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9 June 2016 The Jewish News
C5
The power of love Volunteering is not just good for the person being helped, it is also beneficial for the volunteer, discovers Alex Galbinski
Lia Bogod, JVN’s head of volunteering
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everal weeks ago, renowned social justice advocate Alan Luks gave a lecture on the healing power of doing good. When we care for others, he said, we are also caring for ourselves. Discussing the scientific studies which have proven that those who help others live longer, Luks referred to the “helper’s high�, the feel-good factor from volunteering, and said: “Volunteers are keeping society healthy.� Luks was speaking at the Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN), an infrastructure charity that is the link between prospective volunteers and around 300 charities. Its staff are therefore well placed to observe the benefits volunteers gain from helping others. Lia Bogod, JVN’s head of volunteering, explains: “I would say, and many people would agree, that there’s more in it for the volunteer than
the beneficiary. Volunteering has been proven to be good for you and your health. “It gives people a structure in their week; it gives them a different network and the feeling that they are doing good for someone else.� People volunteer for all sorts of reasons, Lia says; to make friends, to experience different work situations, to try out or learn a new skill, to be part of a community, because they feel they want to give something back, or to gain experience in a different situation, for example, if people are looking to make a career change. Indeed, Lia, who has worked for JVN for four years, herself made a career change through volunteering. “And all of that is fine – it doesn’t have to be 100 percent altruistic,� she acknowledges. “It’s a winwin situation. It’s good to get a benefit while doing good.� People come to JVN because they know they want to volunteer, but they don’t necessarily know where to start, with regards to finding a charity or a volunteering opportunity. “Not everybody knows the breadth of the charities in the Jewish community – there are more than 2,000 Jewish charities!� laughs Lia. “While people know the big charities by name, when they come to us or look at our website, they see hundreds of volunteering opportunities and charities they have never heard of.� Volunteering opportunities range from research to admin, marketing to social media, driving, and even for people who like to cook, in all manner of charities. There are also internships. “The variety is enormous,� Lia admits. JVN also connects volunteers to non-Jewish charities – about 20 percent of charities on its website are not Jewish, including Advocacy In Barnet, Beanstalk, Three Faiths Forum, the Helen Bamber Foundation and the North London Hospice – and non-Jewish people volunteer with Jewish charities.
And, contrary to popular perception, it is not only those aged over 60 who volunteer – those of all ages are on JVN’s books. A total of 6,000 people have registered an interest in volunteering – although more women do than men (two-thirds are female). “It is usually a person who wants to be engaged with society,â€? says Lia, “but the variety is huge. Some people volunteer sporadically or just in between jobs, while others volunteer for many years. Through JVN, Mike Boda, 61, volunteers for ORT-JUMP as a mentor for school students, with the Association of Jewish Refugees providing computer assistance for Holocaust survivors, and also with JVN itself, managing its IT. “I look forward to the sessions as I find them interesting and rewarding,â€? he says. While some can be challenging, he feels he makes a “useful contributionâ€?. “I have learned new skills, met lots of new and interesting people and had a chance to use my experience to help people in the community,â€? he adds. Not everyone can spare time each week, and that’s ok, says Lia. “We have the ad hoc volunteers who work during the week and don’t have much time, but can volunteer at events, at weekends or evenings. They get a lot out of it by being part of an event and that’s a great resource for the community.â€? DivorcĂŠe Sharon Eskenazy, 52, has been part of JVN’s ad hoc volunteering squad for around three years and came to it as a way of meeting new people and giving back to the community. She normally helps out at one-off events, such as the Maccabi Fun Run, Limmud Harrow, the Great
Challah Make and packing at Gift. “I get excited to see the same people volunteering and I’m happy I have been part of an event and given of my time,� she explains. “I genuinely love helping the charities. If I didn’t work, I would do something on a regular basis.� Increasingly, people want to fit in volunteering even on their holidays. Over Pesach, for the first time, JVN made people aware of volunteering opportunities in Israel. “People wanted to spend a day of their holiday volunteering and it was greatly appreciated,� says Lia. And last summer, JVN – which will celebrate its 10th birthday next year – had an increasing number of requests from parents who wanted to volunteer with their children. This summer, the organisation will publish a list of such opportunities. But however much time you are able to give, the benefits to the volunteers are clear. As Simone Brick, 53, who runs Jewish Care’s day centre shop in Golders Green, explains: “I love giving back to society and the interaction with the clients. The atmosphere is so friendly and welcoming and it is nice to be a part of a team. “I have met so many interesting people and have also made friends with other volunteers. Every week, I really look forward to going and it gives me a real sense of purpose to the week.� www.jvn.org.uk
happily ever after Rochelle and Victor recently celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary at home. Over the last 50 years, jliving have become one of the largest housing associations in the UK working primarily with the Jewish community.
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