Final Plan

I decided to go with doing a survey about people who volunteer at public and private schools. I decided to make two similar surveys, one going to public schools and one going to catholic schools. For example, my survey would ask questions about what kind of service students par-take in and how many hours they serve. I am also asking hypothetical questions to see if IHA students would still take part in service outside of this community. 

This topic is something that most people contribute to in our community. I want to see how many people actually to their service and how they preform those jobs. Both these surveys will be beneficial in comparing public and private school volunteer organizations and plans. 

Volunteerism

For my topic of Volunteerism I choose to do a survey research to see how people contribute to volunteerism. I wanted to comprehend why they want to do certain service opportunities and why they take part in them. For my topic I plan to have my peers fill out a survey about volunteerism and why they choose to do it. I am also going to ask questions about whether they do the bare minimum or do they exceed the expectations? After from hearing about people from my school I am going to take the survey to my public school and see how those students respond. Once the survey is completed I will be able to compare volunteerism at both public and private schools. 

How to Avoid Getting into a Bad Volunteering Position

There are some volunteer opportunities that do not end in the way people want them to. There are certain tips that volunteers should review before accepting a position either abroad or near your area.  Here are some tips that will help make your volunteering experience enjoyable. 

1. Double check that the webpage contains accurate information about what exactly you will be doing as a volunteer. Some of the information can be outdated or even intentionally misleading so it does not hurt to call up the person and talk to them about the opportunity. 

2. Once you talk to the person and everything is clear about what you will be doing try to get it in writing. This might be over the top but it will save you in the long run. 

3. When speaking to the volunteer host they should ask you a little about yourself to try and get to know you. Most volunteer hosts have volunteers fill out an application of questioner to make sure they are right for the job. If someone does not do these things then that should be a red-flag 

4.  When helping out with volunteer work either at a farm or in a school make sure to read chemical labels and warnings before using them. Certain chemicals in products can get someone severely ill. 

5. When using these chemicals on the farm make sure to protect your skin and face. Most of the times the volunteer host will inform you about what the job is and how to complete it. They should mention any dangerous chemicals or products that are being used. 

6. Although some volunteer jobs are different from one another try to have a back-up plan of what to do. Try and know where you can get transportation out, when and how much it costs to leave the area if you need to. Check out the area in which you will be performing your service and if there is anywhere you can go in case something happens. 

7. If you are going away for weeks and an extended amount of time make sure you leave the number and information of the place you will be going with someone from home, either a friend or a family member. 

8. When arriving to the place of volunteer work address the job that you will be doing and have a conversation about it with the person in charge. Some people do not have the same communication skills as you and will need to talk through things they are not aware of. 

9. Lastly, if you have a gut instinct that a place is wrong for you and you believe that it is not safe then do not go there. Stick to what you believe is right and safe and you can never go wrong. 

Volunteering Experience Gone Wrong

Although volunteering is a very important activity to take part in there have been some bad instances that people have been in due to volunteer work. A man decided to find a volunteering opportunity from the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms  in Tallahassee, Florida. On the website the farm explained that the volunteer would work a 5 hour day, 5 days a week. 

Although when he arrived they expected him to work 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week. He explains how he got sick and the family would deny him dinner because they thought we eaten enough for that day. He tried to stay there as long as he could but he could not take the ungrateful treatment he was receiving. 

Volunteering Abroad As a Woman

In this article by Shannon Bardolo, she describes her journey to Lima, Peru for two weeks. Shannon graduated with a degree in English and wanted to do something useful with it. Once Shannon did some research she found an opportunity to teach English to students in Lima, Peru. She was overly excited about this opportunity and convinced her parents to let her go. She felt safe knowing that she was meeting up with the volunteer group once she arrived. 

The volunteer opportunity that she chose was an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions. This program offered volunteer work as well as free time to explore. While she was there she was to work in a school and teach four and five year olds basic English skills. She explained how these students were eager to learn and full of energy. Although, she did have to change her clothes in order to get approval of the student's parents. As you can image, clothing in the United States is dramatically different from clothing in Peru. 

Bardolo describes how this was an unforgettable experience that she will never forget. This is a great example of how people are trying to help and do good deeds for others. Bardolo was not forced to travel to Peru she wanted to go and help those students. She is a great example of how people are trying to help our third world countries and give back.

The Beginning Steps to Volunteering

If people are not involved in volunteerism it could be because they do not know where to go. A great place to look for volunteer opportunities are in your neighborhood and surrounding towns. In this article About Volunteering it answers all the questions people have about volunteering. An easy way to get into volunteering is using the internet searches to find opportunities nearby. There are millions of volunteer opportunities that fit your specific interests. Once someone chooses what type of volunteer work they want to do they can choose how much of their time they want to contribute. Some projects can be very short, a couple hours or even a day. "Other projects, like mentoring, may involve a commitment of a few hours a week or month over a longer period of time." 

Certain volunteering jobs may require special training in order to take part in but other jobs require no training at all. People are allowed to volunteer with groups if they do not want to participate alone. Even children are allowed to volunteer on certain jobs. 

For people who are unemployed, volunteering will improve peoples resume and "show potential employers that you have used your time wisely and to the benefit of others." While unemployed, volunteering keeps people busy and keeps their skills sharp. Volunteering will help those establish relationships with others who pay provide them with information or contacts for employment opportunities. "Most of all, volunteering improves your own self-esteem and feeling of self worth because you know that your work is valuable and greatly appreciated." 

Volunteerism Organizations in Texas

This mission of the Volunteer Center of North Texas is to "transfer communities and strengthen nonprofits through volunteerism." "This center offers a wide variety of programs that serve individual volunteers, volunteer groups, corporations, and more than 1,700 nonprofit organizations." 

These organizations have volunteers that they send to certain areas that are in need of help. This volunteer center also does back-round checks on each volunteer to make sure they have a clear criminal record. The Volunteer Center has a website that allows people to look at a calendar full of events and choose which one they would like to participate in. This organization has over 1500 volunteers a month and without these people none of those jobs would be possible.