Volunteer’s Night Out
I volunteer on Saturday mornings at a community computer centre in Redfern, Sydney. The group is called Redfern Kids Connect and kids from the area drop in to play on the computers and interact with each other and with volunteers between 9am - 1pm. Many of the kids come from indigenous backgrounds and go to school or live nearby. The Redfern/Waterloo area has been troubled over the years with social issues like drugs and crime, racial tensions, unemployment and other problems.
Each week at RKC there are about 5-8 volunteers who help the kids out with computer skills and supervise activities like playing games, making videos, taking digital photos and recording music.
Saturday mornings are hectic to say the least. There’s usually music blaring from multiple speakers, a bucketful of boisterous behaviour and sometimes conflict and confrontation. With all of that, there’s not much time to spend getting to know other volunteers. Last night some of the volunteers met up at a great Indian restaurant, Maya Masala Sweet & Chaat House in inner city Surry Hills. Excellent Thali (banquet plate) for $12 with about 6 curries, chappati, pappadum, rice and raita and a range of other delicacies.
It was great to catch up with the other volunteers and debrief about recent sessions, activities and issues. For a project like this which is very intense, has an element of volatility and is emotionally demanding, it’s really important to meet regularly to get things in perspective, hear others’ points of view and lighten things up. It can really help to keep motivated and focussed. I guess this principle applies to most areas of life. Work and no play…we all know what that means.
I think it’s commendable that you help out at the Redfern centre. (I don’t particularly liek the word’commendable’ by the way - it seems to be slightly patronising - but what I’m trying to say is that I admire you. I remember you telling me a bit about your work there when you visited me in January.