Looking for a challenge? Volunteer!

 

Written by Jenny Catton

 

Stuck in a rut at work? Want to build your confidence and learn new skills? Interested in new career opportunities? If so, volunteering could be just what you are looking for.

 

Volunteering can be a great way to boost your career prospects. Whether you want to learn new skills to help you bag your next promotion or would like to find out about different careers without leaving your current job, volunteering provides a whole host of opportunities.

 

From helping on an archaeological dig to working back stage at your local theatre, there are hundreds of volunteering options within a wide range of different industries.

 

Think about the sort of thing you would like to learn. For example, if you’ve always wanted to work with animals but aren’t sure if it’s the career for you, find out if any local animal sanctuaries are looking for volunteers. It’s a great way to find out what you really enjoy and what is involved without going through the upheaval of a complete career change.

 

Volunteering is also a great way to boost your CV. For instance, if you are applying for management roles but don’t have any management career experience, you might find it hard to progress. But if you can find relevant volunteering opportunities, you might be able to refine your management skills in other ways and can then include this experience on your CV.

 

To find out more about volunteering opportunities in your area, search online or visit: www.do-it.org.uk

 

Categories: Career, management, nbsp, nbsp volunteering, opportunities, skills, Volunteering, volunteering opportunities

How You Can Lose Weight Even When You Are Travelling

When you are travelling, it is very easy to gain weight. Without the time and space to focus on a weight loss and fitness regime, it is easy to see the pounds creeping on. Whether you are travelling for work or for your own personal enjoyment, there are lots of incentives that offer themselves up along the way to give in to your food-related desires! Fortunately, there are lots of things that you can do to help keep the weight at bay even when you are travelling.

Being on holiday offers lots of great opportunities for you to walk. Although there may be opportunities to rent a car or take a cab, try to avoid the temptation and instead walk wherever you need to know. This way, you actually get to see a lot more of the country that you are visiting, and you may even find shops or attractions along the way that you would have missed if you had been in a vehicle.

On the other hand, you could also look into renting a bike to explore the local area. Cycling is a great way to lose weight and tone up your leg muscles as well as some upper body muscles, plus it will be a lot faster than walking.

You should also carry water with you at all times. This is especially important in hot countries, of course, but even if you are not in a hot climate, water is still one of the best ways to help keep your weight loss on track. Drinking regular water should help to keep the hunger pangs at bay, and will also stop you from drinking other, sweeter, unhealthier foods.

There’s also nothing to stop you finding out if there is a local gym in the place where you are visiting, and doing a couple of workouts in your spare time.

 

Categories: Lose weight, lots, opportunities, pounds, travelling, Water, weight, Weight Loss

Why Volunteering is so Good for Your Mental Health

Whether your mental health has been affected by stress, anxiety or depression, volunteering can give you the wellness boost you need. Although it may be common sense that helping others makes you feel better about yourself, volunteering actually has the research to back this up. Studies show that, if you volunteer or take part in altruistic behaviour, it gives you a more active lifestyle, a enhanced sense of purpose and wellbeing and more positive emotions than negative ones. In fact, volunteering has even been shown to suppress diseases and activate your body’s immune system, so how do you get started?

 

Look online to find great volunteering opportunities in your neighbourhood and abroad; Idealist and VolunteerMatch are good websites to get you started. If you fancy something less technical, ask around at various charities or local churches in your community. However, while anyone can sign up for a good cause, it’s no use unless you stick to it. The realities of life can get in the way of even the best of intentions, so you need to consider a few stick-with-it tips:

 

Bring Your Children

Being a full-time parent can limit your volunteering opportunities, but there are plenty of options if you’re looking for a fun weekend or after-school activity to do together. Not only does it benefit you, but your kids will learn the value and importance of helping others.

 

Volunteer Virtually

Though the traditional view of volunteering is getting stuck in and using your hands, there’s a lot you can do from home, be it on your computer or over the phone.

 

Don’t Over-commit

Volunteering feels so good that you can overdo it and sign up to more hours than you can actually do. Underestimate the amount of time you have, and keep things at a minimum until you know your schedule can accommodate more. This will help avoid the guilt you feel from over-committing and pulling out at the last minute.

 

Do What You Love

You’re never going to keep at it unless you’re really passionate about the cause, so whether it’s looking after animals or helping the homeless, find a charity or organisation that does the things you love.

Categories: feel, Helping, Mental Health, nbsp, opportunities, Over-Commiting, Virtual, Volunteering, volunteering opportunities

Big Business Gives Back with Social Enterprise Support

The results from the first year of corporate social enterprise support programmes seems promising, as companies such as Deloitte, Santander, Ernst & Young and Goldman Sachs are helping new companies to boost their corporate wellness; linking social ventures with potential overseas franchisees and helping social enterprises bring in specialist overseas tradesmen using their immigration teams.

According to Kresse Wesling, founder of upcycled products company Elvis & Kresse, ‘We’ve entered so many of these awards now, but we were really, really impressed with Deloitte. With most others programmes, the company has an idea of what it wants to do for you. But, Deloitte asked what we needed help with and for us that was much more suitable. Young companies all need help with totally different things. So far they’ve arranged for us to work with a surveyor and also helped us bring a Romanian craftsman to the UK using their immigration team.’

Ben Ramsden, fellow pioneer of the first cohort and founder of fairtrade underwear company Pants to Poverty, is equally full of gratitude for Deloitte. He commented, ‘Deloitte is up there with the best pro bono programmes around. It’s structured and focused. They’ve been working on creating a 3D profit and loss module for us, which is very exciting.’ But the positive stories don’t stop with Deloitte.

In Santander’s current cohort, Lorraine Powers, founder of the Welsh glass and textile recycling social enterprise, Ten Green Bottles, has been enthused by what’s been offered. Santander’s Social Enterprise Development Award programme gave Powers’ enterprise the medium-level financial award of £30,000, and Powers explained, ‘We get access to great advice and state-of-the-art training that we’d have to pay a lot of money for. The business planning help has been great, as have the webinars, and we are working on a job plan for the intern that Santander is funding.’

Social Enterprise UK, the sector’s membership organisation, works with a number of corporates on their programmes. Charlie Wigglesworth, head of business development, noted, ‘There has been a bit of cynicism. People ask, “What can this massive company really do for me?” They say they want actual business rather than what they feel will just be some free advice. We think the best ones offer financial help, advice and the opportunities to trade and be introduced to new clients. But we’re generally very happy with what these firms are providing.’

 

Big Business Gives Back with Social Enterprise Support

Categories: Advice, corporate social enterprise support programmes, opportunities