Hot
Topic Archive
January
2008
Keeping
things fresh in a New Year
By
OzVPM Director Andy
Fryar
For
those of us who celebrate Christmas, the end of December
can be a time of fun, family, reflection and celebration.
It’s a time to get together with others we seldom
see, to take a break from a busy work year and (in
Australia at least) a chance to soak up some sun as
we head for the beach.
Yet
within what should be the pinnacle of the year, I
observe more and more that people become very ritualistic
in the ways that they celebrate the Christmas season.
Grandma’s on Christmas Eve, opening gifts with the
kids first thing on Christmas morning, church, lunch
with the in laws, BBQ dinner with the parents, boxing
day with the neighbours….
Of
course there are many variations on the above theme,
but my point is that we easily fall into creating
annual ‘habits’ in the ways that we celebrate, not
just Christmas, but many other important annual occasions
in our lives.
It
is really easy to fall into the habit of believing
everyone else celebrates in the same way as we do.
But what of those with no families for whom Christmas
is the most lonely day of the year? What of the homeless
and the poor who cannot afford even the most simple
of celebratory items? What about those from different
religious backgrounds for whom Christmas means little?
As
this is the first Hot Topic column of a new year,
I thought it appropriate to put this into a volunteerism
context, particularly relating to the ways that we
go about celebrating the important ‘peaks’ in the
year of our volunteer programs.
For
instance, how does you program celebrate occasions
like National Volunteer Week, International Volunteers
Day, International Volunteer Managers Day or other
internal events like your AGM?
Is
it a little like the above scenario, where you have
pretty much have the same routine planned year after
year, having your volunteers grudgingly work their
way through ‘the’ annual routine? Same venue, same
day, same time. Everyone knows what to expect before
they arrive and where feigned smiles are the norm
- as your team are presented with awards and speeches
which are dusted off from year to year?
Or
are you one of those programs who constantly seek
to do things differently? Spicing it up, keeping volunteers
guessing - and where there is an understanding that
these events (like Christmas) actually mean really
different things to different people?
The
truth is you’ll never please everybody. But by evaluating
your celebratory events, seeking the input of volunteers,
being flexible with your format and at least being
mindful of the fact that different people celebrate
in different ways, you’ll have a good start to finding
new ways to make these important times of the year
less of a chore and more an opportunity to build your
program.
So
if you fall into this category, now is the time to
make a New Year’s resolution to make some changes
during the upcoming year!
Let’s
hear what you have planned, or for those of you who
already keep things fresh year after year, let’s hear
your ideas about how you do this?
It's
not too late to...
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