VCTT VOLUNTEERING 101

THE VCTT BLOG, WHO ARE WE?

by Brendon O'Brien

In December of 2007, Chairperson of the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women in Trinidad & Tobago, Hazel Brown, made a call for a national volunteer center to regularize the volunteer sector here (yes, it's a sector), both for those who need the help and those who want to help. And in February of 2011, a group of eager young people, volunteers themselves, answered the call by deciding to make that center themselves. Which brings you here, to the blog of the Volunteer Center of Trinidad & Tobago.

So, just in case you're wondering who we (VCTT) are: we're a group of socially conscious young adults that think that we can change our nation, and maybe even the world, one cause and one volunteer (that actually refers to you) at a time. We come from all different backgrounds and sectors of the society, and all care about a large group of causes, but we all have one thing in common – we think that concerned and compassionate people can use their talents to make their world better. So we're giving anyone else who believes that a chance to be a part of it!

It's pretty easy actually. We'll provide you with the information of all the people who want your help and can use your talents, and you get to choose where you want to lend your hand.

But we also think that you deserve to know a little more about what volunteerism is, in theory and practice. This blog,Volunteerism 101 is sort of the theory component, which means that if you stay tuned you'll get to hear a little more about what it means to be a volunteer, and what are some of the great things that people are doing to help others in Trinidad & Tobago, and everywhere in the world. You'll learn a little more about how volunteerism helps fix the bigger picture about your society, and how people have benefited from the time they gave freely, and you'll even hear some of the testimonies of other volunteers here in Trinidad & Tobago.

We here at the Volunteer Center want you to learn the benefits of helping others, and be a part of the culture of compassion that we want to build in Trinidad & Tobago, and figure out for yourself what part you want to play in it all. So this is an invitation to you to stick around and learn what it's all about, on Volunteerism 101.