Category: Volunteering

Introduction

Commonpoint Queens is an agency that has initially been created to support the Jewish diaspora in Queens, but has long since evolved into aiding the whole community. Thus, Commonpoint Queens is based on and still upholds Jewish values of justice and serving people. According to the website (2022b), the organization’s mission lies in “sustaining and enhancing the quality of individual, family, and communal life throughout Queens, through services to people of all ages, ability levels, and backgrounds” (para. 1). The goal of the agency is to provide social services to the people of Queens and other New York city residents: from mental health counselling to various classes and resources to live. Due to the fact that Commonpoint Queens strives to cover many different areas of community lives, volunteers play a crucial role in the organization’s work, dedicating their skills and time to support people. Participating in a wide variety of programs, they assist Commonpoint Queens in improving the quality of life of community members. The work of volunteers is considered to be one of the key factors that ensure the organization’s success and sustainability. This paper will review and evaluate volunteer programs that Commonpoint Queens offers using SWOT analysis.

SWOT-Analysis of Commonpoint Queens’ Volunteering Opportunities

In the conditions of changing world and globalization, it is necessary to keep abreast of an organization’s performance. There are various analytical tools that can prove to be useful for it – in particular, SWOT analysis. This approach provides an opportunity to learn the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization and its services, as well as its external opportunities and threats. Thus, SWOT analysis is both a planning method and a tool for evaluating a variety of factors that determine how an agency would develop in the market. Major market players should conduct a SWOT analysis of their performances at least once a year to maintain the organization’s relevance, as changes occur daily.

Strengths

Commonpoint Queens has a very wide variety of volunteer programs: the agency engages in almost all areas of communal work. There are many different opportunities for anyone who wants to volunteer, from tutoring, gardening, and providing mental health services to working at food pantries and assisting with sports classes. It is, perhaps, the organization’s biggest strength – with so many options, the agency can attract many different people who want to volunteer for the community. Moreover, it also supports the community in various ways rather than concentrating on one or two only, solidifying the agency’s position as vital for both the residents and the volunteers. Fichtenberg et al. (2020) support that claim, stating that “increased societal investments in resources to address social needs are necessary for integrative initiatives to yield desired individual- and population-level impacts” (p. 567). It is also worth noting that the agency’s official website has a well-designed system for applying for volunteer programs: participants can create accounts and efficiently search through the website’s catalogue of offers.

Weaknesses

The organization could improve their management of the volunteer work by training managers to become more ethical and inclusive leaders by offering them special coaching. Moreover, the volunteer programs should concentrate more on providing quality services for the community rather than reaching specific key performance indicators. According to Smith (2018), “governments, citizens, private foundations, and individual donors are expecting higher levels of performance and accountability from nonprofit organizations” (p. 369). Commonpoint Queens should reach out to the community it serves and seek the people’s feedback on the organization’s work in order to improve its programs and services.

Opportunities

Commonpoint Queens offers many specialized volunteer programs; however, with recent trends in the world, perhaps even more specific opportunities might need to be created. For example, in the light of the recent changes in the Roe vs. Wade case and subsequent abortion rights discourse, the organization could establish programs for helping pregnant women. Aiken (2019) emphasizes that “empowered by a tipping of the balance of the court away from upholding abortion rights during Trump’s presidency, state legislatures have since enacted a spate of extreme abortion restrictions” (p. 14444). Both those who would like to keep their pregnancies and who would like to terminate the process need help – in the form of counselling, legal cases, food and housing, and other aspects.

Another potential opportunity lies in support of the transgender community, as transgender people’s access to healthcare in the U.S. continues to be a significant issue. According to Walch et al. (2020), “recent introductions of regulatory policies at state and federal levels raise concerns over the politicization of gender-affirming health care, the risks of further restricting access to quality care” (p. 305). Right now, the organization concentrates more on offering sports classes, children’s development opportunities, and provision of food and mental health services, but its scope of programs could be expanded.

Threats

The organization does not compete with other agencies in the field of human services. In fact, in 2016, the Commonpoint Queens, as it is now, was created by a merger of two agencies: the Samuel Field Y in Little Neck and the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills (Commonpoint Queens, 2019). The agency is non-profit – it is funded through government grants, donations, and occasional sponsor support. Smith (2018) states that “non-profit human service agencies are now coping with greater competition for resources” (p. 369). Financial stability became a significant issue for Commonpoint Queens during the COVID-19 pandemics, as the organization lost a significant portion of funding and donations (Commonpoint Queens, 2020a). The agency had to suspend some of its programs due to the lack of finances – it would be wise to design a specific strategy for future crises of similar nature.

Conclusion

Organizations that provide services to the population such as education, counselling, food and clothing resources, legal help, and others are vital to the community. Their work helps support the people in need, facilitates ties between different groups, and offers sustainability, especially during times of crisis. Most important, human services agencies offer volunteer opportunities for anyone who wants to aid others, sharing the burden of responsibilities and creating an example of altruism and goodwill.

Commonpoint Queens is a prolific, active non-profit organization that offers a very wide range of opportunities to help one’s community. A long history of serving people – first as two separate organizations and then as one merged together – helped Commonpoint Queens build a significant base of experience in the field. The multitude of the agency’s volunteer programs allows people to choose the activities they would like to participate in and ensures a wide population reach. Despite several shortcomings, Commonpoint Queens continues to provide stable support to the community of Queens with the help of volunteers.

References

Aiken, A. R. (2019). Erosion of women’s reproductive rights in the United States. BMJ, L4444. doi:10.1136/bmj.l4444

Commonpoint Queens. (2019). Samuel Field Y and Central Queens Y merger.

Commonpoint Queens. (2020a). Commonpoint Queens in-person programs and services suspended for the immediate future.

Commonpoint Queens. (2020b). About Us – overview and mission of Commonpoint Queens.

Fichtenberg, C., Delva, J., Minyard, K., & Gottlieb, L. M. (2020). Health and Human Services Integration: Generating sustained health and equity improvements. Health Affairs, 39(4), 567-573. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01594

Smith, S. R. (2018). The Future of Nonprofit Human Services. Nonprofit Policy Forum, 8(4), 369-389. doi:10.1515/npf-2017-0019

Walch, A., Davidge-Pitts, C., Safer, J. D., Lopez, X., Tangpricha, V., & Iwamoto, S. J. (2020). Proper care of transgender and gender diverse persons in the setting of proposed discrimination: A policy perspective*. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 106(2), 305-308. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgaa816

Introduction

• To volunteer is to willfully carry out an activity to benefit others without getting any earning.
• Volunteer management is the process of choosing and incorporating volunteers into an organization.
• Volunteer management involves planning, recruitment, training, overseeing, motivating, appraising and firing volunteers. (McCurley and Lynch,1996).

To volunteer is to willfully carry out an activity that does not earn one any money and that is beneficial to others. Volunteer management is the process of choosing and incorporating volunteers into an organization and ensuring that they perform. It is a rigorous process that involves proper planning, recruitment, training, overseeing, motivating, appraising and even firing of volunteers. Volunteer management helps to control the resources of an organization. It safeguards the interests of the volunteers and fortifies the integrity of the organization. (McCurley and Lynch, 1996).

Volunteer Victoria

Volunteer Victoria is a non-profit volunteer organization whose objectives include:

• Encouraging people to volunteer by enlightening them on its benefits.
• Providing training, consultation and support to organizations that work with volunteers.
• Working with organizations, schools, government and community leaders to identify community needs and inform volunteers about them.
• Providing volunteer opportunities to people interested in volunteering.
• Training at Volunteer Victoria is both done internally and is also outsourced.
• Volunteer Victoria holds training workshops for its member agencies on volunteer management, where training is done by both members of staff and contracted trainers.
• The organization also offers training courses and seminars for the volunteers.
• The volunteers also get training before they embark on their duties (Blom, 2010)

Volunteer Victoria is a non-profit volunteer organization whose objectives include enlightening people on the importance of volunteering and therefore encouraging them to volunteer. It also provides training, consultation and support to organizations that work with volunteers, on matters like recruitment, management, motivation and working with volunteers. The organization also works with organizations, schools, government and community leaders to identify community needs and inform volunteers about them. It also provides volunteer opportunities to people interested in serving their community.

Volunteers need to be trained before starting their duties in order to execute them effectively. They need to know about the procedures and polices of that organization, how to use various equipment and what action to take when faced with different situations. Once recruited, they should be evaluated regularly to pin point any further training needs of the volunteers. Volunteer Victoria holds training workshops for its member agencies on volunteer management. Training is done by both the members of staff and contracted trainers. Training is offered on a variety of topics including how to manage funds, communication skills, networking, and succession planning, among others. The organization also offers training courses and seminars for the volunteers. Volunteer Victoria staff members offer training to just recruited volunteers to equip them with the necessary skills to that are required to perform the assigned tasks. They also work hand in hand with the volunteers and offer continuous training to them as they go about their daily duties. They also conduct ongoing training and development in areas that need complex skills to ensure that those tasks are executed perfectly. The organization also invites professional speakers on contract who offer specialized training in various fields. Therefore at Volunteer Victoria, training is both done internally and is also out sourced. (Blom, 2011).

Volunteer Motivation

According to Hager and Brudney(2004), volunteers can be motivated through the following:

• Giving them encouraging feedback, for instance thanking them for their work.
• Rewarding those who perform tasks exceptionally well or those who go farther than they are asked to.
• Continuously training them to make them feel that what they are doing is important.
• Interacting with them and commenting on the progress of their work.
• Offering them free refreshments and snacks McKee(2011) also adds the following:
• Providing games to relieve the pressure of the volunteers and provide them with fun.
• Hiring members of staff who are cooperative and have good working relations with the volunteers.

According to Hager and Brudney (2004), Volunteers can be motivated through giving them encouraging feedback for instance by thanking them for their work. Rewarding them for exceptionally done tasks or for going the extra mile also helps. Training the volunteers also makes them feel that what they are doing is important. In addition, taking time to interact and comment on the progress of their work boosts the morale of the volunteers. Offering free refreshments and snacks to them can also go a long way in encouraging the volunteers. The organization should also provide activities that enable the volunteers to enjoy themselves and relieve the pressures of their tasks, for example games. The members of staff of that organization also should be cooperative and have good working relations with them for optimum performance. ( McKee, 2011).

Sports Volunteering in Australia

• According to Zappala(2000), Australians are some of the best sportsmen in the world, and therefore that attracts many sports volunteers.
• Australians are proficient in many sports like surfing, rugby, cricket, golf, soccer, rowing, sailing, cycling, martial arts, bowling, volleyball, basketball, swimming, spear fishing and skiing, among others.
• Sports volunteers take up activities like refereeing, coaching, administration, fundraising, sales, information management and recruitment.

Some of the strategies that organizations use to attract sports volunteers include:

• Assigning them tasks which don’t take long to complete and that can be done at flexible times due to people’s busy schedules.
• Applying innovative tactics while recruiting volunteers in order to entice them.
• Recruiting retired professionals and allowing them to choose tasks that interest them, for instance retired coaches, referees and players.
• Applying strategies like offering rewards and encouragement in order to retain them.
• Providing a stress free and conducive environment for the volunteers.
• Incorporating young volunteers into organizations by enlightening them on the importance of volunteering and offering them exciting tasks to do.

According to Zappala (2000, Australians are some of the best sportsmen in the world, and it is no wonder that most people feel inclined to volunteer towards that field. Australians are highly skilled in many sports like surfing, rugby, cricket, golf, soccer, rowing, sailing, cycling, martial arts, bowling, volley ball, basketball, swimming, spear fishing and skiing, among others. Sports in Australia are heavily reliant on volunteers. Many Australians volunteer in sports and other recreational activities like refereeing, coaching, administration, fundraising, sales, information management and recruitment. They volunteer for various reasons, among them the urge to assist others, and for personal fulfillment. Australian institutions have also perfected strategies of attracting many sports volunteers. Volunteers need to be motivated and attracted by a certain aspect in order to work for a particular organization. Some of the ways they to attract them include giving them tasks that don’t take long and that can be done at flexible times due to people’s busy schedules. Another strategy is to be innovative in recruiting the volunteers in order to entice them. An organization can also recruit retired professionals and allow them to choose tasks that interest them, for instance retired coaches, referees and players. The organizations also understand the importance of retaining the volunteers, and therefore they apply strategies like offering rewards, encouraging them and providing a conducive and stress free environment in order for them to be productive. They can also increase the dwindling number of young volunteers by enlightening them on the importance of volunteering and offering them exciting tasks to do.

Conclusion

• Volunteering is an activity done out of free will and therefore should be done whole heartedly.
• Volunteers should also be held in high regard as they have dedicated their precious time and energy to serve the community.

Volunteering is an activity done out of free will and once people commit themselves to it, they should perform the tasks with enthusiasm as though they were being paid for it. Volunteers should also be held in high regard as they have dedicated their precious time and energy to serve the community.

Reference List

Blom, B.C. (2011). Our Training Initiatives. Web.

Hager, M.A. and Brudney, J.L. (2004). Volunteer Management Practices And Retention Of Volunteers. Web.

McCurley, S. and Lynch, R. (1996). Volunteer Management: Mobilizing All The Resources In The Community. New York: Heritage Arts Pub.

McKee, T.W. (2011). How to Motivate Volunteers: The Top Motivation and Retention Winners. Web.

Zappala, G. (2000). How many people volunteer in Australia and why do they do it? Web.

Volunteering

Volunteering is becoming more and more popular every year. Every country aims at stimulating and encouraging volunteer activities. Volunteering has always been understood as a personal expression of interest in accomplishing different goals. Currently, volunteering is becoming a part of the policymaking. Still, volunteering is an interesting phenomenon that should be evaluated from various perspectives.

Voluntary work has many definitions. Nevertheless, several features are typical for volunteering in general. First, it is not obligatory. Nobody can force someone to participate in a particular activity. The person should have a desire to do so. Second, it aims at accomplishing some good goals for the benefits of others. These “others” can be the whole society, a particular group of people, or organization. Finally, volunteering is unpaid. There are no payments or salaries for being a volunteer (Dekker & Halman, 2012).

Sometimes, volunteer work is rather a controversial phenomenon. This statement can be proved by the fact that there are different types of volunteer participation. Thus, one should accept the idea of being a volunteer instead of imprisonment or fine for law violations. Young people can do voluntary work to gain the necessary experience for their future job. Students of the school, college, or university may volunteer to receive better grades during their exams.

The types of volunteering also differ in terms of the sphere of activity. Thus, there can be voluntary work aimed at educating children, gathering money for the homeless, promoting the necessity to monitor health conditions continuously, and others. Most volunteer works are conducted within the framework of a particular organization or society.

People have made many attempts to define the primary reasons for volunteering. Several points of view reflect this issue. Some individuals consider that people volunteer because they have such personality traits. Somebody is always ready to provide help, devote his or her time to others by nature. Such people are active and optimistic. The other explanation of the phenomenon lays in the fact that people volunteer because of some circumstances and personal motives. For instance, a traveler can become a volunteer in a different country and kill two birds with one stone. He or she can help somebody and visit a new place at the same time (Hindle, Cavalieri, Collinson, Miller, & Richard, 2007). Besides, some people may volunteer to receive popularity or fulfill their self-appraisal.

Volunteering is significant in making the lives of people better. Volunteering in a particular community can have the following advantages. First, it is useful for better physical and mental health. Second, volunteering gives direct results to the residents of the community. Thus, volunteers provide support for low-income families, support school activities, environment protection, and facilitate other services.

When doing voluntary work for the native community, it will bring benefits to everyone including volunteers. For instance, those who decide to gather the rubbish from all streets will enjoy walking in the clean environment and breathing fresh air. Volunteering provides excellent opportunities to learn something new. Finally, it makes all people closer (Community Service: Top 10 Reasons to Volunteer, 2015).

Volunteering as a phenomenon has always been interesting. A volunteer work presupposes doing something for the benefit of others without being paid for the provided services. People volunteer because they like taking part in such activities or because they have their personal motives. Volunteering in a particular community brings many benefits to all residents of the area.

References

Community Service: Top 10 Reasons to Volunteer. (2015). Web.

Dekker, P., & Halman, L. (2012). The Values of Volunteering: Cross-Cultural Perspectives. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media.

Hindle, C., Cavalieri, N., Collinson, R., Miller, K., & Richard, M. (2007). Volunteer: A Traveller’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World. Melbourne, Australia: Lonely Planet.

Abstract

Many parents suppose that their kids are not safe with volunteer coaches because of the inadequate professional training of volunteers. The results of such coaching are too well known: poor communication with children and apathy. No special checks are made to ensure psychological and communication adequacy and the abilities of coaches to work with children. No character education or training was provided by volunteer coaches. The task of making the necessary arrangements for intra-mural games is seldom very arduous. 1 out of 4 parents is dissatisfied with safety concerns and communication between volunteer coaches and children proposed by Parks and Recreation Departments NC. The Department promises safety and protection of children, but in reality, volunteer coaches lack professional skills to support young children and provide adequate training and communication.

Parks and Recreation Departments

Parks and Recreation Departments NC is one of the largest and most popular sports agencies proposing children and parents recreational facilities. Despite apparent benefits proposed by these programs, many parents are concerned about safety and risks factors. The volunteer coach helps the younger boys with their sports, or he may, more or less automatically, come to the charge of a house or form team, or he may by the same token find himself the recognized coach of one of the several teams representing the county. Sometimes this relation is of his frank seeking. Sometimes it develops gradually out of his duties as a housemaster or his playing in a coaches’ or old boys’ match.

Professional skills of volunteer coaches

The majority of respondents (87%) state that lack of professional skills and teacher training lead to inadequate communication patterns between children and a volunteer coach. The importance o the problem is explained by the fact that volunteer coaches are not the only ones who are serious; players are as well. One boy took the game so seriously that he talked about knocking down opposing batters when he pitched, and he did appear to “brush back” several batters. Other players deliberately slid into infielders when running the bases. One of the most frequent complaints aimed at coaches by their preadolescent charges was that they didn’t call enough practices and that they were not strict enough in enforcing discipline. As soon as a team takes the field, the captain is solely responsible for its strategy and tactics during the game. Parents admit that no coach interferes in any way.

The fact that substitution of players is not permitted in a Rugby game eliminates the carrying of hints or directions for conducting the fifteen from the sidelines to the field, and, even if such interference were possible, it is doubtful if captains would brook it. In cricket, all coaching during a game is by the captain on a signal from the bowler. In short, once in the field, the play of a team is governed only by its captain. The result is, of course, some decrease in the precision of play, but a great increase in the captain’s responsibility. Thus upon the captain, and upon no one else, rests the burden of leadership not only in matches but in the preparation for all contests, of whatever importance. Many children claim that the selection of players for representative teams rests upon the captain, who may advise or not with others in the exercise of this important function. This practice is considerably modified by placing the choosing of teams in the hands of a selection committee. This division of responsibility seems to work well wherever it has been tried, whether one committee has general jurisdiction over the aggregate of county teams, or a separate committee is appointed to exercise this function concerning each sport. There is little practice (Cassidy et al 2004).

1 out of 4 parents admits that the part played by volunteer coaches in the arranging of intra-mural contests varies considerably, but, in theory, at least, the general principle followed appears to be to put as much of the burden as possible upon the boys themselves. This seems to be the rule whether the contests are in charge, actual or nominal, of a games committee of volunteer coaches, or whether one or more games volunteer coaches are in control. Beneath the practice lies a conviction that the responsibility entailed is one of the means of maturing the boys chosen to manage these matters. Parents explain that the boy coaches are said to be mere figureheads; all responsibility for controlling and directing contests rests really upon certain masters. Whatever the method, the general principle as regards responsibility and the maturing boy seems to remain a good deal the same.

The task of making the necessary arrangements for intra-mural games is seldom very arduous, for the matches are “fixtures,” that is, once having filled places in a schedule, they fall on dates that are correspondingly the same from year to year, the most important matches coinciding with various festivals. The outstanding consideration seems to be to avoid serious conflicts with inter-county matches. Games have for years been encouraged by people who had very little idea of the reasons why they supported them. Masters who coach cricket teams get far more recreation from “bowling at the nets” than the victims of compulsory sport. Parks and Recreation Departments NC has gone at games haphazard, without regard to what value they might possess as an educational implement. Games interest boys because they allow a boy to measure his progress; they have a real ethical value, “a more genuine ‘mental discipline’ than the phrase implies in current cant.” At their best, they represent cooperation and collective unselfishness. They give the best opportunity for boys to govern themselves. Getting the players to pay attention often proves challenging for the coach.

56% of all respondents argue that the problem is that even on the field, their children are not always oriented to the tasks at hand — particularly when in the outfield; they are over-distanced from their roles. Players pick dandelions, do little jigs, throw pebbles, and even sit down. Part of this behavior relates to the nature of playing in the outfield, where few balls are hit. As one regular infielder commented when asked to play in the outfield: “I need more action. That right field is so boring”. Even infielders may not attend to what is happening close enough to suit their coaches. Behavior in the dugout poses even greater challenges for coaches.

Dugout activity more often than not deals with topics unrelated to the game and provides prima facie evidence the players are not paying attention. It is as if the inferior team thought with one mind, “We may be beaten, but we’re going to give them as hard a time as possible to beat us by playing as hard as we can. And, of course, we may win. At any rate, we shall have the satisfaction of making them work for their victory.” This situation may develop not once but scores of times in the county life of any county boy. Not only does it at length give a certain hardness and seeming indifference to defeat, and provide a refuge for disappointed youthful hopes, but it does much to rob victory of its factitious and disproportionate charm. The attitude of mind that it engenders in the boy is one of the strongest holds that the Department tradition exercises over the national life, and it lies at the very core of the conception of sport. Its importance will be considered later in its bearing upon games. (Cassidy et al 2004).

It was found that mothers are more concerned about safety issues and the professional skills of volunteer coaches. All mothers admit that lack of professional skills is closely related to the lack of attention and the problem of preadolescent apathy — those situations in which players are over-distanced from the reality of the sport. Often during games children are neither enthusiastic nor angry. They sit in the dugout watching the game quietly or talking and joking with each other. The problem of apathy rests on a distinction between players who are in the game, waiting for things to happen, and those who are at the game but not immediately involved. In the first case apathy or inattention is a serious structural problem.

For example, an outfielder may not attend completely to the game and thus may miss a play. Likewise, batters not “mentally prepared” are criticized. Although apathetic performances are formally inappropriate they are not often corrected or condemned. However, apathy is always potentially subject to condemnation from players or coaches, even when players aren’t formally involved in the game. Thus, it is legitimate for coaches and teammates to tell inattentive boys in the dugout to “stop horsing around,” “act alive,” or “make yourself hoarse.” Because many recreational activities are team activities, all activities within the fences should, in theory, be directed toward the work of baseball. Coaches and many players expect the participants to adhere to a Puritan work ethic, preparing themselves for adult life. When they don’t, moral disparagement is seen as warranted and is judiciously applied (Cassidy et al 2004).

At Parks and Recreation Departments there are paid coaches in boxing, and professional trainers or coaches for track athletics, but for cricket practically all the paid coach does, if he is not a groundsman, is to bowl at the nets and give a few “pointers” on the game. In other branches of sports, coaching is in the hands of older members of the teams, old Blues, who return, sometimes at a personal sacrifice, to assist in developing the team, and certain dons. These older men are rather instructors, advisers, and critics than what Americans regard as coaches. They have little power, and the responsibility for the development of the team, and especially for conducting it in matches, rests upon the captain. They may advise captains in the selection of teams, but they seldom if ever proffer the advice. More important still, these principles are rigidly adhered to, and whether in college or ̓varsity sport, if the opinions of the coach and the captain conflict, the final decision lies with the undergraduate.

Coaching in sports generally implies no very rigid course of the procedure. These, being the chief tests of the teams, are felt to warrant an intensification of practice and coaching, as well. Sometimes an old Blue or two comes up to supplement the coaching staff, which, by the way, is never very numerous. The coaches begin a more businesslike period of instruction, and the players who have not already gone into training generally begin. This course is followed by variations for the two forms of football and hockey. In the branches of track and field athletics, the professional coach usually devotes to individuals the attention that seems to him necessary. Whatever the sport, the responsibility and the development of the team rests upon volunteers coaches, but if they lack professional education they cannot ensure safety for all children.

It was found that any checks are made to ensure professional and communication skills pf volunteer coaches. Never does the man in charge of physical training seem to have any responsibility for training teams. There are, to be sure, professionals for real tennis and rackets, and the groundsman, who, as has been indicated, maybe an old footballer or cricketer, will perhaps advise about kicking or bowl at the nets and instruct in batting as a part of his regular duties. Old boys, graduates of the school, are happy to come down before a big match and with their assistance take part in the development of the team or crew. Thus, practically all of the coaching is of the nature of help from within the county, and all of the more effective coachings is the outcome not of the expenditure of dollars, but the Department loyalty. Even the groundsman has for the Department a loyalty of his own that seems almost feudal and is certainly vastly different from the punctual enthusiasm of the hired professional coach.

Summary

In sum, it was found that many volunteer coaches have poor communication skills and professional training which prevents them to communicate effetely with children. Many parents are afraid of negligence and inadequate training provided by volunteer coaches. The results of this absence of mercenaries are as apparent in the balance sheets for games and sports as in the spirit with which, in the best schools, contests are undertaken. No one is dependent for his living upon the success of any crew or team. No checks are made to test the professional skills and psychological adequacy of volunteer coaches.

References

Parks and Recreation Departments North Carolina. (2008). Web.

Cassidy, T., Jones, R., Potrac, R. (2004). Understanding Sports Coaching: The Social, Cultural and Pedagogical Foundations of Coaching. Routledge.

In the Ralston Valley Volunteer Fire Department Case, promotion is crucial since there is an urgent problem to be addressed. Fire outbreaks are emergencies that require good planning in order to respond to them effectively and in good time. This can only be done with the availability of enough personnel to do the work. However, since the program is comprised of volunteers, there might be a problem in getting more people onboard.

Most of them might feel that they should be paid for their services while others may be too busy with their activities such that they would not see the sense of being volunteers. The intended promotion should therefore convince these people that there is need to take part in the program and become volunteer firefighters for the common good of the community in times of emergencies. In planning the promotion, there are important objectives that Rick should include in the plan.

The first objective that Rick should include in the promotion plan is finding ways of ensuring that the volunteers do not quit the program once they join it. One of the problems Rick identified in the fire fighting department is that there is a lot of work to be done but few people are available to do the work. Most of the people who join the volunteer program do not stay long since they withdraw even before their third anniversary.

This means that the program loses its members faster than it gains them. It is said that most of them find the physical demands of the job too challenging once they join, such that they find it difficult to cope. It would therefore be important for the marketing promotion plan to focus on the need for retaining those who join the volunteer program. This can be done through motivating the members in different ways like giving them occasional stipends and other benefits.

The second objective that should be included in Rick’s promotion plan is a clear definition of what volunteers would be engaged in and what they would be expected to do once they join the program. This is important because what people think of the volunteer program is not what they find once they join the program. For instance, Rick discovered that of all the hours he spends at RVVFD, only a small percentage of the time is actually spend responding to emergencies and fires.

Much time is spent acquiring training on responding to car accidents, terrorist attacks and harzdous chemical spills. It should be an objective of the promotion plan to spell out clearly what volunteers would be engaged in for people to make informed decisions before joining. This would prepare them beforehand and ensure that those who eventually join the program do not quit.

The third objective that should be included in the promotion plan is popularizing the program among the people. One of the reasons that might have led to lack of enough personnel is the fact that people do not have information about the services of RVVFD and how to become members. People are always curious when they spot a volunteer firefighter publicly to get information about what they do. The marketing plan should strife to include formal strategies of spreading information about RVVFD and how the public can get involved.

The fourth objective that should be included in the promotion plan is educating the people on the importance of being volunteer firefighters. This is a chance to inform the people of the emergencies that might arise and how their presence and quick response would prevent destruction and loss of lives. This objective would give more people enough reasons to give back to the community and be part of the solution to the problems they might face.

There are several promotion methods that Rick can use in order to achieve these objectives. The first method that can be used is organizing public seminars and forums. Forums and seminars are cheap and effective ways of popularizing the services of RVVFD and educating the people on the importance of being volunteer firefighters.

The second method that can be employed in order to achieve the objectives is the use of mass media. Mass media outlets such as radio, television and newspapers reach a lot of people and using them can be an effective way of achieving the objectives. For instance, TV commercials can be designed and aired in the middle of favorite programs in order to pass the message to many people.

The third method that can be used to achieve the objectives is using posters and bill boards. Since the program targets people who live or work near the city of Ralston, having posters and billboards in the city is a crucial way of reaching out to people regarding the services of RVVFD.

The fourth method that can be used to achieve the objectives is using social media to reach people. Social media such as face book and twitter have millions of users and sharing information on the media is an important way of achieving the objectives since the information spreads to millions of users.

It is a cool Monday evening in February. I just finished classes and take the bus to the British Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology in Bristol where I have a 6 o’clock appointment at their Research Division. I reach in time and am warmly greeted by Christine Armstrong, a research coordinator. She helps me into a leather reclining chair, rolls up my right sleeve, efficiently unwraps a butterfly needle, connects it to a plastic syringe and eases it into the vien above my elbow. I close my eyes and think about that last Christmas I spent with my family in Manila, recall the squeals of delight as my younger brothers and sisters (2 boys and 3 girls) gushed over the presents I had brought for them. After exactly 15 minutes, Christine taps me on the shoulder. She removes the equipment. She has harvested 4 syringes of blood needed for a study on “allergic dermatitis,” a skin allergy. Christine smiles, hands me a large carton of orange juice, a payment voucher and reminds me about the next appointment due the coming week. On my way out I collect £30 from the cashier and smile with delight.

My name is John Sanoy. I hail from Manila in the Philippines. I am presently a medical student at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in University of Bristol located in Tyndall Avenue while living in their dormitory. I am a regular volunteer for medical experiments – a human guinea pig, as people like me are normally called. I am not ashamed of what I do. After all, it is a sort of part-time job which pays well, and God knows I need the money for my college and dorm fees. My family back in Manila is not well off. My father owns a small grocery shop and struggles to make ends meet his wife and eight children, of whom I am the eldest. Short of borrowing at high interest rates, my family cannot afford to send me money for my expenses. While I will never cease to be thankful for the scholarship that enabled me to join the University of Bristol, the four months during which I was forced to accept money sent by my family for my living expenses will always remain in my memory like a festering sore, because there seemed to be nothing I could do.

Two coinciding incidents propelled me into the human guinea pig profession. I read a book called “Guinea Pig Zero” by Bob Helms, and was simply fascinated by the astounding information of the author, a renowned guinea pig himself. That same evening I spotted an ad in “Medical Student Newspaper” (the U.K’s largest free publication for student doctors) that read: “Wanted: Fair-skinned volunteers for skin study. Good compensation paid.” I called the number provided and discovered it was the MRC Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology. The skin study involved subjecting fair-skinned, healthy volunteers to UV rays treatment. The 30 minute session involved a £50 compensation. I snapped up the offer, and the rest is history.

It is now nearly two years since I underwent my first guinea-pig experiment. I have since rented by body to science with lofty ideals of facilitating the advancement of knowledge and helping future generations, while basically getting some well-earned cash. While acknowledging that my explicit permission is required, and that it is entire up to me to consider and evaluate how far I am willing to go (some experiments are more involved, time-consuming, painful, and yes, dangerous than others). I have earned more than £8,000 since then by sometimes just filling in a questionnaire, while in most others allowing doctors and researchers to poke, prod and even burn me; I have undergone electroshock treatment and 15 MRIs. I was pleasantly surprised to discover many students at my faculty in the University of Bristol also submitted to human guinea pig experiments. A good friendship developed between me and 3 such students named Jason, Bella and Joan. We decided to form ‘The Medical Rovers.’ What started off as a joking reference to Bristol’s famous soccer team the ‘Bristol Rovers’ soon turned out to be very useful.

Spreading out, we stalked medical-center bulletin boards, read the very useful ‘Medical Student Newspaper’ from end to end, bookmarked sites that listed trials and swapped information telephonically and by email. I remember the delightful hug I got from Joan when I showed her a flier ad for healthy females to volunteer as the controls in a study about hair loss for a compensation of £50. Bella was thrilled when Jason came across an ad in a health magazine for volunteers in a study about the correlation between general health and anger management in young women; she eventually earned £75 for it. Knowing that I particularly favored MRI experiments, Joan immediately showed me an ad she discovered for volunteers to undergo a medical exam involving a MRI. I thanked her profusely, and ultimately, after undergoing a 40-minute session involving being pushed head first into a coffin like tube so that researchers could study the reactions of my body organs, I got a hefty compensation of £100. Jason was thankful to Bella when she found a website calling for volunteers in a psoriasis study; he earned £70 for his efforts.

We soon found that we had literally hit on a gold mine. Bristol’s large number of medical institutions conducts dozens of clinical studies annually that require hundreds of volunteers. Given the fact that most people do not volunteer to become human pincushions for below minimum wage, attracting volunteers is the most difficult part of medical studies. As a result, human guinea pigs like our gang quartet have developed into a rare breed, one that is very much in demand – constantly. We derive considerable satisfaction from knowing that we are renting our bodies to science for good causes, involving the advancement of knowledge and the chance to assist future generations. We are proud to be counted among the thousands of people in the U.K who annually volunteer in different levels of medical research. We lend credence to the astute observation of English essayist Alexander Pope who once said: “The proper study of mankind is man.”

My friends and I are aware of potential adverse reactions like headaches, nausea and in extreme cases, even death. We are also aware that many researchers, blinded by the possible scientific reward and acclaim, forget the moral and human rules which they should follow. So far we have used our considerable medical knowledge background to shy away from potentially dangerous experiments, except on two occasions.

A year ago, Bella signed up for an experiment involving a new herbal hair shampoo that was supposed to be the ultimate aid to develop smooth hair. Bella and the other volunteers were given the mandatory warning that there could be side effects such as hair fall out. We tried to dissuade our friend from undertaking the experiment, even going to the extent of darkly predicting total baldness, which would be such as shame since the girl had wonderful, shoulder-length curly black hair. Bella did not pay heed to our warning (we learnt later that she was in great need of the hefty fee of £500 to pay off her rogue brother’s gambling debt that was threatening dire consequences to the entire family), and we cursed ourselves when our foreboding came true – Bella lost all her lovely hair, and since that black day 3 months ago, has taken to wearing a curly black wig. She continues to make light of the predicament but we know that our dear friend hurts deep down inside.

On the second occasion, much against the advice of my friends, I enlisted to become a guinea pig one month ago in a brain scan experiment undertaken by a neuroscientist who was testing how memory alters with age. While brain experiments are dime a dozen these days, this particular one was ‘cutting edge’ because it was the first to join three brain scan technologies in one study functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The other volunteers and myself were all warned that we would be subjected to extensive ‘zapping’ that could provoke unknown reactions – maybe causing seizures in some while curing depression in others. The duration of the experiment was the longest I’ve experienced so far – 2 hours, but then it also paid the highest single experiment fee that I have earned so far – £1,000. I am told that it will take a few months for the experiment results to be properly sorted out and analyzed. I am keeping my fingers crossed on two counts: that the results successfully determine who we remember some things and ignore others, and that none of my memory circuits have been knocked out during the experiment!

Perhaps it is an uncanny coincidence that as I write this story, less than a week ago (on April 29, 2008), Swiss scientist Albert Hoffman, Father of drug LSD, died. Hoffman was renowned for becoming the first human guinea pig of LSD that was meant to revolutionise psychiatric research but eventually turned out to be widely used illegally for mind-altering purposes. Unlike the famous scientist whose single-minded, well-intended invention was put into extensively wrong use, we, the members of ‘The Medical Rovers’ are totally different on physical as well as mental level: we are young, healthy and suffer from a similar malady – we believe we are invincible!

The research and analysis of numerous data carried out by medical laboratory workers contribute to improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment of numerous diseases. The history of the profession of medical laboratory technologists is going along with the development of practical medicine. In various state standards, this profession has different content and requirements for entry. Medical organizations often conduct internships in research labs, where students can experience being a laboratory technologist. This paper focuses on a description of the laboratory work activities at the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI) aimed at detecting the presence of coagulation factor 9 in mice with hemophilia B. It discusses the history and future of the profession of medical laboratory technologists, determines the core activities of the placement and considers the entry into the profession and relevant regulations of the governing body.

History of the Profession

Laboratory research, having appeared, did not immediately begin to influence the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Even nowadays, there are disputes about the extent of the actual impact of laboratory tests and experiments on practical medicine (Lippi, 2019). However, history has demonstrated many laboratory discoveries that have changed the approach to treatment. The first severe stage towards this integration took place in the 19th century. According to Ackerknecht and Haushofer (2016), they are associated with “Friedrich Theodor von Frerichs, who primarily studied liver disease, and Ludwig Traube, who experimentally investigated pneumonia and kidney and heart diseases” (p. 136). They have incorporated the results of their research into their medical practice.

It should be noted that early laboratory tests were characterized by technological and methodological simplicity in comparison with modern research. In the 20th century, laboratory researchers began to use more advanced equipment aimed at investigating the indicators of various organic substances and their relationship to disease diagnoses. Lippi (2019) lists five most significant laboratory discoveries of the previous century. Among them, he refers to the discovery of cardiac troponins measurement for acute myocardial infarction diagnosis and procalcitonin measurement for the sepsis diagnosis (Lippi, 2019). In addition, researchers note that microbiology was born as a result of medical tests in laboratories (Ackerknecht & Haushofer, 2016). At present, medical laboratory technologists tend to work in groups at certain healthcare facilities and are engaged in exploratory studies and hypothesis testing. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to investigating the contribution of various organic compounds to the genesis and development of certain diseases using modern methodology.

Core Activities of the Placement

The primary purpose of my work at the TaARI is a clarification of the relationship between the von Willebrand factor and the risk of having hemophilia. Particular research challenges are to detect what stimulates the production of von Willebrand factor in endothelial cells and to learn about the different coagulation factors that contribute to the risk of having hemophilia. These research objectives involve the conduction of western blots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of endothelial cells of mice with hemophilia. In the course of practice, I cooperated with colleagues in order to master these laboratory techniques and conduct them independently during the experiments. I have been participating in experiments that focus on clarifying the role of the von Willebrand factor in blood clotting.

The work placement includes analysis of the research literature on the von Willebrand factor and genesis and development of hemophilia, including studies TAARI has published in the past. It is an opportunity to apply basic academic competence and critical analytical skills. I have been conducting systematic reviews of relevant investigations to compare heterogeneous data concerning the contribution of the von Willebrand factor in hemophilia. In addition, I have been attending the weekly reports and meetings.

Entry into the Profession and Governing Body’s Rules

TaARI is located in Ontario and the activities of its laboratory personnel is governed by the laws of this province. According to the Government of Canada (2016), medical laboratory technologist placement requires a relevant “two- or three-year college program,” “registration with a regulatory body” in certain provinces, including Ontario, and certification completion (para. 5). The Ontario governing body, which regulates the registration of this category of employees and also produces professional guidelines, is a College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO, 2020). It states that “once registered, medical laboratory technologists must practice their profession in accordance with the CMLTO regulations and standards,” which protect “the public’s right to safe, effective, ethical service from” them (CMLTO, 2020, para. 2). Thus, this regulatory body is responsible for both admission to the profession and the quality standards applicable to it.

In order to apply for practicing registration with the CMLTO, several requirements must be met. First, the applicant must successfully complete a medical laboratory technologist educational program or confirm a foreign education equivalent to that of Canada. Secondly, it is necessary to confirm the successful completion of the national certification conducted by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science. Finally, in a number of cases, the applicant must prove professional knowledge of English and/or French. In case the registration committee confirms the application, the applicant is included in the official register of the CMLTO.

Future of the Profession

The future of the medical laboratory technologist profession will change in line with general healthcare trends. One of these tendencies is the spread of precision or personalized medicine. According to Lippi, Bassi, and Bovo (2016), future laboratory workers will be more involved in in vitro diagnostics and tests. The study of a particular person’s organism condition will, in some cases, be much more effective than the application of the general diagnostic methodology and therapeutic procedures, since medicine is becoming more and more heterogeneous. According to Zitnik, et al. (2018), “the goal of personalized laboratory medicine is to use advanced technologies in the process of preventive, curative or palliative patient management” (p. 1981). Thus, medical laboratory technologists will not only be engaged in research activities but will also be increasingly involved in practical medicine, which means even greater integration of these areas.

Besides, laboratory infrastructure and its content will also be transformed. Lippi, Bassi, and Bovo (2016) state that “test duplication within laboratories insisting on the same geographical area has been a matter of debate for decades” (p. 3). In order to avoid unnecessary efforts, various medical research groups and organizations are supposed to consolidate, for example, through the creation of an infrastructure network that summarizes their results. Therefore, future medical laboratory technologists will work more closely with colleagues from other organizations and related fields. It should also be emphasized that the number of scientific areas that currently involve laboratory researchers is increasing and already includes “genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and theranostics” (Lippi, Bassi, & Bovo, 2016, p. 4). The number of these areas is likely to increase, and the profession of medical laboratory technologists will have more and more narrowly focused varieties, due to the demand for specialized experts.

Conclusion

It should be pointed out that the profession of medical laboratory technologists has developed in parallel with medical practice and over the past two centuries has been increasingly integrated with it. The work placement held by the TaARI proposes a research task to clarify the role of the von Willebrand factor in the development of hemophilia. It involves conducting of western blots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of endothelial cells of mice with this disease. The CMLTO is responsible for the registration of medical laboratory technologists in Ontario and issues relevant regulations and standards. In the following years, laboratory professionals will work more frequently with patients, cooperate more with each other and have narrow specializations.

References

Ackerknecht, E. H., & Haushofer, L. (2016). A short history of medicine. Baltimore, MD: JHU Press.

College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario. (2020). Frequently Asked Questions.Web.

Government of Canada. (2016). National occupational classification, 3211 – Medical laboratory technologists. Web.

Lippi, G. (2019). The origin of some laboratory medicine milestones. Journal of Laboratory and Precision Medicine, 4, 14:1-14:5.

Lippi, G., Bassi, A., & Bovo, C. (2016). The future of laboratory medicine in the era of precision medicine. Journal of Laboratory and Precision Medicin, 1(7), 1-5.

Zitnik, I. P., Cerne, D., Mancini, I., Simi, L., Pazzagli, M., Di Resta, C.,… & Van Schaik, R. (2018). Personalized laboratory medicine: a patient-centered future approach. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 56(12), 1981-1991.

Volunteering for nursing students develops specialized communication skills. Travel programs to remote and underdeveloped countries are a positive development for medical institutions, as well as the local population, which can receive first aid. Vietnam, as a low-income country, needs the help of volunteer nurses to offer their skills and services by assisting medical staff in the city’s centers and other places where residents need medical care.

The Vietnam Nurse Practice Improvement Project started in 2007 and is a short-term volunteer program for American students lasting a few weeks. Volunteers are medical students from the United States who have completed basic training in patient care. They do not require a diploma or license, as volunteers are usually not allowed to do independent tasks with patients (Hawks et al., 2020). Therefore, their role is mostly associated with providing help to medical personnel.

Volunteer nurses are required to assist with basic traditional medicine services, such as triage, wound care, and rehabilitation. They are needed to assist doctors in general and specialized departments such as pharmacy, gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, etc. (Hawks et al., 2020). The Vietnam Nurse Practice Improvement Project is part of many volunteer programs in Vietnam, most of which are not government-run. Patients do not pay for such care, as it is provided on a non-commercial basis.

In conclusion, the volunteer program is aimed at low-income people who cannot get help from commercial institutions. I do not need to use such services, but I would be interested in participating in the Vietnam Nurse Practice Improvement Project itself for altruistic purposes. Such programs improve the lives of the local population and rural community as well as advance the medical skills of nursing students.

Reference

Hawks, M., Huseman-Maratea, D., Nguyen, A., Nguyen, L., & Romkema, S. (2020). International nursing leadership: The Vietnam nurse practice improvement project. Nurse Leader, 18(3), 248-252. Web.

Life requires us to make right choices on how to best utilize our personal time whether in the course of everyday life or while enjoying leisure time. For young people who are getting their education, parents, as well as a common social setting, might insist on their focusing on academic activities to the prejudice of extracurricular activities. This means that our social settings determine the extent to which most of us participate in anything else apart from what society requires from us. Moving to the United States of America after graduating the 10^th grade of high school, provided me with a number of opportunities that I had not had in the country I lived in before. In India, academics is the main, if not the only, focus, and students are expected to devote all their time to improving their academic performance. Thus, being a student of the Indian school, my activities were limited to classes, tutoring, and doing my homework assignments. Today, I am firmly sure that it is a healthy and refreshing experience to be able to participate in extracurricular activities which Thayer Academy offers me as a student and member of the American society.

Thayer Academy focuses on the comprehensive development of its students, and not just on their academic performance. I have spent most of my junior years familiarizing myself with the new society and the ways people do things. The United States is a unique country that provides all its members with a chance to be whatever they want to be by encouraging them to follow their dreams. The cultural mix here is amazing, and it requires one’s full attention to appreciate and understand it in order to fit in. Now that I have adjusted well here, I am showing an increasing interest in the extracurricular activities offered by the academy. Currently, I find my robotics class very interesting. My real interest lies in philanthropy and, therefore, I am a devoted member of the Uganda Aid club at Thayer.

Uganda Aid Club works with an organization called Invisible Children to end the use of child soldiers in the rebellion led by the internationally wanted Joseph Kone. This organization hopes to provide help with putting an end to war and maintaining peace and prosperity in Central Africa (Invisible Children, n. d.). One of the main concerns of the organization and our club is the use of children as soldiers at an age when they should be getting an education. The club is raising money for establishing radio towers in Congo. We conduct sales in school where we sell various merchandise like bracelets and t-shirts to raise money. We also hold coin drives and fundraising events, as well as screening educational films from Invisible Children to spread awareness and encourage people to make donations.

I have always taken every opportunity to help out in programs aimed at making this world a better place. The best way to do this is to lend a helping hand to every place where help is needed. In India, I used to serve meals at our neighborhood temple every Saturday to people who couldn’t afford buying their own food. Such experiences are rewarding, and it is important to all people to assist their fellow human beings. All people cannot live under the same conditions, and those who are lucky to go to good schools and afford life’s necessities must show gratitude by offering little time and resources they have to assist the needy.

Reference List

Invisible Children. Web.

At the moment, I am volunteering as an intern at First Home Care in Portsmouth, VA. My work is associated with Day Support Treatments for adults diagnosed with autism. Autism is characterized by an entire spectrum of conditions that make it challenging for individuals to be successful in their social interactions, verbal and non-verbal communication, and behaviors. Although caring for autistic adults is a complicated task that requires strength, dedication, and courage, I have learned a lot about being compassionate and respecting other people’s lives and needs. Respect is one of Saint Leo University’s core values, which implies strengthening the community by ensuring diversity of people who live and work together in harmony. Because I was able to see the courage and strength of people diagnosed with autism and how they value the time they have on this Earth, I recognized how important it was to be open to new experiences and help those who enrich our communities with diversity.

Previously, I volunteered as a staff member and helped pack food that then got delivered to churches and given out to the homeless. I also believe that this gesture coincides with the mentioned core value since it shows respect for the life of other people that were unfortunate to be left without a roof over their heads. I would also like to mention that in the beginning, I was skeptical about my work as a volunteer because working for free is a luxury that not everyone can afford. However, when I began seeing the contribution that I had made to the lives of other people, I understood that my volunteering work was far more fulfilling emotionally than any other job.

Also, I participated in my first intake process, during which I worked with clients to assess their behaviors and determine whether they were eligible to participate in the program. There was usually a period of sixty days during which I determined what clients could be enrolled in the program. As an intern, I felt a great responsibility when working with clients since my life experiences were not enough to make informed decisions. I had to be very careful during paperwork and was dedicated to paying attention to every detail that could make a difference in the final decision. I liked talking to clients, asking them about their emotional struggles and what they wanted to change in their lives. The overall experience was not only rewarding but also challenging for me as a young person since many of the clients with whom I worked had seen far more in life than I had.

I want to conclude the reflection on my volunteering experience by recommending this to everyone who would like to pursue psychology as a career. Face-to-face interactions with clients and other volunteers allowed me to become more open-minded to new experiences while trying to help other people who happen to be less fortunate. I link the core value of respect with my experience because it is associated with enriching communities with different perspectives that people can offer. Although my work was difficult sometimes and made me question my career choice, the outcome was far more rewarding than I had anticipated.