Profile of a Volunteer

I have to admit that I do not know one person that I can profile as a volunteer. However, I know many individuals that go out of their way on a daily basis just to make a difference in someone’s life. I am part of a committee at work (which happens to be a hospital) and we receive many little cards every month that someone has sent in describing the ways they have been shown exceptional service or provided with the extras in care. Many of the people that we receive cards on go beyond their job duties on a regular basis and happen to have been called out on their abilities to show their kindness and compassion for others. Perhaps this is not a good description of a true volunteer but in my eyes, each person’s name that is written on one of those little cards has demonstrated much of the same effort of what it takes to go out of one’s way to touch the life of another. An example is when a coworker’s car is showing signs of trouble and following the coworker home to make sure they make is there safely. Yet another example is searching through piles of dirty laundry for a child’s very favorite stuffed animal to make sure they get it back (the man that did this cried as we showed how valued that effort was to the family).

I don’t believe that there is one volunteer that I am inspired by but rather all the little moments where people are thinking of a stranger to make their day brighter. One of the messages we always share with staff as we share the card that was sent in expressing the appreciation is the same that was stated by Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” I am inspired by this statement every day and think it is one that can greatly be applied to our advocacy work with children in every effort we make. This is also why I believe that I am surrounded by many great volunteers that can inspire us all to make one small act of kindness that may be reflected to another which may be continue to be carried on and on.

Using Social Media to Get Connected

I have to confess that I am fairly challenged when it comes to using technology. So using any forms of social media are not something that I often go to unless I am bored and just want to view the latest pictures of family and friends through Facebook. It is only recent that I have found Pintrest and have been searching all sorts of ideas for home and work. While I often feel as though some members of these social media sites use it as a venting system or gossip forum, I can see the benefits to sharing memorable moments with others and keeping in touch, especially with those that live far away.

Using social media sites can certainly be a positive opportunity to share advocacy information where you can reach multiple people at once and provide links to resourceful information on the issues being advocated for. I have noticed one of the ways Facebook has shown effective advocacy is by allowing “creators” to start a page or forum for a particular group of people to come together and discuss a particular topic or issue. One page/group that I am a part of on Face book is titled “Yummy from My Mummy”. This group advocates for breastfeeding and will be used as a useful resource to promote public breastfeeding awareness as our local Breastfeeding Friendly Committee posts information for any members to view. Another effective way for advocating this issue in particular is that Facebook allows for links to other sites to be posted giving members the opportunity to share other resources. Tonight I was able to link to another social media that I hadn’t thought of before as a useful tool: BLOGS! I can’t believe I forgot about this considering we have been using this tool throughout our time at Walden.

I plan to use each of these social media tools to promote awareness to my advocacy efforts and to advise of upcoming community events. I also have been using these tools as a way to build on my own knowledge as I learn from the experiences of others and read the articles and resources shared by others. I have known of many of my coworkers to use these tools as a way to connect with other early childhood professionals as well. Social media is a great way to connect with others in an informal manner and give a voice to the efforts being made in the early childhood field.

Advocacy Messages

The first advertising message that I found inspiring was on the website for the United States Breastfeeding Committee. The message was clear in the title of the page stating “Breastfeeding Saves Dollars and Makes Sense: Good for Families, Employers, and the Economy.” Perhaps it is because I am already interested in this topic as to why it caught my attention but as I glanced through the website page, it provided further details on the ways breastfeeding benefits the three parties named in the message as well as giving information on the need for attention from Congress and how others may take part in the campaign.  This message provides a clear statement while also providing a brief description on what is intended by the campaign. It sparked my attention to read further and see how Congress can improve conditions for breastfeeding families.

 Another advertising message that I find inspiring is the “Pinwheels for Prevention” campaign through Prevent Child Abuse New York. This campaign provides the message that “getting right early is better than fixing it later.” The advertisement encourages others to act on preventing child abuse and neglect both as individuals and corporations. This message inspires people to look at the pinwheel in a different way. Not only is it representative of a child’s toy, but also the way that action can keeps advocacy going. The way I view the representation of the pinwheel is that there is a constant need of movement to keep the campaign going and maintain awareness for the need from others to keep the actions going. The pinwheel is a great symbol of how if there is only one person trying to make an effort in prevention of child abuse, then the one person may run out of energy. However, if there are many people making efforts and taking action, then the pinwheel of prevention can be maintained and keep striving for advocacy of child abuse and neglect.

References

Prevent Child Abuse New York. (n.d.). Pinwheels for Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.preventchildabuseny.org/news_events/pinwheels-for-prevention/

United States Breastfeeding Committee. (n.d.).  Breastfeeding Saves Dollars and Makes Sense: Good for Families, Employers, and the Economy. Retrieved from http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/LegislationPolicy/BreastfeedingAdvocacyHQ/BreastfeedingSavesDollarsandMakesSense/tabid/339/Default.aspx

My Own Capacity

My passions for children and families are to help prevent child abuse primarily. Even though there are many programs and organizations that work to raise awareness to child abuse and maltreatment, it is still occurring far too often. I use my communication skills to talk with families about this issue and educate others on how to handle difficult situations that may lead to child abuse/maltreatment. I also have been fortunate to have had much training on how to look for symptoms and signs of this issue with families and children.

Another topic that I am passionate about is breastfeeding. I have done my own research for other courses on the topic and have been fortunate enough to work alongside other early childhood professionals who are just as passionate as I am and work to raise awareness of the numerous health benefits for both mother and child. My knowledge about the topic has fueled my abilities to assist mothers in difficulties with breastfeeding however; I still seek more information every day.

I am fortunate to work for a program that supports both of these passions of mine. Through my program I have been able to find other community agencies that are also working toward the same advocacy issues and to collaborate our efforts.

My passion for children and families to live in a peaceful and healthy environment will help me in my advocacy work. I believe that I have the ability to engage with many people from diverse backgrounds through using effective communication and having an open heart and mind. I also feel that my desire to continue to learn new information will assist me in becoming a more effective advocate. I hope to grow through finding new ways to work with others at both local and state levels. To be an effective advocate I believe that I must use every opportunity to voice my passions and raise awareness for the issues and topics I am working for.