 |
|
Volunteering
in Caritas Malta
A Brief History |
    |
No.
5, Lion Street, Floriana, VLT16, Malta - Tel: (+356) 21 233 933
|
|
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Volunteering
|
Volunteering in Caritas Malta Mgr. Victor Grech
founded the volunteers' movement within Caritas Malta in 1977, after
appealing to youths during the Lenten sermons to unite their resources
in favour of those in need. Support, Training, Formation and Development Volunteers within Caritas Malta are supervised and supported by professional personnel who devise ongoing training programmes, spiritual formation and individual support and supervision. Newly recruited volunteers undergo an induction course to internelise themselves with the vision, mission, values and the programmes, projects and services offered by Caritas Malta. Opportunities Volunteers can contribute in different sectors within the mission. Volunteers can be involved in most of the programmes, projects and services illustrated in this web site. Volunteers Projects
History The volunteers movement within Caritas Malta was founded in 1977 by Mons. Victor Grech, after appealing to youths during the Lenten exercises to unite their resources in favour of those in need. A group of about 20 young people was formed and together they began to study the scriptures and acquire the necessary spiritual formation. They shared experiences and immersed themselves wholly in the social reality of that particular moment in time. They visited the families in the neighbour-hood and tried their very best to be of service. Slowly this group began to increase in number. They became a very dynamic group, open and sensitive to the signs of the times. What had started off as a small group of youths became the first social movement of the Maltese islands. Its contacts abroad increased and spread. Professional trainers were engaged from America and Italy to train these volunteers intensively. Volunteers: Present Now Caritas counts close to 300 volunteers all engaged in various areas within the social field. Many of them have seen Caritas in its embryonic stage and have contributed to its development throughout the years. Nowadays the volunteers have a large pool of knowledge gathered throughout the years and many have transferred this knowledge to incoming volunteers. Volunteers input in the Caritas Services Caritas Malta offers various services, which are efficiently run through the indispensable help of volunteers who are supervised by professional staff and professional volunteers. Counselling & Social Work Unit Xefaq: Pre and Post test Aids/HIV counseling is a service addressed towards those individuals who are at risk of developing Aids or other sexually transmitted diseases. Through the help of professional staff and volunteers with a background in psychology or social work, these persons are assisted in the often anxious-riddled process of undertaking the test. They are also guided in a non-judgmental way to examine their lifestyle and are empowered to change it.Link: Is this still on???? Support Groups (<http://www.caritasmalta.org/support.htm> )Caritas Malta volunteers run a number of support groups and self help groups which offer an invaluable service to the client population they address: Epilepsy Support Group is as its name defines a support group for people suffering from epilepsy and their immediate families. This support group aims towards creating an awareness that neutralises the stigma which emerges through lack of adequate knowledge about the disease. The secondary aim of this group is to support members and their families in any difficulties they might encounter.Aftercare Group : This group which meets every Thursday afternoon is also called Thursday Club. Caritas Malta volunteers offer a service to ex-Mount Carmel hospital patients, the island?s psychiatric hospital. A volunteer is assigned to each client, befriends them and helps him/her to acquire the necessary basic skills which are often lost through the process of institutionalization.RoSe, a service aimed towards assisting widows and separated persons through the difficult bereavement process. This is a self help group run by volunteers who have themselves been through the loss of a spouse.Huntington?s Disease Anonymous Support Group is another self-help group run by volunteers who are also relatives of sufferers of this degenerative disease.21+ is a group for youths who are experiencing relationship difficulties. This group is run by volunteers who know the meaning of loneliness and hopelessness. Its main aim is in helping its members develop the necessary skills they might lack to socialize effectively.The Foundation for Victims of Usury is a service which has started recently but is offering invaluable help to a client population that had been up to now completely ignored. It is run by a couple of dedicated and professional volunteers who invest much time and energy sometimes at personal risk.Caritas Malta also offers its premises and staff support to other self help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous.
Volunteers in Helpage Projects (<http://www.caritasmalta.org/helpage.htm>)Caritas Volunteers are also involved in Helpage services. Helpage is a project aimed for the elderly. Our volunteers are very much involved in the various services related to Helpage. For example, they run social clubs in parishes whereby they organize activities and are of assistance to the elderly in a particular locality or parish. They operate the ILAC, the Independent Living Advice Centre, which is a centre offering support and assistance to the elderly as well as people with special needs and sell equipment which is designed to help the client live more independently. They animate activities in the Residential Homes for Elderly and give their input in Intergenerational Activities which are organised from time to time by the Prevention and Education Awareness Unit in collaboration with the Head of Helpage. The objective of this activity is to bring together young and old in a forum to discuss the perspectives of the two parties in relation to each other. Apart from this the young people get together and organize a special event which reflects their understanding of the older generations. Premises Volunteers A number of volunteers offer to assist staff in an office setting. They help by typing, documenting, inputting, and photocopying. There is also a group of volunteers who help in the reception. They answer incoming calls and host guests and clients who seek assistance. Some premises volunteers have loyally given their service for ten or more years. New Hope Project (<http://www.caritasmalta.org/newhope.htm>)Some volunteers are offering their services in supporting families of individuals and other significant people who are undergoing treatment for drug-related problems. However, since this is a very delicate area volunteers need to be trained thoroughly and would preferably have related life experiences. The Volunteers Unit Keeping track of the growing number of volunteers would be difficult without a structured and organized system. The volunteers unit is responsible for all the volunteers within Caritas. When a person decides to become a volunteer within our agency contact is maintained throughout their volunteering career us. Recruitment People from all walks of life make a decision to become volunteers. Their decision is often based on the fact that after having achieved many goals in their personal or career life they use their free time to the benefit of others. However, many others also feel that after having received a lot in their lives it?s time for them to give in return. Volunteering is also done because at some point in a person?s life they would have come in touch with a problem which could have scarred them. Therefore they make a conscious decision to help others who are living the same problem they would have experienced, directly or indirectly. All these reasons are taken into account when making the first contact with a volunteer. Recruitment is often done through a face-to-face informal interview whereby the attitudes, motivations and beliefs of the prospective volunteers are assessed. One very important aspect of volunteering is commitment and dedication. A genuine belief and understanding of the work involved is necessary before embarking on voluntary work. Therefore not any one who decides to do voluntary work is necessarily suitable. Aggressive drives for recruitment may also be adopted when young people are targeted for a particular project. Visits to various educational institutions, media coverage and flyers attract various young people from various walks of life. Training When people decide to do voluntary work with our organization they are informed that when they join the organization they are constantly supervised and followed. Part of this supervision involves training on various aspects of voluntary work. Our volunteers are not brought on board and left to sail alone without any direction or supervision. Our training courses equip our volunteers with the necessary skills to carry out their duty efficiently and with dedication while taking responsibility of their actions. Our training courses focus on:
Each unit also provides training specific to their area of operation. Therefore each volunteer is also trained on issues specific to the elderly, HIV/AIDS, counseling, etc. Training takes place monthly and the sessions are usually held as part of a whole course. Support & Supervision Contact between the Volunteers Unit as well as other units is maintained with all the volunteers through regular meetings and training courses. Meetings are held between the volunteers unit and the volunteers on a general basis as well as within the specific programs. The responsible units also meet up on a regular basis with the volunteers who fall within their responsibility. In the coming months a more formalized system of supervision and support will be introduced. This will enhance the communication system between the agency and the volunteers whilst ensuring that the needs of the volunteers are being met. Individual meetings between Caritas staff and the volunteers will take place so as to strengthen the relationship between the two entities.
Young Volunteers CARITAS has been around for the past 25 years and so have many of its volunteers. Now, more than ever before there is a growing need for new blood to ensure the continuity of the organization. For the last two years projects were being held annually for young volunteers between the ages of 16-26 years. These short-term projects are held with the aim of attracting and introducing young people to the world of volunteering. Projects are created in line with the already existing- services. This year a group of 11 young volunteers took part in a month-long project in which they worked with the elderly and with mental health patients. This project was divided into five different phases. Once the volunteers were recruited they were trained in issues relating to Caritas, volunteering and services. They were then trained in the specific issues they were expected to work on. Preparation is a very important issue before a volunteer comes in contact with the social need he or she will be expected to give service. Following the training the volunteers began orientation and preparatory visits within the two residential homes they were to do voluntary work. These visits helped the volunteers familiarize themselves with the routine of the home, the residents as well as the staff. The fourth phase was probably the toughest and the one which asked for a substantial amount of commitment from the volunteers. They lived with the residents in the same home for four full days. Here they barely came in contact with their family and dedicated 24 hours of the day to the home. They animated the respective homes with activities, games, crafts, entertainment, dancing, swimming and also an animated mass. The fifth phase consisted of a follow-up with both the volunteers and the home. This follow-up is important to gain feedback and make sure that the experience was rewarding and fulfilling for the volunteers. It also makes us ask ourselves, "Where do we go from here?". Volunteering with these young volunteers does not stop with this experience. It is important to keep that feeling of enthusiasm alive and the only way of doing it is to keep them in touch with what they did in the Summer project as well as maintaining constant contact with them. Upcoming Volunteers' Projects
|
 |