During orientation, all of our volunteers learn about the rich history of Little Brothers and it’s founding in Paris after WWII. Since then, chapters have formed across Europe and North America, each with similar core programs, but very different supplementary ones. This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Audrey’s House (Chicago’s vacation home for elders) and working with Little Brothers staff from Montreal, Minneapolis, Houghton, Cincinnati, and Chicago.
The workshop content was based around our volunteer programs: what our volunteers do, who they are, how we recognize their service, and how can we improve. The energy and passion with which people spoke of their respective chapters was motivating. Especially for those of us in smaller offices, it was a real pleasure meeting our colleagues and sharing ideas.
One of the more interesting segments was with a group from the University of Chicago’s Psychology Department. Two women presented on volunteer leadership and how to engage volunteers in higher level activities within the organization. Based on our discussion a consulting team will create a tool for Little Brothers’ chapters to integrate skilled volunteerism into their programs. With this groundwork, the team over here in Boston is looking forward to being able to offer more volunteer positions in new capacities soon.
Keep an eye on the website and our e-newsletter for more information. If you are interested in being a part of this process, please give us a call at 617-524-8882 or email volunteer.bos@littlebrothers.org
For more information on skilled volunteerism, check out HandsOn Network’s article here http://www.handsonnetwork.org/nationalprograms/skillsbasedvolunteering