Radcliff Design | Humanitarian Acts & Community Volunteers

I heard someone say that you can’t teach others humanitarian behaviors, I disagree. Humanitarian Acts & Community Volunteers – If you keep hitting at the heart, at some point that heart is going to react. At what point it begins to react, that is the question. It is similar to teaching children to share in the sandbox. Eventually, they learn to play together. Same with volunteering – the more you do it, the more you enjoy it.

Here is a tricky question to consider. What if I told you to guide or get out of the way? Would it have sounded better, if I had said lead or get out of the way? Truthfully, not everyone needs to be led, but rather guided and allowed to come to a conclusion on their own. Let your volunteers do the job. Allow them to be fully immersed in the experience. But gently guide them, don’t force them.

How about the phrase, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”? What if instead, I said, “you can guide a horse to water, and eventually he’ll walk to the trough by himself?” Do you disagree with that statement? Professional and non-professional volunteers tend to help each new person who wanders in, sort of by osmosis. Teaching each other, and learning together for the greater good.

Force-feeding information to someone doesn’t mean it’s good information. Force-feeding also tends to get in the way and disrupt constructive learning. Some people do stand in the way; a few so-called wrong advocates. If you are in a position of power and you have not learned how to advocate for others – please don’t stand in the way of those who can. There are volunteers who will take that load for you gladly. De-stress okay?

If you allow someone (others) to have an identity of their own, you allow that person to grow and help them to nurture their own individual creativity. I completely understand that not every volunteer situation will be enjoyable, or successful, and some oversight might be necessary. As well, new volunteers do experience some failures – but encouragement goes a long way in convincing people to try again. They generally do!

Overall, volunteering is good honest hard work. The satisfaction of doing something for someone else, or giving out of your own need can trump many negative experiences.

Humanitarian acts of kindness generally don’t wait for a photo op. If that is how you respond to a crisis or situation – by waiting for the camera to show up, I have a job for you; “politician”.

How do you lead someone with very little humanitarian experience toward people in need? Would you? I would drive them up to a humanitarian situation, and tell them to get out of my car. I would then hand them a shovel, a spatula, broom, or paintbrush; whatever was needed – and tell them to get busy. I’ve been involved in a business in the past, that did just that. They told everyone in the office to dress for a day outside. Then they drove us to an old farm site and had us get out and start putting up a barbed wire fence. There were no cameras to record it. Best time I ever had. Saving baby calves and momma cows, and a thankful farmer broke my heart.

A thankful farmer broke my heart.

When you start to get your hands dirty, and the person next to you is also getting dirty, it changes the way you think and feel. You aren’t alone. There can be a sense of urgency of course in needing to get a job done quickly, but a greater understanding of community is also gained. Smiles are gained. Dirty laundry is also gained. New friendships and memories are gained. Get it yet?

Let me tell you – It’s the people in the community that you find yourself working with that can blow your mind. Never in my wildest dream did I think I would be cleaning and mucking out mud, with strangers and locals alike after a flash flood. I will remember them forever!

I will remember them forever!

Why do people volunteer in emergency and disaster situations? Is it a special calling? Sort of. Is it a timed event you signed up for? Sometimes. Did someone drop you off in their car and tell you to get out? Probably. You had to get there somehow!