Welcome To The Volunteer Logue

5 comments | February 1st, 2007 | Trackback

Hello and welcome to the Volunteer Logue! I’m Kate, also known as Katie, and I will be your volunteer loguer this evening.

Yeah.

So, I enjoy volunteering for a number of reasons – to connect with others, to observe a hopefully successful project which aims to achieve something beneficial and to see things from perhaps a new perspective. I’ve volunteered at home (in the Chicago area) and abroad, often in the context of shorter ongoing projects while traveling or working. I don’t really volunteer as much as I’d like to, or as much as I maybe “should”, but I still find it intriguing to hear about different projects or remarkable volunteers.

I think a lot of people are interested in volunteering but don’t really know where to start.

I’ve got big plans for the Volunteer Logue: I’d like to create a well-rounded resource for people interested in volunteering and social change in a (mainly though not exclusively) international context.

Included will be:

profiles of placement organizations as well as local organizations (both those offering specific volunteer positions and those which may not be but still serve as inspiration),
interviews with and stories about cool volunteers or other interesting individuals,
links to timely and relevant online news articles connected to volunteering as well as updates about various organizations profiled,
tips and advice both for and from volunteers, including from some of my own personal experiences,
links to and profiles of different resources to help you make your volunteer experience and travel the best possible, and
some “deep thoughts”: different opinions about volunteerism, social issues and ethical dilemmas. Comments, discussion and debate encouraged!

Updating the site nearly every day will be a challenge…but one that I’m definitely up for. And, it’s something I have a little experience with. I’m currently a teacher of English as a foreign language and do a bit of writing about that over at the Bootsnall TEFL Logue.

So, enjoy your dinner of information about volunteering, and please do feel free to leave your tip in the form of a comment. Hope to see you again soon.