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There are about 7 million volunteers in Russia — these people and their actions help make our society, our life better. But what do the volunteers get in return? Anna Orlova, director of the Opening Horizons Charitable Foundation, believes that there is a lot: from developing leadership skills to answering questions about the meaning of life.
People come to volunteer for a variety of reasons. Someone from an excess of warmth and strength: such people willingly share their emotions, mood, energy and time with those in need. Someone — after a trauma, strong feelings, grief.
When my dad became seriously ill, I began to ask myself the question that sooner or later confronts each of us: “Why do I live?” The crisis helped me realize that life is short and if I want to be useful and make the world a better place, it’s time to act. So I became a volunteer.
For five years I have helped children in orphanages, the elderly in nursing homes, disabled children and others in need. I was very lucky: my family — my husband and daughter — supported me and fully shared my aspirations. Volunteer activity overwhelmed me, turned into something more than just a passion or hobby. I realized that it becomes more important for me than the main work. And at that moment I was very lucky again.
Alternative ways
My career has been more than successful. I worked at KFC and in a few years I achieved everything I wanted: I moved from the position of a deputy director of a restaurant in Perm to the position of a leading territorial manager in Moscow. On the one hand, it was the ultimate dream, on the other, I rested my head on the ceiling.
I talked a lot with other volunteers. Among them there were strong personalities who quit their careers at the height of their success in order to devote their time to volunteer work. I began to mentally prepare for this scenario, but then the unbelievable happened! I was offered to lead the volunteer direction at KFC, involve colleagues in this activity, and lead others along with me. Just imagine: you have a job, a family, your own interests, and even if you are a very active volunteer, you are unlikely to be able to participate in “good missions” more than three or four times a month. And I had the opportunity to inspire tens and hundreds of thousands of people across the country to thousands of good deeds! Of course, I agreed and since then I have been the head of the Opening Horizons charitable foundation, which works with the support of KFC.
New ways to help
The position of general director implies a large amount of desk work, and not just «field» work. But I learned to combine one with the other, because I knew that now I have the resources for new good deeds, new ways to help those in need.
Our specialization is helping children from orphanages in social adaptation. Many believe that such children live from hand to mouth, they have nothing to wear, they have no toys. Therefore, “material assistance” is often brought to orphanages, children are showered with gifts, especially on the eve of big holidays. But the main thing that such children need is not clothes and toys, but attention and emotions, the very ones that «home» children receive from us parents.
Our volunteers do not just play and communicate with the guys, but become their mentors
Most of the orphans are social orphans. Approximately 9 out of 10 children are over 10 years old, that is, they are in their transitional age. Adolescents in an orphanage often do not feel safe. They do not want to learn, do not develop in any way, do not worry about who they will become in the future. They need an example to inspire them to achieve.
In order to improve the social adaptation of such children, to promote their career guidance, we have developed and implemented a special program. Our volunteers do not just play and communicate with the children, but become their mentors, share knowledge and skills, motivate them to study better and improve themselves. On the one hand, they talk with children on an equal footing, and on the other hand, they can share their experiences and advise something from the position of an adult.
Family as a resource
Having headed the charitable foundation, I continued to travel to orphanages, communicate with their pupils, management, and volunteers. Only in this way, knowing the real needs and needs of children, you can come up with effective ways to help.
Of course, constant work with teenagers from orphanages requires enormous emotional investment. My family was not enthusiastic about my long business trips, how much energy they took from me, but it was my relatives who always remained a source of inspiration and strength for me, helping me to open my second wind. As a result, my family has become stronger and … bigger. Now I have three children, one of whom is adopted, and recently I became a mentor to another teenager from an orphanage.
Secrets of communicating with teenagers
Over the years of working with teenagers from orphanages, I have learned to establish contact with them, gain trust, build good relationships, and all thanks to a few rules.
1. Give your teen at least 15 minutes a day. We are all very busy, and finding time for quality communication is not always easy, which is why it is so important to plan these “fifteen minutes”. Communication should not be limited to questions about whether the child did his homework and whether the room was cleaned. Ask about what he is interested in, what he worries about, dreams about, who inspires him.
2. Communicate as equals. The words “I know better” and the commanding tone have not yet strengthened any relationship. Rely not on the authority of your age and experience, but on mutual respect.
3. Approve, praise, support. You can always find why. Try to sincerely admire the actions of a teenager, and not give out the duty “well done”.
4. Respect your teenager’s desire for independence. We all have the right to make mistakes, and teenagers are no exception. You won’t be able to lay down straws in all difficult situations, so let him have his own life experience. This does not mean that you need to be ironic about his mistakes or call for complete autonomy: be ready to support and help when the child asks for it.
5. Don’t forget about yourself. The best example is set by those of us who can be called a full-fledged personality — with our hobbies, thoughts, deeds, emotions. Live your life, do what you love, build relationships, rejoice, grieve, love, look for happiness, take care of yourself, and then the child will begin to trust and respect you.
Inspiration for others
Volunteering has helped me to get acquainted with many socially useful initiatives, and I willingly share my knowledge with others and “infect” them with the desire to do good deeds. Alas, many are still not involved in charity and volunteering simply because they do not know where to start, how to approach this area.
Collecting certificates for guardianship, I got into a conversation with a nurse in the clinic. It turned out that she and her husband have long dreamed of taking a child from an orphanage, but they don’t know where to start and are afraid that a difficult path lies ahead. Firstly, the path is not so difficult: you need to collect a standard set of documents and go through certain procedures. Secondly, you can not only adopt a child, but also, for example, become his guardian, and for someone, a guest mode is more suitable when the family takes the child for weekends and holidays.
Being a volunteer means broadcasting your ideas and beliefs to others, “igniting” them with your example. This is my calling — and, I am sure, not only mine.