Inevitably when charitable work is involved, there is fundraising to be done. All volunteers are asked to raise money for the VSO, which will in a small way contribute to the recruitment, training and support of volunteers. A large part of it though is raising awareness of the good work the VSO does and if you're curious about where they work and what they do, please visit www.vso.org.uk.
To kick things off I've set up a justgiving page (Christina's fundraising page) if you have a few pounds to spare.. and euros, dollars and dirham are all accepted!
Watch this space as I'm planning some fun fundraising activities with great prizes... if you have any ideas of what I can do or would like to donate a prize please either post a comment or drop me a line on the usual email address.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Sunday, 10 April 2011
The preparation
I hadn't realised how much work there is in preparing for something like this, and I've barely scratched the surface!
The ethos of VSO is to take experienced professionals and match them to a job in a developing country where they can transfer their skills and knowledge, helping organisations and people to develop and grow. I don't yet know where I'll be going or what exactly I'll be doing, but if all goes according to plan, I will be leaving London sometime in August for a project management or business development job (in an environmental capacity since that is my background) in East Africa or India. In reality I could end up in any of the 40-odd countries that VSO works in to fill a post wherever the need is greatest for my skills. But my heart lies in East Africa and India is such a fascinating place I would love to experience it properly, not just as a tourist.
The next step now is to complete the training courses - the first online one has already started and I have a residential weekend at the end of April - and get started on fundraising. Although four months seems like a really long time, I know it will fly by as I complete my training, finish off my work commitments, and sort through a decade's worth of things in my flat.
The ethos of VSO is to take experienced professionals and match them to a job in a developing country where they can transfer their skills and knowledge, helping organisations and people to develop and grow. I don't yet know where I'll be going or what exactly I'll be doing, but if all goes according to plan, I will be leaving London sometime in August for a project management or business development job (in an environmental capacity since that is my background) in East Africa or India. In reality I could end up in any of the 40-odd countries that VSO works in to fill a post wherever the need is greatest for my skills. But my heart lies in East Africa and India is such a fascinating place I would love to experience it properly, not just as a tourist.
The next step now is to complete the training courses - the first online one has already started and I have a residential weekend at the end of April - and get started on fundraising. Although four months seems like a really long time, I know it will fly by as I complete my training, finish off my work commitments, and sort through a decade's worth of things in my flat.
The first step...
I thought about this for the longest time... since 1997 to be precise. I only realised it had been this long when I called up VSO to find out how the application I made in January this year was progressing. I made the decision to apply last summer when it felt like the time was right and my itchy feet got the better of me. Work was very understanding and agreed to a career break, so I went ahead and put in an application. I got to stage 2 of the process and things went quiet...
So I called up to check what was happening. Did I make it through to the Assessment Day or had I failed to make the cut? The person I spoke to was a little unsure. Apparently there were two people with the same name on the system so she needed a few more details. Turns out they were both me, one entry being the original enquiries I made to VSO after I graduated from university in 1997!
But I had made it to the Assessment Day. A very intense, in-depth and exhausting day, but worth it as I got an email the following day to say that I'd been selected. I was now officially a VSO volunteer.
So I called up to check what was happening. Did I make it through to the Assessment Day or had I failed to make the cut? The person I spoke to was a little unsure. Apparently there were two people with the same name on the system so she needed a few more details. Turns out they were both me, one entry being the original enquiries I made to VSO after I graduated from university in 1997!
But I had made it to the Assessment Day. A very intense, in-depth and exhausting day, but worth it as I got an email the following day to say that I'd been selected. I was now officially a VSO volunteer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)