Volunteers

The first video shows a volunteer who makes things better. Much better.

The second video is a parody of the 'other' type of volunteer. There are many of these. If you search you'll find their videos and see the parody is accurate. Don't link one, it could cause offence.

Is there a medical term for a volunteer whose main aim seems to be boasting rights and selfies with camp residents? It appears to be a needy psychological issue with consequences.

First video shows sanity.

a reply to: Kester

Really bad thread. You have had to use a parody as one example because you don't have the guts to use a real one (or possibly can't even find one).

Funny how you pick a good looking blonde to ridicule. Do you have jealousy problems with good looking people?

A lot of sons and daughters of wealthy people volunteer. They pay a lot of money to do it Kester. They contribute financially to the projects they volunteer for. Yes, they are from richer backgrounds and will not be clued up on the hardships, but they sure have their hearts in the right place to at least bother. You are just sitting on your ass saying how crap others are and doing # all yourself.

What have you been doing to help out in the camps? Your threads this week have been nothing but all the male refugees are rapists and animals type threads. That's just great Kester. You are really helping.

I know of some rich boys and girls, my niece included and her friends who had done some wonderful things helping out overseas.

Why not get your finger out instead of being mean about what other people are doing. You are not a very conscious individual and not very well educated if your threads are anything to go by.

a reply to: Kester

What Liz is saying in the first video may have some Merritt but seriously you are using a parody video as a counter.... Really?

What exactly is your point ?

Volunteering in the third world probably provides some amazing life experiences and memories, that you can't put a price on. If it makes people feel good and helps others at the same time it's a win win isn't it? A better use of ones time than spending a season in Ibiza handing out flyers for over priced clubs

a reply to: Revolution9

You should look at some of the aid videos of the last few days and compare them to what Liz says.

I have covered making rocket stoves and socks. Sensible options to save firewood, reduce unhealthy woodsmoke and keep feet warm.

The women's rights issue should be shouted from the rooftops. We've had denial that coke is sold, but a little research shows it's a mafia controlled party town. The women say they are in danger from men who get out of control. Men who never drank before are now on 8.9% beer.

I have a previous thread on rocket mass heaters. Saving fuel is a massive improvement in quality of life. Many of us have carried firewood on our shoulders winter after winter. Had we known about rocket stoves and rocket mass heaters our lives would have been much improved. Many of us have bow saw scars on our hands and in my case a numb thumb from a bad saw cut. When you saw all your own firewood by hand, winter after winter, you get cut sometimes.

We who have lived this life in this climate have something to offer in the way of advice. I advise making your own 'refugee socks'. www.abovetopsecret.com... I wear them. They're not ideal but they're a million times better than cold feet.

This gives some leads for more study.www.abovetopsecret.com...

This thread could be a whole lot better.www.abovetopsecret.com...


Correction. 7.9% www.dazeddigital.com...

You shouldn't pick on volunteers, that's just wrong.
We do good work.

originally posted by: Daalder
You shouldn't pick on volunteers, that's just wrong.
We do good work.

You may do good work. You can't extrapolate that to all volunteers. Some actually do harm.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

If you study this subject in depth, search out the recent videos and watch them, you'll see the parody is accurate.

Liz is the wisest, most practical individual I've come across on this journey.

As Liz and others will tell you. The 'have a go' volunteers are in some cases causing riots. The point is it's a psychological problem with some of the incessant blogger, manic selfie types. They're causing problems. A little subtle tweaking is needed to this system.

Exactly this problem has been described to us by our very posh aid worker friends who make trips to Calais, and told us of the trench foot issue. This morning I watched a video again, looking at a different part of the screen again, (that's how it's done), and suddenly realised one of the mafia guys who ordered the filming to be stopped was wearing wellies. Do you realise the significance?

A mafia run town with good people like Liz doing more than their best, then totally naive newcomers drift in and trigger riots. It's a psychological issue with consequences. I would like to know if there's a medical term for it.

a reply to: Ksihkehe

Thank you for sticking up for the displaced people who are harmed by the inappropriate actions carried out by some volunteers. Those volunteers feel their need to be seen helping outweighs the consequences. They'll most likely find ways to explain it all so it was in no way their responsibility. Denial.

For example the huge amount of litter left after the arrival of inappropriate goods and poor distribution. Who's going to pick that up? It just makes the place even more slum like.

a reply to: Revolution9

. . . “surprise pregnancies” as a result of the sex work their “protectors” . . .

www.theguardian.com...

Who is it exactly they need protection from, and why?

These women are who I'm standing up for.


I'm updating this to say it's the yet to be born children whose needs are most important. I was once told in a complex situation with multiple needs the way to simplify things and decide on a course of action is to put the youngest first.

I have to side with the OP. Just because they used a parody video, doesn't mean his point isn't valid. There are good volunteers and there are bad volunteers. The difference is motivation.

The woman in the first video is an example of a good volunteer. I can think of some examples of some bad volunteers. I read a blog article recently about a woman who took her 8-year-old son to work in a soup kitchen. The article was from the mother's perspective. In the mother's blog, she never mentioned anything about teaching her child about helping others, she only talked about all the hard work her son did, and how amazing he was for doing such a good job volunteering. I wanted to gag. What could have been a great piece on teaching kids compassion or helping others, was nothing more than "Look at my kid isn't my kid the best."

Another example is when I was in the hospital recently. Some "volunteers" came around passing out little glued together hearts. The heart was in a plastic sandwich bag with a note saying, "This heart was lovingly made for you by something-something woman's organisation from such and such church. Please sign this card to let them know how much you appreciate their time and effort." I felt a bit offended. I felt like I was being asked to volunteer to boost these so-called volunteers ego.

Petty of me, yes, but I was sick and bored to tears. In reality, this group solely existed to make the volunteers feel like they were doing something without really doing anything. I was bored to tears, and could have used some company, or maybe a little activity kit to make the felt hearts they were passing out. I don't know, maybe the point of the little felt hearts was just lost on me.

Those are two minor examples that come to mind, but the real issue is when people use volunteering as bragging rights and to boost their ego instead of out of a desire to help make the world a better place.

I had an ex once, who bought a new pair of shoes and gave his old pair to a homeless guy without any thought to whether the shoes would even fit the homeless man. He did an excellent job patting himself on the back, and for weeks, he made sure that every person he ran into knew what a wonderful thing he had done.

Volunteering is not about self-promotion, it is about making the world you live in, just a little bit better. If you feel the need to brag, maybe your heart was in the wrong place.

Sorry kester but your posts are all over the place, and its a bit difficult to follow what youre saying.

originally posted by: Daalder
You shouldn't pick on volunteers, that's just wrong.
We do good work.

Damn straight you do good work.
I'm the volunteer coordinator for the local Meals on Wheels program. The kindness, caring, and compassion of the volunteers who deliver the meals is the back bone of the program.

Daalder, whatever you volunteer for, thank you!

a reply to: 0hlord

If you have time to look over my recent threads it'll make more sense.

I'm investigating the Calais camp and relaying my findings.

Single women are in hiding or with protectors. These protectors forcibly impregnate them, the rape of the slave. Very large quantities of aid are forthcoming, suitability and supply line problems mean some are in luxury and some have nothing. A recent article by a visitor stated the food she ate at the camp was the best she'd had in her time in France. Those unhappy with the camp mafia rule move elsewhere and are less in the spotlight for aid deliveries. The camp mafia rule is confirmed by no social media other than in approved areas of the camp. Camp mafia are quite clearly caught on camera enforcing the no cameras rule. Their body language to me suggests concealed carry. The wearing of wellingtons appears to have been forbidden, Cambridge University confirm no wellingtons. Lack of wellingtons leads to headlines about standing around in the mud in canvas shoes as well as trench foot. Yet the mafia wear wellingtons as seen on video. All very interesting.

Police cannot enter the site without considerable resistance. Camp mafia are in control. Drugs and alcohol are traded and consumed. You have presumably seen the lorry drivers video? That's the situation there.

Go and try for an interview with a few residents. The ones that won't talk to you and object very strongly to photographs are the ones whose story will be a scoop. Camp mafia, for example. Who's up for going there with a camera, waiting for the mafia to confront you and tell you to stop filming them. Then calmly ask them a few questions about the wellingtons, the coc aine, and once you're all on friendly terms, the women. How's that going to go down? What about the young men trying to get on the lorries. Why not offer them a lift and have a little chat about the weather and culture over the channel.

Clearly some very fishy stuff has been going on here.

They've been promised a free life then thrown down in a muddy puddle and left to get miserable.

Ideal breeding ground for disenchantment.

Surely not a deliberate plot to manufacture dissidents?

Who benefits?

Oh. The super rich.

I'm pretty sure those boys in the second video are pretty happy. I would be when I was that age. She is kind of cute.

a reply to: Kester

As a volunteer for 10 years for FEMA, Homeland Security, my home City, County and State, Red Cross, American Heart Association, Citizen Corps-C.E.R.T...Im not real clear of your thread intent.

I get the obvious...but am unclear as to your point(s). Perhaps you can clarify??

PS I assure you. The ones who volunteer after all the intensive training and re-certifying we do...for all the wrong reasons get cut, or can't handle it. And they disappear quite quickly once Incident Command realizes their ineptitude(s).

MS
EMT/ERT
Advanced Disaster Life Support
FEMA/DHS
Region 2, South
Wayne County Michigan

a reply to: mysterioustranger

I think I have a bit better understanding of the OP's intent than when I posted my reply, so it feels a bit off topic now. However, in regards to my post, if someone is putting in the effort to get certified, they probably do not fall in the category of the people I was complaining about.

a reply to: calstorm

Understood. Thanks. But, let me put this out there in our troubled times.

We can always use in our communities...volunteers to help in times of stress. Most all training...including advanced..is free...and we need you.

Contact your local community Emergency Management/Fire Dept/L.E. Office and see how you can help.

Thanks for the opp to ask!

Best

I think it is excellent of you to put that out there, as many people, including myself, wouldn't have thought to contact them. Animal shelters and Red Cross, yes. The places you mentioned are places you think of paid work. Thank you.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

I help mentally ill street people. Not all homeless, some of them are homeless on and off. They have difficulty staying in one place, when they are given accommodation they often have a crisis and end up homeless again.

It's scary as hell to being with someone who has voices in their head telling them to attack you, and there's no one to give you backup. Twice recently I've had men bigger than me struggling with the urge to attack me. The most recent one wound up his whole body to punch me in the mouth. I pretended not to notice, but prepared to duck to one side so he would hit the wall I was sitting against. Scary as hell, no backup and no pay. Just telling you so you know I make the effort.



The point of this thread is to safeguard the people in the camp.

Liz has stated, though not in these exact words, the wrong kind of volunteer causes riots and camp residents are injured. The way to improve camp safety and welfare of residents is to . . . . . OK. I don't know what to do. But bringing attention to the wrong kind of volunteer has to stimulate someone into working out what can be done to reduce the volunteer created riots.

Here is the wrong kind of volunteer. I'm only picking him because he's the most recent on YouTube. There are better examples, if you search through recent Calais videos you'll find them. Some of them would be shattered to see themselves compared accurately to that parody. I don't want to link them for that reason. The feminine approach is needed to magically change the wrong volunteer into the right volunteer. That's a task for the wise women.

Liz has clearly told us anything brought to that camp should be for the whole camp. Anything aimed at a certain sector of the camp can cause division and injury. This gentleman has the potential to create division. He loves being the centre of attention. He wants donations. It doesn't seem to be very muddy under his feet.

I was suddenly overcome then, it sunk in how difficult helping the women in hiding is. The camp mafia have a lot to hide. They are deeply ashamed of the atrocities they have committed. That is why they clearly, on camera, forbid use of cameras in the off limits areas of the camp. Seek and ye shall find nothing. There's no social media coming out of the camp other than in approved areas.

After everything we've done to make cameras and social media our protection against tyranny, tyranny is most obvious in the Calais camp. This is the polar opposite of what the fake activists and yellow journalists will tell you. They'll tell you tyranny is outside the camp oppressing the residents. Outside the camp there are people who want to build them heated shelters and resolve their homeless status. But fake activists and camp mafia are in control.