Spend More Time with Volunteers
Submitted by Andrew Derksen
Almost everywhere lately, I hear laments about the state of the world and the future of humanity. I won’t go into detail. I’m sure you’ve heard similar worries and had your own. I believe these are legitimate concerns, so I won’t suggest ignorance or avoidance.
I won’t downplay any anxiety you may feel. I will, however, offer a counterbalance: spend more time with volunteers.
About 10 months ago, I was hired at Read On in Lethbridge, and I started spending more time with volunteers. In most of my previous jobs, I had interacted with volunteers occasionally, but that changed drastically at Read On. Essentially all of our learning opportunities are led by volunteer tutors, so I started seeing multiple volunteers every day. At first, I was just trying to learn their names and remember their faces from one week to the next. I wasn’t really thinking about the bigger picture or how all these interactions were impacting me. Over time, I’ve been able to build relationships with the volunteers, and I look forward to seeing them coming and going with their learners. As I’ve had a chance to reflect, I’ve begun to realize just how profoundly these generous humans have improved my life and perspective.
CALP volunteers find the time to make their communities stronger. They make real human connections and build relationships. They do so on an individual level and a regular basis. By choice and nature, they seek out meaningful personal interactions, and, by devoting more time to engaging with individuals in a meaningful way, they spend less time in scroll holes. That’s not to say they never get sucked into a vortex of social media or an echo chamber news feed. Those habits form quickly for all of us. However, CALP volunteers have also built habits that give them balance. In conversations with many different volunteers, I’ve heard a variety of strategies for setting limits on screens and other distractions. Some of the volunteers have devices that work poorly or stay off a lot of the time. Others have vacation properties where they have only a land line and one shared laptop—no cell phones or even reception.
But I think the most effective strategy CALP volunteers use is volunteering. They choose to spend their free time meeting with a learner and offering help. There are many benefits to volunteering for a CALP, but certainly one major benefit is the opportunity to connect in a deeper way to a person with whom one might not otherwise have had a close relationship. Volunteers build these relationships and break down barriers, actively enhancing communication across differences. They do it on a personal level, which rejects and resists the impersonal communication often found in digital environments. Their simple but profound care improves the lives of everyone around them.
Which brings things back to me because, as my coworker likes to sarcastically say, “Everything is all about me!” I’ve been spending all this time around CALP volunteers, and they’ve been rubbing off on me. And I can’t think of a better group of people to spend time with. They choose to interact personally, building relationships and communities. They balance their lives and their time so that they regularly give back in meaningful ways.
They make a habit of being pleasant and present.
I didn’t notice how their presence rubbed off on me at first, but I’ve started to. The more I reflect, the more I feel like they’ve helped me become better and happier, with a healthier perspective on life. It’s easier for me to see humans, not characters; to value persons, not personas. You should try it. You should spend more time with volunteers. Who knows? It might just help you restore some faith in humanity.