The challenges and rewards of voluntary work

THE CHALLENGES AND REWARDS OF VOLUNTARY WORK

Voluntary work- the things we put our hearts into without asking for reward, is a priceless asset to any country.

What makes people volunteer?

-emotional fact

-the desire to put smth into the place where they are

-to be involved with some organization- to help properly to run a number of youth clubs or to organize seminars on racial harassment, community relations and drugs

-the feeling of bringing people together, to 'combat the disconnection and alienation that lie at the core of nation’s most serious social problems, to shift focus to such problems

ACTIONS: - to advise adults on issues such as housing and employment

-help young people prepare CVs and application forms, advise them on interview techniques, -visits to housebound people in order to give the main career a break (the so called extra care home for elderly people)

-great impact on social problems, such as youth violence

REWARDS: -emotional deal of satisfaction: it’s nice to know you’re bringing a little bit of happiness into someone’s life and putting something back into the community

-you get a pleasure out of feeling that you’re making life more pleasant for people

-the feeling that you’re needed, -you work with like-minded people and find it amazingly interesting, -it’s great to be able to do smth and at the same time make money for a worthwhile cause (when organizing projects, fundraising-donations), -many companies encourage volunteering through release time schemes and most have special offices to promote and organize volunteering

CHALLENGES: -A disquiet about a changing culture of voluntary work: the smaller voluntary organizations are close to the ground, know the real needs and often come up with innovative ideas on how to meet them., -Working for local authorities along lines could make the voluntary org-s lose what made them special in the 1st place

-Emphasis on corporate volunteering.

 

THE ROLE OF CHARITY IN MORAL RE-ARMAMENT.

Charity work, the things we put our heart into without asking for reward is a priceless asset to any country. Most charity work is fitted into people’s spare time. But sometimes a grave need in additional and global affairs calls for unusual steps and people abandon paid work to make new perspectives possible. Religious bodies through the ages have been upheld by such risk-taking people with a sense of vocation. And the current programs of Moral Re-armament are sustained by a partnership between people in a wide variety of jobs and others who make themselves wholly available. Moral Re-armament seeks to liberate the initiative, creativity and depth of relationships that could make the world work. It takes all one’s skills, stretches one’s abilities and shoe up one’s mistakes, sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously. Yet it is satisfying to try to alter the fundamental motives of society.

Deep changes of attitude can never be prescribed. Nor can a fee be charged.

Everybody have found in voluntary work new perspectives on an extraordinary range of issues from the healing of relationships between colonialized peoples and their former masters to the future of Eastern Europe for values for industrial and artistic life

The number of «human disasters» such as murders, diseases, nature disasters had been raised dramatically. And more and more people need our help. We can say that our world is very sick now, and the only way to cure it from cruelty, indifference and people’s vices --- is to be involved in some Charity Organizations. If everybody will try to make smth better, the human nation will be morally rehabilitated.

INFLUENCE OF MASS MEDIA ON YOUNG GENERATION.

Television: -children’s viewing habits have changed; now they are allowed to watch right up to their bedtime. -parents exercise little or no control over their children’s viewing -television has profoundly undermined society’s traditional values and standards

Detrimental effect of TV: -TV has stripped away much of people’s gregarious nature, demolished the social fabric and common interests, -cocooned in their world people no longer know their neighbors, friends or even families, TV’ s made communities wider and shallower, people don’t socialize and don’t care, display only a tangential interest in life outside their living rooms. -the society is enslaved by TV and it can no longer function in a normal, cooperative way. -families don’t buy books, they prefer to watch moronic movies instead. And if a child lives in such a family that doesn’t share any human values it’s easy to guess in what way TV can influence him.

MORAL VALUES OF SOCIETY YOU LIVE IN.

Of course no one is perfect in this world and, as it is axiomatic that each generation is worse than the last.

Unfortunately today we can observe changes of the moral values. Moral standards of honesty, purity, love for others disappeared. Instead of them we face individualism, greed, lust, hypocrisy, me first philosophy, sexual freedom. And as the result of these changes in the way of thinking and behaving we come across breakdowns in the family, drug and alcohol abuse, increasing violence and civil disorder. Essential parts of our society nowadays are money, sex, drugs, crime, religion and politics. We have created a society which can produce torture and murder of children, rape and child abuse, violence in the family. Taken together they form a swelling tide of anger, bewilderment and despair.

I don’t want to say that this decline in moral values takes place only in the modern society. No doubts that these problems have existed before, but nowadays they took a very dangerous rise. It’s necessary to change “me first” philosophy and put other people’s needs at the 1st place just to make the world better and do not blame each other. But the simple way out from this situation is to start with ourselves. If each person began with what they could do, where they are, to put things right and to set new standards, then we might soon see a difference.

WHO USES DRUGS AND WHY?

The reasons why people use drugs and alcohol:

1. People suffering from anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression or other mental illnesses use drugs and alcohol to ease their suffering. Mental illness is such a burden for some people they will try just about anything to relieve the pain.

2. People see family members, friends, role models or entertainers using drugs and rationalize that they can too. Individuals with a family history of drug or alcohol abuse are far more likely to develop an addiction than an individual with no family background of addiction.

3. People become bored and think drugs will help. Drug use is often thought of as a way to escape the mundane world and enter an altered reality.

4. People think drugs will help relieve stress. Some drugs are viewed as a means of relaxation – a way to calm the storm in your mind. Although drugs can be very effective at doing that, there can be serious side effects.

5. People figure if a drug is prescribed by a doctor, it must be ok. Such thoughts can lead to mixing of drugs, overdose, unintended side effects and/or dependency.

6. People get physically injured and unintentionally get hooked on prescribed drugs. If that drug is making them feel better, they rationalize that it must be ok to keep taking the drug, which can result in dependency.

7. People use drugs to cover painful memories in their past. These people could benefit from working with psychologists to help repair their damaged mind.

8. People think drugs will help them fit in.

9. People chase the high they once experienced. This a viscous cycle that is extremely difficult to break.

 

CHILDREN AND TV

Children and Tv is a real problem. Eight out of ten children are usually allowed to watch right up to «their bedtime». Only 11% of the interviewed mothers said they allowed their children under 10 watch anything they like. But implicit in the figures is governing a decision to switch off (27 per cent) or switch over (57 per cent) when parents considered a programme unsuitable. Yet 74% agrred or partly agreed that there was too much violence on tv. Interestingly that only 8 per cent thought sex on tv was more harmful. Parents don`t control what their children viewing.

Families don’t buy books, they prefer to watch moronic movies instead.And if a child lives in such a family that doesn’t share any human values it’s easy to guess in what way TV can influence him. As for the negative aspect, watching television over a long span seriously damages children’s ability to think clearly; moreover it robs youngsters of childhood. To some extent television is opening up all the society’s secrets and taboos, thus erasing and dividing line between childhood and adulthood.

Who hurt by inflation?

- Who are on the fixed pension hurt by inflation.

- Who loaned smb

- Savers and investors are hurt as well, because inflation reduces the value of their money.

Who gain?

- People who are able to pay off debts or other contractual obligation with inflated currency.

- Those who make the payments required in long-term contracts

 

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Environmental pollution is contamination of air, water and land from man-made waste. Pollution leads to depletion of the ozone layer, global warming and climate change.

There are lots of different types of pollution: air, water and soil pollution, noise and light pollution, nuclear and thermal pollution and others. Fossil fuels are among the most serious sources of environmental pollution. Other sources include agriculture, trading activities and residential sector. Air pollution is the release of chemicals and particles into the atmosphere. Some of the most important air pollutants are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. Water pollution includes surface runoff, leakage into groundwater, liquid spills, and littering. If toxins are spilled on the ground or if an underground storage tank leaks, soil can become contaminated. The most common contaminants are herbicides and pesticides. Light pollution, defined as excess light at night, increases women’s risk of breast cancer significantly, as well as wasting energy and disrupting the migration patterns and breeding cycles of many birds and animals. Noise pollution is not only annoying, it can also cause severe hearing loss and other health problems. Litter pollutes waterways and leaches toxic chemicals into soil and groundwater as it breaks down. Most litter begins with a careless or thoughtless act by a single person who tosses away a cigarette butt or an empty soda can, which means there is a lot you can do to prevent litter.

 

BELARUS.

The problems of environmental protection figure prominent part nowadays in the activities of the Belarusian government. But the burden Problems is overwhelming. Everybody in Belarus knows that, for example, Orsha is highly industrialized area. Some businessmen together with the Italian partners decided to create a leather - producing joint venture construct the plant on the banks of the river Dniper. Of course leather necessary for producing shoes, jackets, etc. It's dangerous for composition including different acid and even heavy metals. It could ha ruined the nature in the territory of several miles around the factory. Moreover it could pollute the waters of the Dniper and produce harmful effect and even lead to ecological catastrophe.

One knows about the notorious LAVSAN in Mogilev an enterprise producing the artificial fibers. Beside the industria l output this plant throws into the air very dangerous micro elements which cause the allergic diseases such as asthma, for instance.

Not to say about the Chernoby l holocaust As a result of it a great area the Belarusian territory became contaminated with radioactive particles, contamination caused a rapid raise of such incurable illnesses as the cancer, lot of people died from leukemia. N owadays the agricultural production from 30 % of the Belarusian territory is not valid for consumption: The harm effect of this tragedy according to some estimations amounts to 30 billion $US.

It goes without saying that Belarus faces now a lot of extremely ecological problems. Therefore a great majority of people join all sorts of "GREEN" movements and ecological parties.

 

 

 

 

THE CHALLENGES AND REWARDS OF VOLUNTARY WORK

Voluntary work- the things we put our hearts into without asking for reward, is a priceless asset to any country.

What makes people volunteer?

-emotional fact

-the desire to put smth into the place where they are

-to be involved with some organization- to help properly to run a number of youth clubs or to organize seminars on racial harassment, community relations and drugs

-the feeling of bringing people together, to 'combat the disconnection and alienation that lie at the core of nation’s most serious social problems, to shift focus to such problems

ACTIONS: - to advise adults on issues such as housing and employment

-help young people prepare CVs and application forms, advise them on interview techniques, -visits to housebound people in order to give the main career a break (the so called extra care home for elderly people)

-great impact on social problems, such as youth violence

REWARDS: -emotional deal of satisfaction: it’s nice to know you’re bringing a little bit of happiness into someone’s life and putting something back into the community

-you get a pleasure out of feeling that you’re making life more pleasant for people

-the feeling that you’re needed, -you work with like-minded people and find it amazingly interesting, -it’s great to be able to do smth and at the same time make money for a worthwhile cause (when organizing projects, fundraising-donations), -many companies encourage volunteering through release time schemes and most have special offices to promote and organize volunteering

CHALLENGES: -A disquiet about a changing culture of voluntary work: the smaller voluntary organizations are close to the ground, know the real needs and often come up with innovative ideas on how to meet them., -Working for local authorities along lines could make the voluntary org-s lose what made them special in the 1st place

-Emphasis on corporate volunteering.