I’m glad that I met them and made them happy in some way.”
