When are we meating?

I will start by saying that I’m a vegetarian. Now before you run from the hills this is not an attempt to “convert” any of you, this is just a rant about why I do what I do because I am a veggie who eats meat. I know “vegetarians” who eat fish and others happy to plough through a packet of Haribo so it shouldn’t be too much of a shock (yes Haribo, it turns out the reason kids and grown ups love it so is the dead pig in their Starmix!). At this point I want to make it clear that while I might tease my friends about it, I don’t think it is right to judge anyone on the degree of their vegetarianism. Whatever someone has decided they have made an active decision and it is easier to say veggie than ovo/lacto/pisco/haribo-vegetarian (or any other name on the scale from carnivore to vegan).

When pregnant with me my mother went off meat and by the time she had my brother four years later had gone veggie. No ethical consideration for the little critters, she just didn’t like the taste or texture. At the age of 7 I decided that I would be vegetarian too. A bold move in the late eighties, before middle-class people made it fashionable! It was only when friends asked “Mummy, can David come for tea?” that I realised how odd this seemed to others. Confusion and panic followed from mums who had to feed me. Having had the faithful chicken nuggets/fish fingers/burger options cruelly swiped away parents would ask “so what does he eat” to which the truthful answer was anything else… and lots of it.

Like my dreams of being a footballer this was a phase which passed and, much to the delight of my friends’ parents, I started eating meat again about a year later. Time passed and my love of food saw some meaty highlights (a phrase I never thought I’d write!). I enjoyed steak tartare in a Parisian café, ate home-made rabbit and thyme burgers in the summer and of course there’s the foot-long Italian BMT. For the uninitiated this is a thing of beauty; an exquisite ménage of three meats which provides an unforgettable, mind-altering taste explosion of continental meat delight (all with your personal choice of salad, sauce and bread!). During this time I also learned the fundamental art of butchery and had a less enjoyable time mastering fishmongery.

With all this behind me (and my dedication to a particular Subway roll) it might seem odd that a few years ago I started to question what I ate and where it came from. On little more than a whim I decided to not eat red meat. A half-baked notion of coronary and colonic health carelessly sprinkled with ethics seemed to hold together an idea that essentially had no impact at all; well not unless you count my health! At a time when I was training pretty hard, eating lots and sleeping well I was inexplicably lethargic and sluggish. It was at this point that I looked at my eyes in the mirror and it didn’t take much to see I was anaemic, so I made myself a big bowl of beef chilli and felt much better. This was also when I finally had enough of chicken breasts. Tasteless and watery, taking whatever flavour you give them but providing little but protein they are a selfish foodstuff. They took the focus of my anger because they were tasteless for the very reason they were unethical, because factory farming had forced the animal to grow too big too quickly.  

If I was to make a meaningful change it had to be considered properly this time. So what did it look like and how did I get there? Firstly I decided that I didn’t want to cut out meat completely. My scientific brain was telling me that as a species we have the teeth and digestive system for it and we’re part of nature’s food chain (whilst the rest of my brain was imagining a veggie lion explaining to the rest of the pride why it had declined their kind offer of wildebeest). We are hunter-gatherers but hunting has been made a whole lot easier since supermarkets came along and we replaced spears with debit cards. Our old ways of killing, gorging then living off nuts and berries until the next kill have been replaced by a ham roll for lunch and chicken for dinner. I was formulating a plan; I would eat meat, but once every 6-8 weeks. Many of you are aware of my usual SUPER SCIENTIFIC APPROACH but to be honest this just sounded about right for me so it stuck. I knew that supermarket meat was out of the question so I would source locally and ethically asking honest questions of the people who produced it. I became an Ethical Omnivore™!  

Having proven that I could manage my diet and stick to the veggie lifestyle for 3 months I went to my local farmers market (I know, I know, but I had to start somewhere) and began asking questions about some lovely looking sausages. After I’d found out where they’d come from, how the animals were kept and what they were fed I then asked (not wanting him to think I was taking myself too seriously) “were they happy pigs?”. The answer had me sold; he said without hesitation “they were happy on Tuesday” so I bought them and they tasted great.

From that day I haven’t looked back. Keeping to the rules I set, I have expanded my list of suppliers as word-of-mouth takes me to another local provider of ‘happy meat’. 

Blogging On

With six months of blogging under my belt both here and on my ivo blog I feel that I am an expert and can tell you all how to do it!

Well not exactly…

But I strongly feel that more Volunteer Managers should be blogging and reacting to blogs by sharing and commenting (not just within the VM community) so I would like to use this Thoughtful Thursday’s chat (#ttvolmgrs on Twitter) to share our experiences and introduce more VMs to the blogosphere to illustrate how helpful it can be. I hope we can demonstrate how this democratised medium is not daunting, not the domain of wordy academics or geeky nerds and is a form that should be more widely used in the VM community. It is a call to arms for those already blogging to share their experiences and for those on the edge to get a step-up and the confidence to try it.

Each week one blog posted on a Wednesday evening sparks a day of international discussion on topics particularly aimed at VMs so the power of blogging should be clear to anyone reading this. Blogging is a wonderful tool for us to discuss current issues, gain almost instant feedback and forms part of our professional development online. Even before you publish a blog it can be a great way to focus your thoughts, to thoroughly examine a topic and find out what you really think about the subject. Once it is posted people can then respond and it may take you in directions you had never imagined (or cause you to question things you were once certain of!). You might even find that your words echo what is being thought by many and act as a springboard for change.

We all know that VMs are lovely folk and I have personal experience to back me that if you do take the plunge and start blogging there a plenty of kind people who will share and give feedback if you ask nicely! Here are some of the things for people to think about when blogging:      

You don’t have to be Dickens!

Let’s get this out the way first. People worry that they are not good enough to write for others, they dropped English at school because their spelling was rubbish and they didn’t know what a split infinitive is. Here’s my dirty little secret; SPELLCHECK (and while we’re at it I have a friend who got a Distinction for their Masters in English who still doesn’t know where to put commas!). This format is wonderfully informal and lends itself to a style that isn’t starched with grammatical convention and is driven by the desire to share information.

Good readers make good writers!

This was a great piece of advice given to me a long time ago and it counts double for VM blogging. Firstly read other blogs to get inspiration and an idea of how they work as well as providing valuable information relevant to your profession. Secondly blogging works well in communities and actively engaging (reading and commenting) will embed you in the VM community and give you a new voice. 

Know your audience!

Understand what your readers are interested in and what the hot topics are. Take stock of the writing already out there and avoid duplication of existing discussion unless you have something new to say. Stay up-to-date through ivo and Twitter links to online articles (there have been plenty that have prompted spirited responses recently surrounding Gamesmakers at the Olympics).  

Write about what you know!

Pick a subject or event that interests you but be sure to take a step back occasionally. This will ensure that you are putting yourself into it and conveying the human side of any given subject in balance, we work in a field that is emotive and it needs to be recognised as such in this forum. It also allows you to find your voice and show some humour which will draw a reader to your subject through your individual style. Personally I’m a fan of putting thoughts and asides in brackets (along with exclamation marks it’s kind of my thing!). 

Hook them in!

 We have all seen a witty or intriguing headline we couldn’t ignore and this counts for blogs too. Is it any wonder that ‘The Best Advice you Never Had’ garnered 5 likes and 5 comments on ivo in a day whereas ‘EYV11 Opening Doors to Volunteering showcase initiatives’ didn’t. Once they have clicked, keep them with a brief opening that tells them what it will be about and offers something engaging or challenging to stimulate their interest.

Be controversial!

Don’t be afraid to rock the boat, sometimes by playing devil’s advocate you can shake people out of apathy. Honest and open debate is healthy and allows us all to gain fuller understanding of issues, but make it respectful and productive. Expect others to respond though and don’t be put off if someone disagrees or challenges back. If you want to see a master at work check out UC on ivo

Find a buddy!

Get someone you trust to look over it. Nothing I write goes to print without a fresh pair of eyes making sure there are no glaring errors. I find it useful if that person is a little removed from the subject matter too as you can never assume they know something.

Shameless tricks

A quick list of sneaky tactics to get you in the game:

Mention names and link to other key blogs/sites as they will then be eager to read your blog and maybe even signpost it for others.

Release it when people have time to read it. If you tell me about your blog on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon I am far less likely to have the time to engage with it.

Promote it through a number of forums and maximise your readership. Link it in from ivo, Facebook and Twitter for people to see and share with colleagues and friends who may have an interest.

Remember that on many sites like ivo the more likes and comments a post gets the more prominently it is featured. Share it as part of a network so others will keep the momentum.

For me there are two main questions today:

What can VMs learn from blogging?

What are your hints and tips to successful blogging?

But you might also like to share:

Where do you blog?

Who should VMs follow?

How do you come up with ideas?

What are you afraid of?

What do you want to write about?

A Cut Below?

So here we have another of “my” blogs, not a hint of volunteer management anywhere- you have been warned!  

This blog originated from a conversation had after work over a drink (where the best stories start). Goodness only knows how we got around to it but talk turned to male grooming. Now this isn’t the stubble debate, nor Beckham’s latest hairstyle or what metrosexuality actually means but a conversation about what I shall call “male intimate grooming”. I would by no means consider myself naïve but I hadn’t a clue just how common it seems to be! The only other man at the table said, quite frankly, that he “trimmed regularly” as if it was as normal as brushing one’s teeth in the morning. In response to this one of the women piped up that her partner does too and another said rather emphatically that she “insists her partner do it”. So how commonplace was this practice and where had it come from? I knew someone who regularly extolled the virtues of a shorn scrotum (not the words he used) but I thought by the reaction it received it was generally accepted this was not the norm. Had something completely passed me by? 

After some of my usual methodologically sound SUPER-SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION I have established that nether-topiary for men seems to have one distinct rule (an opinion generally shared by men and women); neat is good but shaved is weird and a bit porn-y! On top of this I know that for many men the daily ritual of shaving our faces is a little too much (and razor blades are bloody expensive) so it is unlikely we will make even more work for ourselves any time soon. But most of what I was hearing was leaning towards a view that this was commonplace and natural. I was on shaky ground here because I usually feel uneasy about pubic hair debates. They are generally aimed at women and almost always negative, but this was easy and conversations were relaxed. In this case we blokes seem to once again avoid such scrutiny and get the easy life, which might be why I haven’t felt the power of the advertising media compelling me to coiffure my bush! I didn’t feel pressure but instead there was intrigue and the rather amusing “I don’t want a bush tucker trial if I’m with a guy and I go down there” attitude from one woman that did make me wonder how important people thought it was. Other people’s opinions out of the way, why should I find it odd that men choose to do this? I go to a hairdresser for a haircut, clip my nails, shave and what facial hair I retain is styled, but some 17 or so years since my body decided to start sprouting fuzz I have generally let it be.

Stood over the bath, mirror strategically placed and trimmer in hand I felt at a point of no return, driven not by media or peer pressure but by genuine curiosity and the knowledge that if something went wrong at least it would grow back. Not really knowing where to start I went for it and everything seemed to be going ok. I was then reminded that symmetry is not easily achieved when back to front and the wrong way up. Numerous rounds of “evening up” followed (complete with a moment of panic when the trimmer ran out of charge). This being said I was pleased with the result, as a debutant at any activity might be with a job well done, and there was certainly no going back.

So how does this story end (or what was the bloody point of me sharing this with the world)? Well I think I can say I’m now a convert! A mown man-muff seems to be the way forward for me. It is easier to maintain, quicker to dry, aesthetically more appealing and (dare I say it) the wonders of perspective and framing have had a positive side-effect visually! I have been able to assess my options, make a decision free from pressure or judgement and when it comes down to it I’m the one who has to live with my body. If anything, this silly experiment has provided a stark reminder of the contrasting attitudes and pressures faced by women when it comes to body hair. I hope that in reading my “emotional journey” it might prompt some other chaps to give it a try, but more importantly to recognise that we live in a culture which denies women freedom from scrutiny and judgement in what should be personal choices. 

The Volunteer Manager/Music Correlation

Something has become increasingly clear to me over recent months as relationships have grown with other members of my profession (for it is a profession!). One thing that seemingly unites us all is a love of music; making it, listening to it or simply getting all excited and raving about it. So I decided to explore this a little deeper to discover the ABSOLUTELY VALID SCIENCE that backs up this correlation.

I think the nature of the music discussed (most recently a Tom Waits/Nick Cave “OMG how brilliant are they” discussion over Twitter) goes to show that VMs are discerning, selective and not willing to go with the mainstream or most popular for the sake of it. Not always swimming against the tide but with an eye to pick out musical gems, even in the rough, to give them a chance to shine and so often they’re rewarded.

VMs are very aware of genre and history. Music from the past nestles snugly alongside contemporary music and more often than not VMs are the ones championing new and experimental music.

Genres that recur and the science bit:

Rock- Loud and in your face, not afraid to shake things up. Covering many sub-genres and styles.

Post-punk- More complex and experimental than its forbear but with the same spirit of rebellion.

Jazz- At times smooth and calming, at others inventive, edgy and challenging.

Indie: True indie, shunning convention to back their own style and inspiring others.

The VM jukebox is big and it’s loud, it covers all genres and tastes and there is something for everyone. It makes people get up to dance and sing, but not everyone knows about the party. Unfortunately there are those happy to listen to the same old records on repeat. These people need DJs to educate them, to champion different styles and give the VMs something to listen to when Bieber is the only thing punctuating Fearne Cotton’s ramblings [OK if you still think this blog is all about music that was a thinly veiled reference to the potential VE/NCVO merger (Fearne Cotton was playing the part of Fearne Cotton though, that was just a pop-culture reference for the kids)].   

Unfortunately there is one dirty secret in the VM CD rack, one which should be consigned to BBC4 archive footage and obscure questions on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. For me as a Reading boy it is an old Slowdive album from a short-lived Shoegaze phase which was soon overrun by indie and grunge (with good reason). Described at the time as ‘The Scene that Celebrates itself’ this is a style that many VMs cling on to, listening on their own or in small groups.

So my plea to anyone who still has some in their collection, drop it off at a charity shop and leave the shoegazing to someone else, you just keep on rocking!           

Jubilant this Jubilee?

It is rather difficult to sit on the edge of a second extra bank holiday in as many years in the realisation that the cause of these long weekends is once again our royal family. Feelings of guilt wash over me and I get rather uneasy about the whole thing. I attended a grammar school and on Sundays I went to a CofE church where I sang in the choir. I enjoy Shakespeare, crosswords, real ale, tea and cake, cricket and nothing gets me going like a good old fashioned queue (in which I can discuss at length what the weather might be like at the weekend). All of these things should make me a prime candidate for a rousing rendition of Jerusalem this weekend and a toast to her madge but I’m as likely to sign up for the festivities as I am to put on cassock and surplus again or sign up for the old boys’ association.

For some time I have walked a fine line balancing my own sense of patriotism with the misappropriated Britishness/Englishness associated with intolerance and the hooliganism of the EDL et al. A few years ago on Bastille Day I stood not far from the Champs-Elysees among natives and tourists alike to see a great deal of military hardware, air force flypast and M. Sarkozy waving at me from the back of an army jeep. Bunting waved in the breeze, crowds cheered and music filled the air as Paris thronged with excitement and national pride. As I waved back (mentally ticking off yet another thing from my Francophile checklist) it struck me that I would never contemplate anything similar in the UK. I mused that this was because the service personnel, vehicles and weaponry would not be rolling uninvited into an Afghan village any time soon… then felt rather smug about how witty and satirical I was.

Enough bragging about my Wildean humour and long weekends in Paris hanging with Nic and back to the monarchy/patriotism rant. Arguments for the monarchy pull on tourism and/or international profile and feature some interesting rhetoric that boils down to ‘she’s the queen, it’s what she does’. It is a well worn road in this argument to play tourist income against cost to the taxpayer but in an age of austerity and cutbacks could nearly £40m per year not be better spent? Also the fact that parts of the royal attractions are unavailable through the year must damage their earning potential, imagine how much more we could make if QE2 and her groupies were never in residence! As for international profile I would suggest that there are few less recognisable faces than Barrack Obama and he doesn’t feel the need to swan about in a horse-drawn carriage dressed like he’s in panto. A little distracted now but thinking of tourism and internationally recognisable figures I’d like to see how much a certain squeaky voiced mouse bring to the US tourist economy (I’m avoiding the comparisons of ridiculous pageantry, parades, heteronormacy, failure to represent diversity, gender disparity… you get the point... and that was me avoiding them!).

What I don’t want is for people to call me unpatriotic. I am British and very happy to celebrate what I believe it is to be British. We are the result of years of settlement, invasion and empire which has given us a rich legacy of culture, language and history that is inherently multi-cultural. So the purpose of my diatribe becomes clear; we can wipe the slate clean, abolish the monarchy and in such a clear stroke reclaim patriotism from those who would co-opt it for intolerance, Islamophobia and violent racism. An antiquated institution is not what we need to take us into our bright future. So this weekend I will raise a pint of German lager, not to the Teutonic ancestors of our head of state but to dreams of revolution and to celebrate the Britain I know we can all enjoy. 

Cue Land of Hope and Glory The Sex Pistols…                  

Casting the Net

As volunteer managers it is easy to feel isolated within our organisations. Personally I’m not just the only employee within the library service whose sole responsibility is volunteering but the only person in the whole of the council structure with such a role. When I took this position just over a year ago I needed professional guidance and support, this simply wasn’t available to me locally so I started to look further afield. I needed to improve my knowledge and skills to overhaul and unify policy and procedure for the library service. I decided that the best way might be to see what resources were available online.

After some pretty broad Google searches I found myself stumbling around strange new worlds. Some seemed a little dry and didn’t inspire me at all but others opened up a new world and eventually led to online communities (but more of that later!). Volunteering England in particular kept me well informed and provided the guidance I was looking for when I needed advice on policy and demystifying areas that had been mired in scare stories and supposition.

Much later I joined UKVPMs which is also a very useful way of getting personal responses and anecdotal advice from a broad range of people within the sector. I’m glad I did it this way because UKVPMs could have been a little daunting had I not already had chance to develop some of my own opinions. This is due to a side-effect of a format in which simple questions posted can elicit a variety of answers and even spark quite intense debate which can overrun the initial post. This being said it is a tremendous professional resource and once confident enough the lively (but respectful) differences of opinion are a crucible, in which the profession can develop and evolve.

During my initial searches I also came across iVolunteer (now ivo) which seemed familiar with its profiles and wall posts like the social networks I belonged to. I was also pushed towards forming a group of library volunteer co-ordinators which attracted plenty of people but as a group it didn’t really know what it wanted to achieve. Keen to maintain an online presence I also posted opportunities and a little note which I later realised had little value because however well crafted it was no-one was following me! To top it all off I also realised that there were no prospective volunteers in my region. I must take this opportunity to apologise to the volunteer managers of Brighton and Hove who seemed to be awash with volunteers on the site and may have unknowingly been the subject of a frustrated rant. There was one saving grace for me at the time which was the steady stream of posts and comments that appeared on a range of topics, some relevant to me but all interesting and informative. Throughout this time some names kept cropping up and I started following people and in turn they followed me. Having plenty of experience of different types of writing I thought I’d try my hand at blogging when iVolunteer launched its competition. This proved to be a gateway into a community that welcomed me with open arms and encouraged me to get more involved. ivo also led me to take part in several webinars run by Warrington VC as part of EYV11 as national (and international) training forums. I’m very excited to see that these are continuing!

Whilst this was going on I had taken the step to set up work Twitter and Facebook accounts (with all the conflicting experience of online forums and posts to learn from) and I was able to experiment with ways in which these media could work for me. I soon realised that Facebook was only for sharing embarrassing photos of me with old university friends and remembering birthdays so that soon fell by the wayside. Twitter by contrast was a new world of international contacts and a network of professionals sharing opinions as well as links to online content, and thanks to ivo I had a small pod of recognisable faces to add already. With the rise of mobile internet it is accessible and instant as well as giving you a real sense of community. Twitter has also provided a platform for Thoughtful Thursdays (#ttvolmgrs) which sets a theme each week, normally by a guest blogger, and then invites people to join in through the day to share ideas and experience within the 140 character limit! These have proven to be a great catalyst for debate and sharing and often spark more debate for following weeks (I must confess that even when I’m on leave I still get thoughtful on Thursdays!!!).

I think it is useful to point out here that I have work and “personal” Twitter accounts for very different purposes, but they are both for work. I have an account (@WBCLibVols) which allows me to advertise volunteer positions and events locally and for maintaining a community presence in my region. For professional development, Thoughtful Thursdays etc I use my “personal” account (@BigDSmall) which allows me to show more of my personality and interests as well as connecting with other VMs beyond the organisations we work for. By which I also mean trading baking pics, commiserating Man U supporters (sorry Sue) and my ABBA dancing conundrum!   

I would now consider myself an active member of networks on ivo and Twitter, I blog (when I can, should do more) on ivo as BigDSmall and at www.blogspot/smallmindedthinking. It has even provided the springboard for relationships that have moved beyond the virtual to support my development and allowed me to help others by making my skills available to them.

I hope, if anything, my experience can help Volunteer Managers realise that there is a flotilla of online resources which you can tailor to your needs and individual situation. Nothing needs to be too daunting and whether you want to observe and reflect or dive in head-first there is plenty for everyone out there.  

Ron (or "How volunteers make a difference")

As a Volunteer Co-ordinator it is very easy to get bogged down in facts and figures, recruitment strategies and thinking about new opportunities to engage with volunteers. Recently, while out visiting a new IT support volunteer, I was reminded of exactly what volunteers mean to our service. As the volunteer brought the session to a close I approached and jokingly asked the elderly gentleman he had been helping patiently “So… how was he”? His response was perfect and accompanied by a beaming smile: “He’s a cracker! I’ve learnt more in the last hour than I ever knew before”. His reply formed part of a volunteering story that cannot fit into a spreadsheet or work plan.

Ron, the man who had given such a great response, wanted to learn more about computers because he, like many other people of his age, felt lonely and was at risk of being alienated by an increasingly digital world. When he saw IT sessions advertised in the library he thought it would be a way to connect with family and friends and maybe an opportunity to meet new people too. By attending just one IT session at his local library he learnt how to send and receive emails and gained the confidence to do so independently (he also decided that even though everyone else seemed to be doing it Facebook probably wasn’t for him!). More importantly, Ron was able to enjoy 100% of someone’s attention for an uninterrupted hour and I could see how much this meant to him. He was full of enthusiasm and keen to practice what he had been shown with his ‘homework’ before coming back for his next session.

This is one story in one library in a pattern that I’m sure is replicated everywhere there is a volunteer in place. I know that across our region people are finding a new hobby researching their family history, parents and children are bonding and making new friends at Rhymetime or Storytime, people confined to their homes are welcoming a visitor bringing them library stock and in the summer children will share an enthusiasm for books which will hopefully last a lifetime. All of this can happen because of volunteering! It was brilliant to witness the effect first-hand and a reminder of how volunteers compliment the great service libraries provide and the community spirit they embody.