Jordan, I agree it is frustrating working behind the scenes and not being able to interact with clients more. I have had a similar experience at the Ronald McDonald House. You made really good points and were insightful that whether you were noticed or not, you still made an impact in a significant way. It is great that you took away a valuable lesson in that the work that we do as volunteers helps those who work there and that we still can make an impact in some way.
Like Andrew mentioned, everyone from The Ronald McDonald House had a really similar experience to you guys at Dress for Success. We spent most of our time cleaning things that had already been cleaned the day before and didn't really get the opportunity to interact with many of the guests. At the end of my volunteer experience, I was also sad because it didn't really seem like I learned much from it other than organizing volunteers can be very difficult for some organizations. Even then, I'm glad I had the ability to help people on site even if I didn't interact with them. I think for many of us experiencing this situation the CIS Service Learning Project may not have had the intended effect, but did allow us to learn and think in new ways.
Jordan, I enjoyed your reflection! Even though it is frustrating to not have the experience you initially thought you would have, I think you did learn a lot from volunteering there! Every volunteering opportunity is different and even though it may feel like you weren't doing much at the time, I am sure they appreciated you being there and helping everything run smoothly! Throughout your time there, did you get to talk to any of the people that would come to the organization? Or was it all strictly behind the scenes work? I think you would have enjoyed volunteering here more if you would get to communicate and work with the people who were coming in!
Jordan, I agree it is frustrating working behind the scenes and not being able to interact with clients more. I have had a similar experience at the Ronald McDonald House. You made really good points and were insightful that whether you were noticed or not, you still made an impact in a significant way. It is great that you took away a valuable lesson in that the work that we do as volunteers helps those who work there and that we still can make an impact in some way.
ReplyDeleteLike Andrew mentioned, everyone from The Ronald McDonald House had a really similar experience to you guys at Dress for Success. We spent most of our time cleaning things that had already been cleaned the day before and didn't really get the opportunity to interact with many of the guests. At the end of my volunteer experience, I was also sad because it didn't really seem like I learned much from it other than organizing volunteers can be very difficult for some organizations. Even then, I'm glad I had the ability to help people on site even if I didn't interact with them. I think for many of us experiencing this situation the CIS Service Learning Project may not have had the intended effect, but did allow us to learn and think in new ways.
ReplyDeleteJordan, I enjoyed your reflection! Even though it is frustrating to not have the experience you initially thought you would have, I think you did learn a lot from volunteering there! Every volunteering opportunity is different and even though it may feel like you weren't doing much at the time, I am sure they appreciated you being there and helping everything run smoothly! Throughout your time there, did you get to talk to any of the people that would come to the organization? Or was it all strictly behind the scenes work? I think you would have enjoyed volunteering here more if you would get to communicate and work with the people who were coming in!
ReplyDelete