‘Volunteering World, 2002’ - Jo Halford

The annual Overseas Volunteering Fair was held on the 16th February at the Business Design Centre, London. The event was organised by VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas), with the aim of once again bringing volunteer organisations under the one roof. This allowed the general interested public to come along and compare the different volunteering experiences available to them while also providing an opportunity for organisations to promote their services. It is the biggest volunteering event within the UK, with over 100 organisations offering volunteering opportunities in both the UK and overseas. According to the VSO website the show attracted just short of 3,500 visitors.

For the second year running Student Action India had a stand. Four SAI volunteers manned the stand, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. SAI’s colourful simple leaflets and homemade photo displays were distinctively different from the large glossy media-creative backdrops of many other organisations. But this seemed to draw people to the stand, we were overwhelmed by the interest. Having helped on the stand in the morning I was inspired by what Student Action India had to offer as an organisation, comparatively to that of the other organisations exhibiting. SAI is one of the cheapest organisations to volunteer with, costs are kept low - volunteers are only asked to pay for expenditures that are directly related to their placement. SAI does not pass on charges related to big publicity campaigns and UK marketing strategies. SAI has an intimate relationship with it’s partner organisations, having maintained relationships with some of the same partner organisations for years, such as DEEDs Bangalore.

SAI thoroughly researches prospective placements, by having researchers or co-ordinators personally spend a period of three weeks at a potential new placement to assess work requirements, amenities and general suitability. And most, if not all, who assist in running SAI UK have had first-hand experience of the projects in India. SAI’s policy of not having an upper age limit and taking on unskilled as well as skilled volunteers is attractive. Several frustrated people approached the stand who felt that they had been pushed out of the volunteering arena by their age or lack of experience. Student Action India’s policy is not age specific and the organisation is equipped to take both skilled and unskilled volunteers, of particular importance is that someone should have the right attitude and enthusiasm for their placement. Volunteering, be it in the UK or overseas, is currently more popular than it ever has been. An example of this is the Cooperative Bank’s commitment to pay their employees to work on community voluntary projects one day a week. This was a reaction to more and more employees leaving their jobs to take up voluntary work. The cooperative bank saw that by allowing for this outlet within working hours their employees may have a greater sense of fulfilment and remain with the company for longer. Attending the volunteering fair definitely made me further appreciate the personal, collective and constructive fulfilment and achievements to be gained from volunteering.