Volunteering with Oxfam Ireland

A snapshot of the different stock available in Oxfam

One of the most difficult aspects of the Gold Gaisce Award is obviously the length of the challenge, and although I completed the first half of my Community Involvement volunteering with the Irish Cancer Society, I have since moved away from Dublin, and have started volunteering with Oxfam.

I previously volunteered with Oxfam for 2 years, but could not keep it up when college got busy. This was probably my first time to set foot in Oxfam since 2013, and much to my delight, the manager and some of the volunteers I used to work with are still there. 

Some of our lovely brand-new scarves!

What does volunteering for Oxfam involve?
When volunteering for a charity shop, there are the usual retail tasks: serving customers, putting new stock out the front of the shop, tidying up any clothes that have fallen. In the staff area at the back of the shop however, is where we sort through donations, which can be anything from books to bric-a-brac to clothes. We even got a donation of 7 selfie sticks the other day!

Since I started volunteering in June, I have been making posters for different promotions, sorting out and pricing donations, working on the till, and sorting out the jewellery. We usually work on one task until we take a break, then we might swap tasks.

Our book selection

Oxfam is great for recognising if a volunteer has a particular talent for something- the creative types are often given the task of putting together the window display, the musicians sort CDs, the bookish types sort out our books into the different genres. I myself seem to have taken on the tech role, updating the computer, writing email templates and creating posters. I think this is a great system, and gives every volunteer a sense of purpose there.

How can you help?
Oxfam almost always has special offers on- 3 accessories for €5, 3 pairs of sunglasses for €2, buy one summer dress, get the second one free...the list goes on. If you are a savvy clothes-shopper, remember that charity shops always are trying to get rid of summer stock in the month of August, so you will probably pick up some great deals!

Obviously charity shops are only sustained through regular donations, so if you are doing a big summer clear-out, please think of dropping your stuff into a charity shop, rather than throwing it away.

Thanks for reading :) 

Volunteering in a Charity Shop- 10 months on

Since Christmas, I have got to know how the Irish Cancer Society shop works in much greater detail. For every donation we get, we have to figure out whether or not the item is ok to sell, and if so, we have to judge the quality (or brand) and put a price on it, something I am much more experienced at now. I’ve also come to realise how many businesses are involved with, and make donations to the Irish Cancer Society, like Tesco for example. When people rip one pair of socks/tights/underpants etc, out of a pack of three, Tesco can no longer sell them, and the item they have taken obviously isn't individually security tagged, so they just steal it. On the plus side, it's great for us, because all the clothes are brand new!

Inside the shop

I have met so many new volunteers over the last few months. We get a lot of student and international volunteers, some doing work experience, some trying to better their English. Some of our volunteers are doing internship placements with us, and for many it is their first time to work. Everyone has a different story, and it is really interesting that every few weeks, there is a new fellow volunteer to meet. 

Every so often I update the shop’s Facebook page with some interesting-looking item in store, and there has been more engagement with the page lately, but it is hard to keep it up to date as I am only in there once a week. The manager is very grateful for the page, though, and also asked me to design summer-themed posters and leaflets for an event in the shop. I sent my design into Reads in Stillorgan and they hand-delivered the finished product, much to the manager’s delight, and the event went really well.

In many ways, a charity shop is a difficult place to work. If we don’t get donations, there’s nothing to sell, so there are no customers. When a customer really wants something, they will often try to haggle over the price, even though all the funds are going to charity. Security is difficult because there is no way to identify an item donated to our shop once the tag has been removed, so for some, this becomes an opportune place to steal. But, although it is undoubtedly more challenging than my other two Gaisce activities, over the last few months, it has become increasingly significant to me on a personal level.

My grandfather passed away due to prostate cancer in May, and my grandmother and mother couldn't thank the cancer nurses and carers enough for all they did when treatment was no longer feasible. Although this was funded by the St David's cancer research group in Wales, I know the Irish Cancer Society provide the same resources due to the funding from their shops and regular fundraiser events. Given how much help my own family received from a similar organisation, I am really glad to have chosen the Irish Cancer Society as the charity to volunteer with. A lot of people just come in looking for a bargain, or the volunteers are just looking for work experience, but there are a good few there because they- both customers and volunteers- care about the cause. The work is not always easy, but I am glad to have given my time to this charity.

Meeting New People

In the space of 2 weeks, I started three new things: dance classes, yoga classes, and volunteering at a charity shop- and didn't know anyone in any of these places. It has been both challenging and incredibly interesting, and in this post I would like to focus on the people I have encountered in my challenge so far.

Myself and Linda
about to start into the Cha Cha Cha

Dance- The Greatest Mood Booster

The dance classes I signed up for were part of a 10 week course, so I have finished the first block now, and I can confidently say I enjoyed every minute. Over the course of the ten weeks, our wonderful teacher, Eithne, has taught us the Foxtrot, the Slow Waltz, the Cha Cha Cha, Swing, Quickstep, and also the Barn Dance (a bit like a Ceili, where everyone continuously changes partners). Eithne is an excellent teacher, so full of enthusiasm and has such a great sense of humour. No matter how my day has gone, I always come away from dance class in a better mood. In the very first week of the course, I met Linda, and due to the imbalance of men and women on the course, we ended up as dance partners for the remaining weeks. Linda is such great fun, but also really determined to get the steps right, and I can't help but smile at the happy little giggle she has whenever we manage a complicated turn. Linda will also be continuing on to the next course this February, so unless more men miraculously appear, I look forward to dancing and having more laughs with Linda.


Yoga

I have really enjoyed getting to know my yoga instructor, Katelyn. She is actually my age too, started practising yoga 5 years ago, began teaching it three years ago, and only in the last year decided to move to Ireland from Canada. I feel very unadventurous in comparison! Most yoga studios have mirrors, but as our one does not, it is difficult to tell if you're doing it right or not, but Katelyn is always really helpful when it comes to making changes in posture (I am terrible at "downward-facing dog"). She makes the classes really inspiring, encouraging us to take the feeling of calm we get from our yoga session out with us afterwards, and it is great for reducing stress.


Volunteer Profiling 

The first volunteer profile

Since I set up the new Facebook page for the Irish Cancer Society in Dun Laoghaire, I have started profiling our volunteers - basically I take a picture of one of them at work, and ask them to tell me how long they have been volunteering with us, what their favourite thing is about working there, and why they chose to volunteer with the Irish Cancer Society in the first place. Our bubbliest volunteer, Catia, featured in our first volunteer profile (shown here on the right). I have really enjoyed doing this project so far, because not only do I get to know my fellow volunteers better, but by putting these posts on Facebook, it also allows them to get recognition for their work. I am looking forward to profiling more of our volunteers in 2017, especially Pauline, who has been there for an impressive 25 years!


I hope you've enjoyed getting to know some of the people I've met during my Gasice challenge so far, as they have made the experience so enjoyable, and even though the activities themselves are exciting, without these people, my Gaisce challenge so far wouldn't be half as special.