which volunteering?

[shehak20000]

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Hi everyone!

So I'm having a really hard time deciding which volunteer opportunity to take because they both interest me and both have the same time commitment. So i was hoping you guys could give me your input on what I should do:

Option A: Putting on puppet shows for local elementary schools. The puppet shows are disability awareness puppet shows....like we pretend that the puppets themselves have a disability and we go through a skit with them to "lessen the fear of the unknown" for little kids about people with disabilities.

Option B: Volunteering at a call center crisis line. It is a 24 hour crisis call center, where people call in regarding issues like loniliness, suicide/depression, sexual assault, substance abuse, etc.

Please keep in mind that I have done a lot of work with people with disabilities already...I worked at a long-term facility over the summer and will continue to go there every summer(group home type of setting, but it wasn't residential), and am currently volunteering as a caregiver for adults with developmental disabilities. For this reason, I feel like Option A would sort of "go with the flow" of everything else that I've done, and would probably be more fun for me because I love kids. At the same time, I feel like Option B would help me develop my skills more because it would help in reacting well to stress and would give me a wider range of experiences.

So what do you guys think?

 

[shehak20000]

anyone?

 

[fullefect1]

which ever one you feel like you would have a fun time.

 

[PassingDays11]

which ever one you feel like you would have a fun time.

Yeah, crisis phone calls are barrels o' fun 👎

Seriously though, I would go with the crisis line thing because, like you said, it would give you more depth with experiences. I don't agree that your volunteer work should be fun. I do think, however, that you should have a real interest in what you are doing. Some of the best experiences in life are ones that we are uneasy about, it's because that makes us learn the most. I'm not suggesting you go out and pull your own wisdom teeth from your skull or something just because you are uneasy about it, but you get what I'm saying. I hope.

 

[fullefect1]

I wouldn't participate in anything that wasn't fun. My defenition of fun is have a good time. I don't think taking crisis calls would be fun at all, but I do have fun in the emergency room... so ya.

 

[PassingDays11]

I wouldn't participate in anything that wasn't fun. My defenition of fun is have a good time. I don't think taking crisis calls would be fun at all, but I do have fun in the emergency room... so ya.

I'm sure med schools would love the fact that you don't participate in anything unless it's a "good time." 😎 Imagine having to tell a patient that she had cancer. I don't know about you but that doesn't sound very fun to me.

Some things are honorable and not at all fun. I hope your true feelings are a case of "lost in translation" in this thread.

 

[justwondering]

the crisis thing might come in handy for the future with your own patients. even tho u may get some training in med schl for handling those issues, im sure ur experience with the crisis line would be much more helpful.

 

[fullefect1]

I'm sure med schools would love the fact that you don't participate in anything unless it's a "good time." 😎 Imagine having to tell a patient that she had cancer. I don't know about you but that doesn't sound very fun to me.

Some things are honorable and not at all fun. I hope your true feelings are a case of "lost in translation" in this thread.

Maybe I put it in a way that made me sound like I am not caring and compasionate, and that I only care about myself... but I did not mean that at all. My real opinion that might explain what I mean is I wouldn't go into the profession if I wasn't overall happy. I will be happy when I can help those who are in need of help.. I worked with a surgeon this summer that was designing and testing an implant to stop scolosis from progressing I found that experience overall a good time, and I would love this job. I was speaking in my own opinion, that I would hate working for a crisis line.. so I would never do it, and if the person feels that same way about it... they shouldn't don't do it also. Just the reason why I probably wouldn't be interested in phyciatry. (I can't spell).... Hope that clears it up a little.