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Hey, it's Riley here. Welcome back to 'The Archives' where the Volunteer
Resistance shares our volunteer management knowledge.
Today is vlog number one. So let’s begin... with a story from the
master of volunteerology, friend and mentor, the amazingly wise Mr. Theo Palmer, who once
was renowned for having the largest collection of volunteer management archives in the world.
Running the Volunteer Hub in Volunteer Valley before Big Bad Baron came into power. I was
happy helping volunteers to connect with causes they cared about and non-profits to better
engage and empower those volunteers. But change is inevitable...
Volunteering is hereby banned... anyone caught doing good deeds will feel the full wrath
of The Agency. I managed to hide just before the minions
broke down my door. In the blink of an eye they trashed the archives... papers, resources,
notes were scattered, torn up and set alight. I watched my life's work go up in flames.
I salvaged what I could that day and I vowed to do whatever possible to stop the Big Bad
Baron. Today we look at one of those salvaged documents,
Volunteering Qld's 'Young People as Volunteers' research, and we’ll explore how we’ve
put their five stage model into practice. Culture is all about fostering a positive
environment; it’s creating a space where young people are accepted and compelled to
do awesome work. We are super focused on outcomes. We have
time-bound missions and always debrief on how they impact on the bigger picture.
We’re always on the lookout for new ideas and different ways of working. What’s great
about young people is they see problems as quests and are keen to conquer.
And we are so flexible. We recognise the commitment people are making by supporting our cause,
so we make sure they can contribute in the times and the way that suits them best.
Linking is the art of connecting with the right young volunteers. Here’s one of the
amazing tech twins Ted with his linking story. I went to one of the Volunteer Resistance
rallies a year or two ago. When I heard Riley speak about how the world could be if everyone
made a difference, I knew I had to get involved. Riley asked me about my interests and my motivations,
and being a tech fan that I am I ended up in the IT Lab. Now every day I get to play
with amazing gadgets to help our missions, it’s awesome!!
Engagement is all about meaningful involvement, feeling a part of something. I take an interest
in the life of each person joins the Volunteer Resistance and provide them with regular feedback
on how it’s all going. And we have these, our special wristbands…
no matter where our volunteers might be they are always mega informed.
Being part of the Volunteer Resistance is an important, defining aspect of the lives
of everyone here. This sense of belonging is nurtured through the position titles given
to volunteers, like Bobby the Mission Controller. And everyone has ownership of their work,
so they can really get immersed in it. Every young person here can aspire towards
positions of leadership, we actively encourage it. All have a mentor who they can go to for
guidance. And this is really what the Archives are all about, providing everyone with the
knowledge to lead volunteers. Engaging young volunteers is an area which
is so important to continuing our efforts. To bring back volunteering, we must rally
more young people, get them meaningfully involved in what we're doing and harness the ideas,
creativity and enthusiasm they bring. So make sure you check out the full ‘Young People
as Volunteers’ report. That's it for today. Thank you Theo for all
the volunteer management wisdom you’ve shared with me over the years … and to everyone
watching, well done. Add your ideas on working with young volunteers
below. And check back for presentations from the creative Mia and more vlogs from me soon.
Together we can create a world where everyone can make a difference.
Riley… signing out.