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conserve personally
volunteer in your community
be mindful of our earth
3/21/06 Note: On every page of every website
I've added an animated link to this article. I believe with the newness of the year, and the beginning of the spring
season, it's a sign to me that it's time that the emotional feelings network of sites, begins to offer extremely important
topics for its readers to ponder upon, considering our environment as well as other very important concerns.
Many of us are looking for an opportunity to contribute to our communities in some way, volunteering
for the betterment of all in our communities, country and ultimately - the world. It's up to each of us to educate ourselves
and our children as to the importance of global warming. We must all make global warming an utmost concern in our every day
lives and while we're already making lifestyle changes, it's my hope that each of us regulate our usage of fossil fuels.
While we are all separately suffering from our own personal problems, crises, traumas, life
dysfunctions, our earth, our "mother earth," is becoming dangerously close to being damaged beyond repair..... let's make an effort here at the network to report other concerns & volunteering opportunities!
Read the article... I saw the interview on CBS 60 minutes this past Sunday night.
Rewriting The Science Produced By Catherine Herrick/Bill
Owens ©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
March 19, 2006
 (CBS) As
a government scientist, James Hansen is taking a risk. He says there are things the White House doesn't want you to hear but
he's going to say them anyway.
Hansen is arguably the world's leading researcher
on global warming. He's the head of NASA's top institute studying the climate. But this
imminent scientist tells correspondent Scott Pelley that the Bush administration is restricting who he can talk to
& editing what he can say. Politicians, he says, are rewriting the science.
But
he didn't hold back speaking to Pelley, telling 60 Minutes what he knows.
Asked
if he believes the administration is censoring what he can say to the public, Hansen says: "Or they're censoring whether or not I can say
it. I mean, I say what I believe if I'm allowed to say it."
What James Hansen believes is that global warming is accelerating. He points to the melting arctic & to Antarctica, where new data show massive
losses of ice to the sea.
Is it fair to say at this point that humans control the climate? Is that possible?
"There's no doubt about that, says Hansen. "The
natural changes, the speed of the natural changes is now dwarfed by the changes that humans are making to the atmosphere &
to the surface."
Those human changes, he says, are driven by burning fossil fuels
that pump out greenhouse gases like CO2, carbon dioxide. Hansen says his research shows that man has just 10 years to reduce greenhouse gases before global warming reaches what he calls a tipping point
& becomes unstoppable. He says the White House is blocking that message.
"In my more than 3 decades in the government I've never witnessed such restrictions
on the ability of scientists to communicate with the public," says Hansen.
Restrictions
like this e-mail Hansen's institute received from NASA in 2004. "… there is a new review process … ," the e-mail
read. "The White House (is) now reviewing all climate related press releases," it continued.
Why
the scrutiny of Hansen's work? Well, his Goddard Institute for Space Studies is the source of respected but sobering research on warming. It recently announced 2005 was the warmest year on record. Hansen started at NASA more
than 30 years ago, spending nearly all that time studying the earth. How important is his work?
60 Minutes asked
someone at the top, Ralph Cicerone, president of the nation’s leading institute of science, the National Academy of
Sciences.
"I can't think of anybody who I would say is better than Hansen. You might argue that there's 2 or 3 others as good, but nobody better,"
says Cicerone.
And Cicerone, who’s an atmospheric chemist, said the same thing
every leading scientist told 60 Minutes.
"Climate change is really happening," says Cicerone.
Asked what is causing the changes, Cicernone says it's greenhouse gases:
"Carbon dioxide & methane
& chlorofluorocarbons & a couple of others, which are all - the increases in their concentrations in the air are due
to human activities. It's that simple."
But if it's that
simple, why do some climate science reports look like they've been heavily edited at the White House? With science labeled
"not sufficiently reliable." It’s a tone of scientific uncertainty the president set in his first months in office after he pulled out of a global treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"We don't know how much our climate could, or will change in the future," President
Bush said in 2001, speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House. "We don't know how fast change will occur, or even how
some of our actions could impact it."
Annoyed by the ambiguity, Hansen went public a year & a half ago, saying this about the Bush administration in a talk
at the University of Iowa:
"I find a willingness to
listen only to those portions of scientific results that fit predetermined inflexible positions. This, I believe, is a recipe
for environmental disaster."
Since then, NASA has been keeping an eye on Hansen. NASA let Pelley sit
down with him but only with a NASA representative taping the interview. Other interviews have been denied.
"I object to the fact that I’m not able to freely communicate via the media," says Hansen. "National Public
Radio wanted to interview me & they were told they would need to interview someone at NASA headquarters & the comment
was made that they didn’t want Jim Hansen going on the most liberal media in America. So I don’t think that kind
of decision should be made on that kind of basis. I think we should be able to communicate the science."
Politically, Hansen calls himself an independent & he’s had trouble with both parties. He says, from
time to time, the Clinton administration wanted to hear warming was worse that it was. But Hansen refused to spin the science
that way.
"Should we be simply doing our science & reporting it rigorously,
or to what degree the administration in power has the right to assume that you should be a spokesman for the administration?"
asks Hansen. "I've tried to be a straight scientist doing the science & reporting it as best I can."
Dozens of federal agencies report science but much of it's
edited at the White House before it's sent to Congress & the public. It appears climate science is edited with a heavy
hand. Drafts of climate reports were co-written by Rick Piltz for the federal Climate Change Science Program. But Piltz says
his work was edited by the White House to make global warming seem less threatening.
"The
strategy of people with a political agenda to avoid this issue is to say there's so much to study way upstream here that we
can’t even being to discuss impacts & response strategies," says Piltz.
"There’s too much uncertainty. It's not the climate scientists that
are saying that, its lawyers & politicians."
Piltz worked under the Clinton
& Bush administrations. Each year, he helped write a report to Congress called "Our Changing Planet."
Piltz says he is responsible for editing the report & sending a review draft to the White House.
Asked what happens, Piltz says: "It comes back with a large number of edits, handwritten on the
hard copy by the chief-of-staff of the Council on Environmental Quality."
Asked
who the chief of staff is, Piltz says, "Phil Cooney."
Piltz says Cooney isn't a
scientist. "He's a lawyer. He was a lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, before going into the White House," he
says.
Cooney, the former oil industry lobbyist, became chief-of-staff at the White
House Council on Environmental Quality. Piltz says Cooney edited climate reports in his own hand. In one report, a line that
said earth is undergoing rapid change becomes “may be undergoing change.”
“Uncertainty” becomes “significant remaining uncertainty.” One line that says energy production contributes to warming
was just crossed out. "He was obviously passing it through a political screen,"
says Piltz. "He would put in the word potential or may or weaken or delete text that had to do with the likely consequence
of climate change, pump up uncertainty language throughout."
In a report, Piltz says Cooney added this line
“… the uncertainties remain so great as to preclude meaningfully informed decision making. …” References
to human health are marked out. 60 Minutes obtained the drafts from the Government Accountability Project. This edit made it into the final report: the
phrase “earth may be” undergoing change made it into the report to Congress. Piltz says there wasn’t room
at the White House for those who disagreed, so he resigned.
"Even to raise issues internally is immediately career
limiting," says Piltz. "That’s why you will find not too many people in the federal agencies who will speak freely about
all the things they know, unless they’re retired or unless they’re ready to resign."
Jim Hansen isn't
retiring or resigning because he believes earth is nearing a point of no return. He urged 60 Minutes to look north to the arctic, where temperatures are rising
twice as fast as the rest of the world. When 60 Minutes visited Greenland this past August, we saw for ourselves the accelerating melt of the largest ice sheet in
the north.
"Here in Greenland about 15 years ago the ice sheet extended to right about where I'm standing now, but
today, its back there, between those two hills in the shaded area. Glaciologists call this a melt stream but, these days,
its a more like a melt river," Pelley said, standing at the edge of Greenland's ice sheet.
The Bush administration
doesn’t deny global warming or that man plays a role. The administration is spending billions of dollars on climate
research. Hansen gives the White House credit for research but says what’s urgent now is action.
"We have to,
in the next 10 years, get off this exponential curve and begin to decrease the rate of growth of CO2 emissions,"
Hansen explains. "And then flatten it out. And before we get to the middle of the century, we’ve got to be on a declining
curve.
"If that doesn't happen in 10 years, then I don’t think we can keep global warming under one degree Celsius
and that means we’re going to, that there’s a great danger of passing some of these tipping points. If the ice
sheets begin to disintegrate, what can you do about it? You can’t tie a rope around the ice sheet. You can’t build
a wall around the ice sheets. It will be a situation that is out of our control."
But that's not a situation you'll
find in one federal report submitted for review. Government scientists wanted to tell you about the ice sheets, but before
a draft of the report left the White House, the paragraph on glacial melt and flooding was crossed out and this was added:
"straying from research strategy into speculative findings and musings here."
Hansen says his words were edited once
during a presentation when a top official scolded him for using the word danger.
"I think we know a lot more about
the tipping points," says Hansen. "I think we know about the dangers of even a moderate degree of additional global warming
about the potential effects in the arctic about the potential effects on the ice sheets."
"You just used that word
again that you’re not supposed to use — danger," Pelley remarks.
"Yeah. It’s a danger," Hansen says.
For months, 60 Minutes had been trying to talk with the president’s science advisor. 60 Minutes was finally told he would never be available. Phil Cooney,
the editor at the Council on Environmental Quality didn’t return 60 Minutes' calls. In June, he left the White House and went to work for Exxon
Mobil.
 educating yourself & your kids about global warming...
NEWS RELEASE
02/09/2006
Environmental Defense Praises Evangelical Leaders' Stand on
Global Warming
CONTACT: Charles Miller, 202-572-3364
Here's a comment by Environmental
Defense President Fred Krupp on today's announcement by a group of evangelical leaders who support Federal legislation to
curb the emission of greenhouse gases.
"This statement marks nothing
less than a historic tipping point. Global warming isn't a liberal issue or an issue that concerns just conservationists.
Taking action - now - is a matter of values. It's a moral issue, a mainstream issue that reflects a national consensus."
"These courageous leaders
have said that global warming should be a concern to all who value God's creation & that's a mainstream, non-partisan
message that makes sense whether you’re in South Carolina, Arkansas, California or Minnesota."
"Their support for a pro-business
solution makes all the sense in the world. Capping greenhouse gas emissions will unleash a wave of American innovation. It'll
create new jobs & it'll give the economy a boost."
Click here to sign a petition concerning global warming & to read more about it!
What did you like
about your other volunteer experiences?
- I was able to help some less fortunate poeple who have served
their country get more out of their lives, and their short stay at the nursing home.
- Volunteering made me happy because I was be able to help other
people. I was glad that I can spend my speat time to help other people.
- IT MADE ME FEEL AS IF I WAS MAKING A DIFFERENCE, AND I LIKED
BEING A POSITIVE FORCE IN THESE CHILDREN'S LIVES, WHO OFTENTIMES HAD NO OTHER POSITIVE ROLE MODELS.
- After I did those things I felt I had somehow helped the world--
in a very small way. I felt a sense of fulfillment.
- Doing something useful with like minded people.
- helping people
- They were pretty fun....but Id like to volunteer for someone
I know is really helping the world. For example, I volunteered for the Red Cross, but they never did anything and that was
annoying. OTOH, I love volunteering for the American Cancer Society because they work hard in the fight against Cancer.
- I liked the fact that I was able to help people who I had never
come in contact with and would probably never see again. It gave me the feeling that I was an unsung hero to somebody somewhere.
- It gives me immense satisfaction to serve people, at the same
time i am happy to get away from my routine job and indulge in something that heps me to relax.
- the fulfillment of helping others
- I liked the satisfaction I got. I loved the effects it had
on me while I was helping and after I was done helping. I also have memories to last a lifetime.
- DID NOT ANSWER
- DID NOT ANSWER
- n/a
- getting alonside people and seeing them enjoying life despite
their problems. Helping organisations which help people be better, through an improved computer facilites, website etc
- What I liked about my other volunteer experiences was that
I had something to do with my extra free time instead of just staying home all day.
- DID NOT ANSWER
- DID NOT ANSWER
- I enjoy using my computer design skills.
- I enjoy having real contact with the patients, because I aspire
to become a doctor. I've learned a lot about how things get done in a hospital, and important social skills I believe are
essential to treating a sick patient. In the museum, I enjoyed learning about our town's colorful history.
- I really like helping people and working with people.
- The idea that my contributions help other people in what-ever
way...further research and just persoanl satisfaction.
- It gave me the opportunity to exercise my leadership and managerial
skills. I gained much knowledge as well.
- Working with the girls
Applying the knowledge I had gained
in my courses to badge activities and helping the girls gain from them.
Learning experiences on the field trips
- N/A
- the sense that I was helping with a worthwhile effort, feeling
a part of a group with a direction and goal
- I really enjoy seeing other people's faces light up when they
see someone giving their time to help them. I also like the feeling of knowing that I'm doing something worthwhile with my
time.
- I really appreciated being able to see their faces light up.
I was taught that in reality, every little bit of help does make a difference. A good deed goes a long way.
- I really enjoyed the staff the I work with.
- The joy of being able to make people feel better and to support
them whenever needed
- I like the people involved. Volunteers are special people with
special assets. I also enjoyed learning about people in need and why they are where they are in life.
- Impact on others
As a retiree, the freedom to devote myself
to a cause without worrying about my career
- seeing people, making them smile, being out of the house, wearing
a neat uniform.
- None
- I liked helping people achieve what they thought was impossible.
I also liked receiving "thank-you" emails daily.
- DID NOT ANSWER
- I enjoyed meeting new people, learning new skills, sharing
my skills through instruction, and gaining a new perspective on the needs of my community through volunteering.
- DID NOT ANSWER
- It is very rewarding helping others.
- The feeling that I can make a differance in someone's life.
- I felt fulfilled. Some of the lives I've touched I still come
incontact with and it makes me feel good to know I've been a positive influence on that person's life when they didn't have
much hope.
- The fact that I was helping someone who had a need and making
them happy or able to enjoy something they may not have been able to without me.
- It was helping others.
- Knowing that I made a difference for some people.
- I liked working with the people and felt like I was doing something
for the community.
- Part of it is the knowing that I have the power to help others
and the rest of it is seeing that influence making a positive difference in someone's life.
- Working with people. Both in performing for them and in helping
my 'little sister' with her schoolwork and in dealing with the problems in her life.
- I got to see for my self things that most of the world has
been ignoring and I got the chance to reach my hand out to these people. I got to show others that help does not only come
from giving money, there is alot more that you can do if you only want to do it.
- I liked working with the blind students and appreciating special
gifts they have.
Also enjoyed organizing event for Sangaath and Huntsville India
Association. This gave me a great opportunity to make many friends and enjoy working in a team.
- DID NOT ANSWER
- Personally, it was a great opportunity to help people in need,
to make new friends.
Academically, it was an opportunity to improve my foreign language skills (German).
- DID NOT ANSWER
- I enjoyed helping other people, organizing events, advertising
events, and working in groups.
- It helps to develop a sense of pride and accomplishment to
know that I helped out someone in need. Those for which I've worked have always been very thankful and appreciative.
- DID NOT ANSWER
- Learning new things.
- Helping others help themselves
- actually doing the work: wrapping the presents; serving the
meals; setting up.
- I haven't volunteered except through my childrens schools and
I find that when your helping someone that feeling of accomplishment from myself and the person i'm helping is the greatest
reward
- I liked helping people. I thought it was fun.
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Looking for somewhere you can help?
5 Simple Things You Can Do To Keep Our Oceans Alive
You may be fortunate enough to
have the chance to admire, explore and partake of the sea's bounty – a diver, boater, fisherman, beachcomber or nature
lover. As more and more people live near and flock to our shores, we must take care to protect our ocean legacy for future
generations. Environmental Defense wants you to enjoy the ocean’s diverse treasures and encourages you to be a good
ocean steward. Always respect sea life and consider your "footprint" on the environment.
Why Are Our Oceans in Trouble?
The sea's glistening
surface belies troubles beneath.
Covering more than 2/3 of
the Earth's surface, our oceans were once thought to be an inexhaustible resource, too vast to be damaged by the actions of
humans. But we have removed such huge numbers of fish & destroyed so many other kinds of sea life that we now know we
have the capacity to pluck the sea bare. We've carved up our coastlines to make room for housing, hotels, roads & fish
farms & allowed our waterways to be dumping grounds for toxins & other waste.
From icy seas to warm tropical
waters, more than 2/3 of the world's fisheries have been fully exploited or overfished. Billions of pounds of fish each year
are wasted as unwanted "bycatch" (catch tossed overboard, dead
or dying, because of regulatory mandates & lack of market) & hundreds of thousands of seabirds, marine mammals,
sea turtles & other marine life are also killed thru destructive & inefficient fishing practices.
The recent explosion in fish
farming to satiate our growing appetite for seafood is polluting our coastal waters with fish waste, antibiotics & other
pollutants. Runoff from farms, animal feedlots & streets has created huge "dead zones" in many bays & some estuaries,
where few life forms survive.
Our oceans are in trouble
- but with the right tools we can reverse this decline. Environmental Defense has long sought practical solutions to revitalizing
our marine waters & sea life. Our Oceans Alive campaign is dedicated to protecting & restoring this vital web of life.
read more....
Perfect match: Volunteering
& good fun
29 August 2005
by Sara Dominoni
I
joined the UNV Programme as an intern few weeks ago. And I wouldn’t miss the chance to experience a real event “on
the field”. And 11,000 volunteers apparently were thinking the same.
Last 22-23 July, thousands of volunteers trooped to the Syrian
coast – from Lattakia to Tartous – and took part in a national campaign on environmental awareness, starting with
cleaning up its 175-kilometre beach.
Organized by the MAS Economic Group, a private company, in cooperation
with local government of Damascus and other volunteer-involving organizations from all around the country, the event is considered
as the most extensive environmental campaign because it ranges from Syria’s borders to Lebanon on the north to Turkey,
to the south.
When the campaign was first presented to me, I was a little
skeptical, especially because the plan was to leave very early in the morning, a daunting task especially on a weekend. But
I thought it would be a good occasion to meet other volunteers and witness volunteerism in my host country. It turned out
to be one of the best decisions I made in a long time.
We started moving very early in the morning, travelling some
360 kilometers to Lattakia from Damascus.
Once in Lattakia, I was really surprised to see all those buses
parked -- at least 100 of them! Indeed a lot of people have decided to join the campaign. I felt immediately excited to be
part of it. Soon the coordinators assigned a particular beach in the city surroundings to be cleaned by each different group.
Our UNV bus, followed by another group, travelled to Al-Sanaubar beach, another 20 kilometres.
By the time we reached our destination, we were all ready and
impatient to start the job. However, a surprise was waiting for us: the beach was huge, at least four to five kilometres,
and completely filled with rubbish. T-shirts and caps with the campaign logo, in addition to plastic bags and plastic gloves
were then provided to everyone before we embarked in our tasks.
I hadn’t realize until that moment how long the day would
be and how hard it would be working in the increasing heat. We all exchanged meaningful glances: the job was tough to accomplish
but nothing would stop us!
Exhausted but happy, after many hours of work under the hot
Syrian sun at about three p.m., we were led back to the stadium, where we finally pulled ourselves together and relaxed for
a while, thanks to a delicious packet-lunch and cold drinks. On the way back to Damascus we were all very tired but I could
breath the lovely atmosphere of complicity that we built up during the day.
Looking back to that day I remember all the friendly faces I’ve
met, conversations and opinions we shared about the great importance of volunteering to sustain the environment.
Of course, the aim of the campaign was to minimize the negative
effect of garbage on marine life, by cleaning up the trash the effects of such efforts are not sustainable. In fact, proposal
was to promote public’s awareness on the various environmental problems.
I believe that the campaign was particularly successful as it
promoted the spirit of volunteerism, revitalized interaction amongst young people and stressed the necessity of protecting
the environment from pollution.
Nobody will easily forget this event that perfectly matched
commitment and solidarity with good fun!
Sara Dominoni is currently doing her internship with UN Volunteers
in Syria.
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helping people learn how to help themselves...
teens check out this site for volunteer opportunities!
Idealist.org
To help build a world where all people can live free and dignified
lives in a healthy environment.
So, what do we actually do?
We try to help people find the resources and support
they need to help themselves and their communities.
Over 45,000 nonprofit organizations from around the
world use Idealist to list information about the work they do. This information includes their mission and how to contact
them, volunteer opportunities, internships, resources, and services that they provide.
Here are some examples of how people and organizations
use Idealist:
People connecting
with nonprofit organizations
The Environmental Support Group, an organization
in India, lists itself in Idealist.
At the same time, a young woman in India wants to
do something about the high pollution levels in her city. She doesn't know where to find information or an organization that
can help her.
She goes to her local internet cafe, logs onto Idealist
and searches for environmental groups in India. She finds the Environmental Support Group. She contacts them and together
they start working on ways to reduce pollution in her city.
Nonprofit
organizations connecting with people
A children's museum in Vancouver, Canada needs a
website but cannot afford to pay a web designer to design one. They post a volunteer opportunity on Idealist for a Web designer.
A week later, Anna, a high school student who likes
to design websites, logs onto Idealist to look for a volunteer opportunity. While searching the Idealist volunteer database,
she comes across the museum's opportunity. She contacts them and gets to work designing their website.
Nonprofit
organizations connecting with nonprofit organizations
Several community members in a neighborhood of Nairobi,
Kenya, want to start an organization to help the children who live on the streets of their city. One of the first things they
decide to do is research other organizations around the world working with street kids.
Using Idealist, they find several such organizations.
They contact them and soon have advice, resources, and suggestions that will help them get started.
Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Helping America's Youth
Event in Washington, D.C.
Church of the Epiphany
Washington, D.C.
2:30 P.M. EST
MRS. BUSH: Well, I'm here today, really, because the Corporation
for National and Community Service is about to announce the results of a survey that they did that shows that 55 percent of
young people between the ages of 12 and 18 are now volunteering in the United States. And I think that's such terrific news.
It's really good news about this generation and about their responsibility that they feel to their country and to the other
people that live in their country -- elderly people, children. And I think that's really, really good news.
The other good news is, we know that people who volunteer --
children, young people who volunteer, are more likely to avoid risky behaviors. And so I think it's really terrific that a
big percentage of these young people are volunteering for that reason.
The other good news about it is that we know that volunteering
can be taught, that helping people is something you can learn to do. And now we know that so many young people in the United
States have learned that. And we know they've learned it from their families, they've learned it from their churches, they've
learned it at their schools, they've learned it from a number of great organizations around the United States like the YMCA
or the Boys and Girls Clubs or the Girls and Boy Scouts, or a number of other great organizations for young people.
So I think it's really, really good news, and I'm very, very
proud. I'm proud of this generation. I knew anecdotally that they were volunteering everywhere because I see young people
volunteering wherever I go, but now this confirms it with the results of these studies. And I want to encourage adults, those
who are over 18 who aren't in this group of volunteers to be sure that they volunteer, and not only reach out, especially
during this season that we're coming up to, the holiday season, but they also teach their children how important it is to
volunteer and to help people, and what a great feeling you get when you're the one that helps people.
I don't know if you could hear their stories, but they cleaned
up an apartment for someone who was going to be evicted. She had a notice of eviction because her apartment was so messy and
she was really not able to take care of it herself. So one part of these young people went to her apartment and cleaned it
for her. Another group went to an apartment house and cleaned there. The boys cleaned out in the parking lot and the garage;
the girls cleaned inside. One group went to Martha's Table and worked with the children who are in day care there. Another
group went to another day care center and worked with the children who were there.
And it's just great experience for them.
Not only do they learn they can help people, but they learn that they can help themselves by volunteering. And they also learn
that they're role models, that those little kids that they're working with look up at them -- look up to them and want to
be like them.
So I'm really happy to be here on this very, very happy
announcement about how many young people are volunteering. Thanks, you all.
What Depressed People Can Do
to Help Themselves
DO, during a period of stability, decide which of these could
possibly help you when you are depressed, then write them down and put them somewhere where you will see them every day.
DO make a small list of simple tasks for you to do. Be realistic--if
you have trouble getting out of bed, going to the grocery store is certain to be too difficult for you.
DO make yourself get up and make the bed.
DO shower and dress in something other than your pajamas.
DO talk to family members and tell them how they can help you.
DO use your support system to the fullest.
DO talk about suicidal feelings if you are having any.
DO "fake it till you make it"--this works especially well if
you're waiting for medication to start working.
DO get out the door of your house or apartment, even just for
a little fresh air.
DO exercise--even a walk around the block.
DO use positive thinking.
DO attend group meetings, even if you don't feel well.
DO try a massage.
DO something for someone else.
DO reach out for help!
DO try meditation and prayer--possibly someplace quiet, like
a park.
DO keep your faith--God is your first and most important resource
in moving toward health.
(Note: These suggestions are adapted from a list compiled by
the members of the Tampa Bay Manic-Depressive Association. Almost all of the members have at one time or another been depressed.
The members who have gone through especially severe depressions understand that it is difficult for their support person or
persons to deal with them during their time of depression. These are some suggestions that may help.)
A Personal Inventory
As a Hospice Volunteer, I am here to:
- provide support & actively listen …. not to work
miracles.
- help people discover what they feel….not to make their
feelings go away.
- discuss steps with people, not to take the steps for them.
- help people discover their own strength…not to rescue
them & leave them more vulnerable.
- help people discover that they can help themselves….not
to take responsibility for them.
- walk with not for our clients.
Is Hospice Right for Me?
Volunteer Services are an
integral component of Hospice programs.
In considering whether Hospice Volunteering is a service you
want to give at this time, please consider the ideas expressed below:
- I have an interest in the Hospice concept & have the desire
to help others. I have some awareness of what is drawing me to Hospice work & am willing to explore this in depth.
- I'm willing to commit myself to the training & to the Volunteer
responsibilities that follow & to gaining an understanding of the standards & policies of the Hospice program.
- I'm aware of the losses I've experienced & my way of grieving
& have a sense of perspective about life & death, loss & grief.
- As I may be called on to work in a variety of areas & perform
many different tasks, self-reliance, flexibility & adaptability are assets. Realistic awareness of your own strengths
& weaknesses & the ability to set limits are important.
- I enjoy working as part of a team & am willing to explore
ways of supporting & being supported by other team members. I'm dedicated to my own growth & on-going learning. My
personal strengths will likely include warmth, concern for people, sense of humour, approachability.
- I'm open to others who may have different values, beliefs,
ways of living. I'm able to listen well & to validate others where they are, rather than where I might believe they
should be.
- I'm sensitive to the special needs of dying patients &
their families & have chosen to work to support them.
- I'm not bringing personal agendas or "missions" to my Hospice
work & understand that our work isn't to change people, but to be with them where they are.
If you have experienced a significant personal loss within the
past year, one which you're still actively grieving, please consider carefully your present ability to take on a demanding
training program. This work can intensify your own grief. We will review each applicant individually in this regard.
As working at a Hospice can be stressful at times, it's important
that you have good supports & ways of taking care of yourself, meeting change & the unexpected with ease.
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