Leo
Conversation with Leo
Volunteer reporting center Buurthulpdienst on Tuesday morning.
Leo (74 years old) is one of the veterans among our volunteers. He has been involved with our organization for more than 10 years. He retired 14 years ago, before that he worked for 23 years as an elderly worker in East Amsterdam and West Friesland. After his retirement he started doing voluntary work at Welzijn Diemen.
He started with the Informative Home Visit project, for which he visited seniors to inform them about the possibilities of support offered in Diemen. He has also written articles for the newsletter of the Buurthulpdienst of Diemen voor Elkaar and since November 2021 he has been working at our hotline in the Brede HOED on Tuesday mornings.
By volunteering I remain socially active and the work is satisfying.
Leo grew up in Amsterdam and has lived in the center of Diemen for 31 years. One of his hobbies is making small films (from the 1970s) and (later) video films. In the past he made short feature films and showed them to his children and grandchildren. He also enjoys reading and has recently joined a reading club in Amsterdam. There, a book is discussed in groups that everyone has read in advance.
Why did Leo volunteer at the hotline?
"I like to dedicate myself (on a fixed day of the week) to people who need help and that in a cozy atmosphere at the office. It was difficult to master everything, but luckily I was able to fall back on a volunteer who has been working at the hotline for a number of years. By performing voluntary work you remain socially active and the work is satisfying. It is great fun to work with the elderly. Moreover, I think that Diemenvoorelkaar, previously WonenPlus, is very well organised. The section has 'growth'. It strikes me that we can use a lot of volunteers at the moment for the odd jobs, the garden work, guidance of our subscribers and for writing articles. My call: are you capable of that, it's great fun to do, sign up!"
Samantha
Samantha Samantha is 23 years old, lives in Diemen and has been volunteering in several places for a while. She has registered on the platform Diemenvoorelkaar.nl and tells more about her experiences with volunteer work in this article. Last summer I was looking for volunteer work. I then ended up at [site_title]. I placed a call that I wanted to volunteer and received 14 responses! I experienced that very positively and I had a conversation with a number of people before I made the choice to start working at my current volunteer position. I looked at what I felt most comfortable with and where I could learn a lot. I do volunteer work in a community center. A lot of different people come in there. You can think of people who are addicted or lonely or elderly. Local residents who need help with practical matters are also welcome. I have conversations with local residents and other volunteers. I never expected how beautiful it can be. A small conversation can make someone's day! In addition, the organization publishes a newspaper every month and I fill in that newspaper completely. I also helped another organization with a website and sometimes collected food for the food bank. A little conversation can make someone's day "I like that I can give something by doing something small." My motivation to volunteer first came from corona. Then I thought I really wanted to go out and be around people again. I have studied and worked for a year and a half. I really wanted to see life again! I also really enjoy helping people. You also develop yourself when you do volunteer work. I haven't learned any social works, so dealing with vulnerable people is a challenge! That's getting better for me. In addition, volunteering is very positive on your resume! After this I want to do a master's and I notice that many universities always want a motivation letter. They want to see if you are socially involved. I would like to tell someone who has doubts about doing volunteer work that it is really good to talk to several organizations and ask if you can join us for a day to see what the atmosphere is like and how you can develop yourself there. That way you can make a better choice. Would you like to volunteer at a community center? You can contact Het Huis van de Buurt 't Kruidvat in Diemen-South or the Noorderlicht district center in Diemen-North. *The story is written by our volunteer Gabrielle. Share these stories and inspire others to help too! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Whatsapp Forward
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