Who is sports volunteering for? Is it suitable for older people, e.g. working full-time?
Weird question? Not at all! I do not count how many times I was asked how I combine my volunteering with a demanding full-time job.
Recently also, few people thought I’m still student only because I do this volunteering.
It was quite nice, but unfortunately I have to mention that I finished my studies a dozen or so years ago. And my first sports volunteering program was … for my thirtieth birthday.
No, volunteering in sports is not only for younger people. Sports volunteering is for people who have a knack for it and want to do it.
Still in doubt? Then read these points!
1) Stop worrying about the fact that you will be the only person of non-student age.
Firstly, there is a specific atmosphere (in a good meaning), a common theme and purpose during volunteering. You can really talk to almost everyone, even if you are totally different age.
And secondly … no, you won’t be. There will be some ‘older’ people at every event.
Especially if it is a sporting event in other countries, especially in Western Europe countries. In many of them, volunteering is an activity for everyone. I think that this approach is worth importing to other countries like Poland😊
2) Your age and work experience are your advantage!
Even if you have no experience in sports events, you still have extensive professional experience that you can easily transfer into volunteering activities.
Working in a group, working with a client, managing a team, quick reactions are just some of them. Regardless of what exactly you do in your professional work, it is worth mentioning it during the interview for volunteering and treat it as a great basis for activities.
3) How to find time if you spend the whole week at work?
Start with short events, one day or weekend.
Also remember that you can often agree with the organizers and start your shift at certain hours after work.
On the other hand, however, take into consideration that availability is an important factor during volunteers recruitment. It can also be decisive when proposing exact positions.
Availability longer than the weekend is essential for some major events.
And here you have to decide what you care about more and whether you want to spend a few days off a year for volunteering. Taking time off to ‘work’ may be controversial for some people.
It works well for me! Of course, this way I use only part of the 26 days, because I really need a normal holidays (I love to travel;)). It also depends on the year or type of event. The standard is 5-6 days for me, up to 10. This year it was 7 vacation days (3 days at LE in Gdańsk and 4 for two stages of European Championship in volleyball – in Gdańsk and Katowice). Although I planned more, but other events did not come off due to the pandemic situation and restrictions, in this article you can read what exactly was going on.
What kind of holidays is this, you may think? It is primarily a mental rest, being cut off from everyday tasks and work, and an adventure. A different type of battery charge.
Therefore, I recommend checking it on yourself, and maybe it will work?
