Last Chance to Be…

I just got back from Harborne Hall for the last time. This one was a long hard stint and the benefits will take a few days to sink in. I am however, now versed in the art of facilitation, negotation, conflict management, role play, body sculpture, theatre, participatory approaches and stakeholder analysis.

Not to mention the fact we discovered the answer the ultimate question of Life, The Universe and Everything. The question, more precisely, was deemed to be, Which is Better - a Shower or a Bath? Surprisingly, the Bath won. The proof is below:

I think they use scientific models like the one above to work out solutions to more trivial matters like world peace, but I thought it was about time the tool was applied to something more appropriate.

While I am on a multimedia type tip, I should mention there is an exciting new video to watch which I managed to copy while at HH. I am going to risk getting into trouble at this point. I couldn’t find any copyright notices on it, so I ripped it and put the section about Ghana on Youtube. If I have done something wrong along the way there, sorry. Anyway, this is a short video about some of the work VSO does in the Volta Region of Ghana, obviously very exciting for me. Have a look,

Fascinating for me to see what it’s like there before I arrive. It helps for me to create more images in my head which will be nothing like it when I get there! Oh, forgot to mention, I met another Volunteer, Aleno, (hi!) who is going to be working close-by to me in Ghana. I am no longer freaked out by the thought that I will be all alone for two years!

I have a few more updates to make to the site over the next few weeks (how could you fail to notice the name change which I just remembered) so will make a post each time and then I wll be off!

In 3 Months this site has attracted 1518 hits and raised £210

That’s an average of 17 visits per day

The highest number of visitors on any day was 137

Of those 1518 visitors, 5 took the time to make a comment

That’s an average of 1 comment per 300 visits

1 in every 150 of you have donated to VSO

The average donation size is £21

2 donations have vanished one of which was for £100

3 People from the thank you list have Googled themselves

One of those has done so 3 times

The Government has given VSO £35.26 in Gift Aid thanks to you

I didn’t set out to break any barriers and clearly haven’t, but still, mildly interesting. It would be nice if more people talked on here though, as your encouragement will keep me going, so I have opened up the system. You no longer need to be a registered member to leave a comment anywhere on my site.

On that note, if you have any suggestions or if there is anything you would like to know about VSO please feel free to ask. Perhaps you would like me to publish the identity of Mr Vein?

As for my progress, I am still finding little bits of usefulness to take with me and am planning to inventory everything before I go just for the sake of it and will publish that here. I have finished my lesson observations and have one long course at Harborne left. After that it’s just a few weeks until lift-off. My next post will be when I get back from Harborne Hall around the start of November.

See you in a few weeks.

Ever Wondered Why Buying FairTrade Products is a Good Idea?

My first thought, when I was informed of the existence of VSO local groups, was that they were perhaps some kind of support group. For the stable of mind, like me, this was soon filed in the back of my mind somewhere, then forgotten. I do have to make room for new stuff from time to time after all.

Anyway, last time at Harborne I was encouraged to make contact with them, as they are a resourceful bunch, not just by one of the VSO trainers, but by a nice lady I met in the canteen.

The upshot of all this is that two nights ago, I went to a quiz night hosted by my local VSO group with my mum. We came 4th surprisingly. I say surprisingly as we got two questions right between us. (my question was - ‘What is a Googol?’ and my mum knew who was the guy behind Basil Brush). Fortunately, we formed a team with 4 other people who knew the rest of the answers.

I was amazed at the amount of people there and realised where a lot of that £9 million that VSO raise comes from. Of all those ads you see for charity ‘Barn Dances’ and ‘Quiz Nights’, many are organised by VSO. Those same events pay for people like me to go on our placements. It was quite humbling.

We also got to meet the people who run the group and for my mum it was a chance for her to get involved in (or at least make contact with) the whole VSO thing. The truth is that VSO local groups are a very resourceful bunch of people and very worthwhile contacts to have before a Volunteer goes away.

I’m still in the process of organising stuff before I go, and if you are wondering why there is a picture of a cat in the photos on the right over there, it belongs to my parents and is called Sanchez.

I have tentatively put up a new page on the site showing the timeline of a Volunteer, from application to departure. I am not sure how useful this might be to potential nutters Volunteers as it varies massively and I can’t remember some of it but hey.

My next update will probably be during/after my next course, which is a big one, covering Disability, Health and Skills for Working in Development, towards the end of October.