Why volunteering is important to me
It's National Volunteer Week! A week that honours the collective energies and mana of volunteers in Aotearoa.
From the outset of starting On Format Limited, I knew I wanted to incorporate volunteering into my business plan. Each year, I volunteer my time and expertise to organisations I care about. There are A LOT of causes I care about, but most recently I have been volunteering my time to organisations helping in the environment.
Volunteering time
These pix are from a morning spent being a Citizen Scientist at a Litter Intelligence Survey in Ōtautahi Christchurch. These events run throughout NZ by Sustainable Coastlines are so well organised! I learnt so much from the facilitators and other community volunteers.
We picked up 10 kgs, around 25 litres of rubbish. Each bag was then sorted and categorised. For example, under the umbrella category of PLASTIC, it was subcategorised into items like lollipop sticks and bottle caps.
At first glance, there didn’t appear to be too much rubbish, but once you start looking, it is shocking to see the amount of pollution, particularly once you start noticing the dreaded nurdles.
What are nurdles?
Nurdles are the lentil sized plastic pellets that are the raw material of the plastics industry. They are present in their billions throughout the world and have entered the environment with devastating effects on wildlife. Their tiny size and permenance makes it virtually impossible to remove from our beaches and waterways. Birds and fish can mistake nurdles for fish eggs and ingesting causes malnutrition and starvation.
Volunteering expertise
I recently designed a new logo for Mahurangi West Pest. They are a group of passionate volunteers helping to protect the natural environment of the Mahurangi Peninsula. I grew up in this area so was super happy to help them out with a branding refresh.
Volunteering can:
give you a sense of achievement and purpose.
help you feel part of a community.
help you feel better about yourself by improving your self-esteem and confidence.
help you share your talents, learn new skills and create a better work-life balance.
It’s been a rewarding experience to get involved and volunteer my time and expertise. Even a few hours of volunteered time can make an impact.
Tips to get involved:
Think about causes you are passionate about and search the websites of groups that align with your values. They often have a section dedicated to volunteer opportunities.
Check out the Volunteering NZ website. They have a list of websites that connect organisations and volunteers with variety of roles.
