Volunteer Experience – JESSICA WIEDEMANN

I have been at my volunteer placement for 10 hours total. I have had 2 shifts at the clinic and I was able to be part of running a booth for SEARCH at an event that started conversations between those at the university and community organizations on the topic of volunteerism and research.

I feel a lot more comfortable with my placement compared to my first shift at the clinic. I have met some interesting people and I have been able to have very interesting conversations. For example, at my second shift at the clinic, I was put into a group with a social work mentor and other volunteers to work and come up with ideas about activities and ideas for a teen group that SEARCH is developing. This was really interesting becuase I was able to apply some of what I have learned in my classes to the development of a program for youth to educate them on things from self-concept to health to relationships. I believe it is very important for youth to be educated about these areas so they can make positive choices in their lives. I was also tasked with talking to the youth who came to the clinic that day which I enjoyed because I like hearing what teens have to say about their interests and what is important to them at their age.

Being halfway done this placement makes me feel a little sad knowing that it is going to end. I am not in Regina over the summer and I won’t be able to volunteer there during the summer months. I hope to fit in volunteering at the clinic again in the fall. I feel like I am getting to know more about different areas of Regina by doing volunteer placements. I am gaining first-hand experience working with those who did not have the same upbringing or opportunities as me. I have registered for a workshop to gain more knowledge of opioid use and overdose through the clinic. Any knowledge I gain now will shape who I am as a teacher so I want to become educated in many different areas in order help wherever I can when I am an educator. I have two more shifts at the clinic before I am done my hours and the semester is done. I am thankful for all I have learned so far and hope to keep learning more in the final hours of this placement.

Featured Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

Jessica Wiedemann

Jessica is a student at University of Regina. Her passion for helping others and advocacy for the prevention of bullying in schools has lead her to a career in education. She is a dog lover, photographer, and a food lover.

Make sure to comment below and follow her on social media, she loves to reach out and connect with you!

Today, I started my volunteer placement at SEARCH in Regina. SEARCH is an acronym that stands for Student Energy in Action for Regina Community Health. It is a student-run facility that provides programming to the community of Regina. They are an “informal, drop-in clinic, which also provides healthy snacks and beverages, childcare, and a warm and safe environment” to people who need it.

For my first shift, I was in childcare with three other student volunteers. The first while of my shift was very relaxed, there had been no clients to come in that had children with them. We had been planned to bookmarks as a craft for the day. I had made a sample bookmark of my own to show the kids when they got there for something to work off of. I ended up making two bookmarks and a bracelet out of some string. The clinic was very quiet outside of a few clients enjoying their lunches and then all of a sudden, BOOM, 5 girls come through the door and come right up to me and the other students and started into the crafts. For a solid hour and a half, it was all these girls doing crafts, blowing up balloons and braiding string to make bookmarks and bracelets. It was pretty hectic because each one of the girls was doing their own thing and there was only 4 of us to help them and supervise them. After the girls left, the clinic was quiet again and there was clean up to do before the debriefing meeting.

Overall, the experience today was a very enjoyable one. I met new students, spent time with some interesting and funny children as well as to talk to others and learn more about them. I was blown away by one of the projects that went on last week, there was beading and moccasin making. Today, one of the clients was helping a student volunteer work on her project. From previous classes I have been able to take in university and personal interest in other parts of indigenous culture I was incredibly interested in the project. In talking to the client that was helping my fellow student volunteer, she explained the relaxation associated with the beading and the creating of art involved in the beading. I loved being able to get first-hand information from such an open and helpful source.

Any new experience is a chance for expanding one’s horizons and to see life from a new perspective. Going further into this placement I hope to be able to see new perspectives and be able to orientate myself better to new ways of thinking and seeing the world. I am excited for what is to come in the rest of this placement with SEARCH.

Featured Photo by William White on Unsplash.

Jessica Wiedemann

Make sure to comment below and follow her on social media, she loves to reach out and connect with you!

Reflection: 10 Hours In

Reflecting on the First Shift