Profile of a Volunteer

Describe the volunteer efforts of the person you have elected to profile.

There is a woman who volunteers every week at my job.  She often brings art supplies to donate to the school such as ribbon, yarn, and paper.  This allows the school to earn inkind or money off of her generosity.  Kathy is a retired school teacher and a stay at home grandmother.  She loves children and looks forward to working with the children.  She is very excited to enter the classrooms and often looks for extra projects to do while she is there.  Kathy sits at the tables with the children and helps them with whatever art project the teacher has set out for the day.  She is very eager to help and finds ways to contribute to the lessons whether it is through supplies or explaining different activities that may work with the day’s lesson plans.

Identify how you feel this person's work has positively impacted others.

Kathy’s efforts have made a positive impact on other members of the community as well as her friends.  We often have parents who watch Kathy and see how often she volunteers in the school.  As a result, we have had a higher number of parents and guardians come into the school asking how they can help.  It has been nice to see how the work of one person can impact many others. Kathy has also helped the school by talking with her friends outside of the school setting about ways in which they can help without having to enter the school.  The local organizations have come together and donated teddy bears to the school around Christmas time.  They ensure that every child receives one and even spend the time to crochet clothing for each one.  They do not look for any recognition but simply a picture of the children smiling with the bears.

Describe what you feel is a vital "take-away" message relative to this work in terms of your own volunteer efforts and advocacy work in fostering the well-being of children and families.

The most important take away message relative to this work in terms of my own volunteer effort is that spreading the word of how people can help is very effective.  Kathy spreads the word to her friends about her efforts working in the school and as a result they have found ways to volunteer their time in a setting that makes them more comfortable.  This helps spread the message about the well-being of the children and how they struggle around the holidays.  This will help my advocacy work and volunteering.  I know can see how a community, even a small one such as the school, can be impacted by the dedication of one individual.  I want to strive to be a strong volunteer like Kathy who looks forward to giving back to the community, even if it’s through cutting out shapes for the classroom.

Using Social Media to get Connected

Provide a brief overview of your past and present experience with social media.

I utilize different forms of social media such as youtube and facebook.  I have often found both useful tools for different reasons.  Youtube has allowed me to share short clips in my classroom to my students about topics that we had been discussing.  It allows me to show them the topic in a different approach helping the more visual learners understand.  Facebook has also introduced me to local business that I could use as well as keep in touch with old friends.  I have not used it for any educational purpose but do know that many useful organizations are beginning to use it.

Describe what social media tools you feel lend themselves to effective advocacy.

The tools that lend themselves to effective advocacy are newsletters and facebook.  Since many people are on facebook now, it would benefit many organizations to create a page and keep it current.  They could post about upcoming events as well as important information that they want others to know.  Newsletters would be a useful tool for the individuals who do not like to utilize the computer to find information.  Some people still utilize newspapers and handouts to find their information.  Using both resources will help reach more people.

Identify how you might use these social media tools to educate and inspire others in your advocacy work.

I have many professionals on my facebook page.  I would be able to post information that pertains to them on there to help promote important causes and organizations.  This will hopefully inspire them to pursue more advocacy work and help find a cause that they are passionate about.  By me posting information about steps that I have taken to help others and children, hopefully people in the field will take what I am doing and use it to help others as well.

Ask your colleagues for their suggestions and/or their help with using social media as a tool to promote advocacy efforts.

Many of my colleagues have also suggested utilizing facebook as a means to get the most information about advocacy efforts out to the public.  Out of the 4 people I asked, all of them said that since many people and companies are on facebook, it would be the fastest way to get the message and information out to others.

Advocacy Messages

One of the most recent advertising campaigns that I believe to be inspiring actually comes from the beer company Guinness.  The commercial is about six men who are in wheel chairs playing basketball.  When the game ends, five of the men stand up and one remains sitting.  It shows how they were all able to come together and not use anyone’s disability as an obstacle.  The slogan that can be heard is “The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character.”

Another inspiring advertisement is from the United Negro College Fund.  Their message is “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.”  This reminds everyone of how important it is to think things through and to think for yourself.

Though you most likely won't be able to find research data, your analysis of why these messages are so effective in creating action

These messages are effective in creating action because they are clear to the point.  They express that we must think for ourselves and not base someone by their appearance.  The first one regarding the men in the wheel chairs truly shows how people should not be judged based on what we see.  The guys were helping a friend and participating in an activity that they all enjoyed.  The second message explains how important it is to think for ourselves and not to waste our brains. We must use it or we could lose it in a sense.