How to Train Your Dragon

I mean, volunteer... How To Train Your Volunteer...

Well, mainly, it involves a lot of fun!

At least that is what happened when Seven Women teamed up with Mayibuye for a volunteer training day in early April.  Especially when you put a bunch of young people together who are passionate about life, helping others, and many of whom are dance and arts-oriented! (They could probably imitate a dragon?!)

Volunteers are an invaluable asset to the life and breath of organisations, especially non-profits, and for us here, it is no different. Volunteers from both fantastic organisations were able to meet together and get to know each other, learning from each person why they do what they do. Everyone was taken on a journey, tracing people's steps from passions that developed around issues of social justice, equality and empowerment, to how they found themselves involved in these great initatives today!

What a fantastic chance to meet inspiring people who want to make a difference in the world, as a volunteer! How fantastic! They are giving up their time to influence and help others be equipped to live an improved life.

The group engaged in a mixture of team building games, meant to push you out of your comfort zone just enough to enable you to learn something about yourself.

 

And of course, there was a lot of productive planning around campaigns and fundraising ideas for the year ahead. With Fairtrade fortnight events coming up, and plenty of opportunities to showcase Mayibuye acts as well as Seven Women's Nepalese products, 2012 is bound to be a fantastic year of growth and change for these two organisations, both doing their own special work but all for the same purpose. And this work wouldn't be half as effective if it weren't for the excellent teams of volunteers. (You will see some of the most sophisticated ones below! :P)

 

"The broadest, and maybe the most meaningful definition of volunteering:  Doing more than you have to because you want to, in a cause you consider good." ~Ivan Scheier

This is something which I'm sure all our Seven Women and Mayibuye volunteers can agree with - wanting to contribute to something good, because you know it will make a difference in someone's life - even if it's someone you may never meet.

If you would like to get involved in Seven Women please email us: steph.w@seven-women.comor look at our website to find out more information: www.seven-women.com For more information on Mayibuye see: www.mayibuye.org.au