Find Your Ideal Way to Help in the Community

By: Lynne Conner - Updated: 10 Dec 2013 | *Discuss

 

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Thinking of helping in your community? Take some time now to find your ideal fit with a project you can enjoy. Use our questions to create a personal inventory of your skills, interests and preferences. Not only will the results help you focus on your ideal areas for helping they can also form the basis of a CV and help you to identify new skills and qualifications you would like to acquire.

Part One

1 List all your skills

These can include professional skills such as accounting or marketing as well as practical skills such as familiarity with Microsoft Office or cooking. Think laterally and take time to see how many skills you can list.

2 Place your skills in order

Order your skills with those you enjoy using best at the top and those you enjoy at the bottom. Take plenty of time for this. You might find it helpful to discuss your answers to this and other questions with someone who knows you well.

3 Other skills

Are there any skills you don’t have which you would like to have? Add these to your list with a question mark placing them in the order that you would most enjoy having them.

Part Two

4 List your personal interests

Make a list of your personal interests – some of these may overlap with the answers to question 1. These could include playing sport, listening to people, acting, applying make up, relaxation or the arts.

5 Order your interests

Now do the same as in 2, putting your interests in order of enjoyment.

6 Other interests

Are there any interests you don’t have now which you would like to develop? Add these to your list with a question mark placing them in the order that you would most enjoy having them.

Part Three

7 Combine your lists

Now combine your two lists and put them into an overall order of enjoyment.

Part Four

8 Spare time

How much time can you spare each week?

9 Which aspect are you interested in?

Rate in order your interest in these aspects of the community from:

• Animals
• Business, fundraising & social enterprise
• Children & Youth
• Education
• Elderly & disabled people
• Environment
• Health & wellbeing
• Security, law & order
• Setting up a community group

Answers

Part One

Your answers to Part One create a personal inventory of the skills you have to offer in your community. You might be surprised by the length of the list, especially when you include everyday activities such as reading, sorting out bills, cleaning or driving as well as ‘soft’ skills such as leadership, managing projects or motivating young people.

Question 3 also helps you to identify any new skills which you may like to gain from helping such as a qualification in football coaching or the ability to identify plants.

Part One helps you to identify the skills you would most like to use in helping your community.

Part Two

Your answers to Part Two define your personal interests. You have listed your passions, things where you may be able to share your enthusiasm with others. Again, the list may be quite long and varied but by placing it in order you have taken the time to work out which are the interests which matter most to you.

Whether it is gardening, chatting to people, taking action or spending time with young people the chances are that this is the kind of field where you re ideally suited to getting involved with local projects. Part Two helps you to identify the types of area you would most like to work in when helping your community.

Part Three

If you don’t already have a CV these answers, can help you to create one to highlight the unique combination of skills which you have to offer to any potential project. This list provides your personal toolkit by highlighting your unique skills, interests and preferences. Take some time to think about the results and what they can tell you about your ideal project and ways of working.

Part Four

Question 8 simply acts as a check for you to bear in mind when you are considering the opportunities open to you. Your answers to Question 9 help you to refine your preferences and signpost you to the types of project area which are most likely to suit you.

You will find each of the topics listed covered within the Community Helpers website. You may like to explore articles in the areas you have placed first and second as these are the most likely to appeal to you. Keep in mind your personal favourite skills and interests and you should be able to find your ideal way to help in your local community.

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