In this issue we are celebrating volunteers and what it means to be one.
In our ‘Can We Talk’ column, I mention to Mark Loria, Executive Director of Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, that I think it’s a pretty common mistake to think of volunteering as just something nice people do. It’s much more important than that. Some of the most valuable skills we bring to any volunteer effort are compassion, an open mind, a willingness to do whatever is needed, and a positive attitude.
Just the other day, I happened to watch the Mandela story, Long Walk to Freedom. What a fabulous movie. It may not have everything to do with volunteering but it has everything to do with life and how we treat people. What does it mean to have hatred and what does it mean to love? I can remember reading about Mandela when I was in University and I always admired him. It’s that he had the desire to free the oppressed and the oppressor both: To make everyone happy. Now that’s a daunting task.
Here we are in a strange world right now, where we don’t exactly know if we know our neighbours. Don’t get me wrong, I love my neighbour – and we can in the beautiful community where we live – but it’s still scary out there at times. So think about it, if we were to get our kids out there volunteering at a young age they can start learning right away about helping anyone of any age, any culture and naturally treat people as equal. At the end of the movie, Mandela said, “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of their skin. People learn to hate. They can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart”.
So why talk about Mandela’s story and what it means to be a volunteer? Think about it and the benefits volunteering has in our community; it’s like the glue that holds a community together. Mandela proved that, so can we. According to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, Mandela’s birthday, July 18 was a day to promote global peace: “Mr Mandela gave 67 years of his life for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community”. I don’t know about you, but this makes perfect sense to me.
