Prior to going on a placement CWW hold a compulsory training weekend at their Edinburgh office to prepare volunteers for the challenges that lie ahead. Here some of the highlights of the weekend.
Highlight number one had to be meeting the other volunteers. The previous night, as I sat alone in my hotel room I began to feel anxious about going off to volunteer. I already felt so far away from my family and I was only in Scotland I began to question whether I would come with being half way around the world. Talking with other volunteers and finding out that they too had the same worries reassured me that what I was going through was normal. I was further encouraged by the excitement and enthusiasm of the other volunteers.
The second notable event was finding out that according to Dr Meredith Belbin when it comes to team roles I am a shaper. For those of who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting me and getting to know me, this means I am:
Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. The drive and courage to overcome obstacles
Before you all rush to invite me to become your team leader/best friend/wife you should note that shapers have allowable faults. These being:
Prone to provocation. Offends people’s feelings.
There were a lot of other self analysis type activities and there were times I felt that I would need to factor the cost of a therapist into my fundraising however by the end of the weekend I felt positive. My anxiety had disappeared. I was clearer about my objectives. I had met some amazing volunteers – I was ready to jump on that plane and get to work.
Thank you to the entire CWW team for a fantastic weekend and thank you to my former workmates at Brabners (Preston) – your kind contribution funded the weekend in Edinburgh.