As mentioned at the previous article, when you get retired, it's the right time for you to extend your scope of care from self to the society by means of contributing your strength.

There are so many NGOs in Hong Kong, and also multi-million service opportunities, how are you going to make the choice on serving whom at which NGOs, so that you can contribute your best to the needy?

Below is the framework of thought that I would like to recommend you in considering.  Please read the below questions and find yourselves good answers:

A. What change I want to make for the society when serving as volunteer?
B. If the NGOs or service that I took failed, who would be the most losers?
C. If today were the last day of my service at the NGO or service, how I want other people to describe my service?

The above three questions seemed easy to be answered, yet they are full of inspiration…Let me elaborate them in good details:

A. What change I want to make for the society when serving as volunteer?

The question is about the objective definition. After working hard for years, establishing your family is already a great thing. Now when you decided to take part at the social service, you have to find an objective for yourselves. You don't need to be a salvation, nor a revolutionist, but could definitely bring forth vital change to someone in the society. Tendering your care to the mentally retarded children, so that they can feel with the care from others like you would be one of the examples. Visiting the seldom-visited elders at the elderly homes to help them in getting the missing family care would be another example. These look like minor contribution, but already making a big change to those desperate groups.

B. If the NGOs or service that I took failed, who would be the most losers?

The question is about service target. There are 7 million populations in Hong Kong, most of them can stand firm at adverse situation. Yet, there are still small group of people who due to be vulnerable at some reasons, would be collapsed once faced with difficulties. Henceforth, when deciding who you are going to serve, you have to make the smart choice. Please choose those targets that you have strong likeness, and believed that you can create bigger change for them. It would be better to choose those who are most desperately in need, rather than giving extra to those already have.

C. If today were the last day of my service at the NGO or service, how I want other people to describe my service?

This is about attitude and service quality. All would like to be missing at the last day of your service is to obtain certain recognition commanding your contribution.  However, if at your service, you remained performing like a boss, ordering this and others, finally you are not contributing but destructing the organization and service.  Prior to your contribution, your co-workers already could not stand for you. Then, people will say grace for your leaving instead of missing you at all!

After your thoughtful thought, may be you have already identified your serving NGO and service target.

Finding Your Role

Now, comes to your term of defining your roles in participation.

In the course of volunteer service, you can have different roles at its different stages of participation. One crucial point is that you may have to forget your prior roles at your work, of which may be you are the boss, the manager, board of director, teacher or even accounting manager etc. It's because if you cannot abandon your former roles, you can hardly involve in the new volunteer roles. May be you are just assigned to serve at distributing the stuffs; or carrying a very low profile role, such as crowd control, games stall logistic work, etc. Indeed, it would be good that you adopt a new view from a child's perspective, to experience a new role, going through a new exposure, not solely for satisfying self-curiosity or interest, but bring forth care and warmth to those needy, so that they could really taste the caring warmth of the society.

Please do remember, the value of being a volunteer not only fosters a new insight for yourselves, but also creating change to those who you served.

My next article will cover the do's and don'ts when performing as a volunteer, as well as recommend and introduce opportunities where you can sign up for and experience volunteer services for the elderly, so as ensure your volunteer contribution is a road of happiness and satisfaction.

Timothy Ma
Registered social worker
Consultant of the Senior Citizens Home Safety Association

Continuous reading:

Contribute to Your Community. Be a Volunteer!
Be a Happy Volunteer