Meet three sprightly Southern Colorado septuagenarians who won’t stop.

After a long teaching career, Rhoda Cordry still has a spring in her step

Rhoda Cordry, now 78, retired from a satisfying career as a public elementary school teacher in the mid-1980s with no particular plans to take on another big job. But after a friend asked her to attend a community meeting about restoring the town’s unique cold mineral springs she found herself intrigued by a new endeavor.

Cheyenne Spring, one of Manitou, CO’s prized cold mineral springs. Photo courtesy of the Mineral Springs Foundation.

“Manitou is right in the mountains; we can’t grow physically as a town,” explains Rhoda. “And there’s no industry, so we have to do something to keep the economy up as a tourist attraction. The springs are the thing, but they’re hard on the pipes and fountains people put them through—they clog, corrode, eat through them. They need maintenance.”

In 1987, Rhoda and a handful of other concerned locals started the Mineral Springs Foundation to restore, protect, publicize, and document Manitou’s springs. So far, they’ve succeeded in working with private landowners and the city to restore eight of the area’s approximately two dozen springs, and are working toward more. Rhoda left the foundation in 1995 due to health problems, but stays involved.

“I spent all my working years teaching elementary school, so that was child- and parent-focused,” she says. “But this was a whole new world. I learned a whole new set of skills, met wonderful people, and benefited greatly from it. I loved teaching, but I loved this, too. People asked what I wanted to do in retirement, and I said ‘I don’t know!’ So I’m glad this happened.”

Eagle Scout badge, black tie, and choir robe: some of Arthur Benson’s many uniforms 

“Being an Eagle Scout is probably worth $50,000 over a lifetime in terms of preference for schools and jobs,” says Arthur Benson, a 71-year-old retired plastics industry manager who now spends between 40 and 50 hours a month volunteering for five organizations in Colorado Springs. One of his favorite roles is as a leader and committee chairman of a local Boy Scout troop.

Arthur Benson presents the Theodore Roosevelt Medal of the Navy League of the United States to a junior ROTC cadet. Photo courtesy of Arthur Benson.

“When I was in my 30s, I mentioned being a Scout leader in a job interview and the first question was, ‘Were you an Eagle Scout?’ and I was able to say yes. And I’ve read many college admissions deans say that all things being equal, they’ll choose the Scout,” he says. “It’s because scouting drills integrity into boys—teaches them about trustworthiness and loyalty, and how to live those traits out. It’s the right age to teach them, too, because then at 16 or 17, two kinds of fumes draw them away from scouting: gas fumes and perfume!”

Arthur is also a retired Navy officer with 23 years of service. He’s now active with the Navy League, an international, 50,000-member civilian organization that educates the public and Congress about the value and needs of the country’s sea services—”a mission especially important in a landlocked state,” says Arthur.

As treasurer of the local board and Navy Ball committee, Arthur helps to raise about $20,000 a year to support the League at the annual black-tie-or-uniform Navy Birthday Ball they sponsor for hundreds of active military and the public in Colorado Springs.

In addition, Arthur sings in two choirs and volunteers as treasurer for the small foundation that owns the real estate assets of his church, as well as for a charter school building corporation. “Those commitments don’t take a lot of time now, but I have a feeling they’ll snowball!” he says.

Bob Baker takes on many roles as the roll winds down

“Serving at the soup kitchen is really neat; it’s humbling,” says Bob Baker, 70, of the monthly volunteering he does with his wife in Colorado Springs. “Serving at that level is really valuable.”

Bob Baker of Colorado Springs. Photo courtesy of Bob Baker.

But Bob has served at many levels for a long time, including in his professional life as CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern Colorado for 17 years. Prior to that, when he was president of a local bank, he also dedicated time to the United Way, first as a campaign solicitor and eventually as chairman of the board of their local chapter.

“The United Way was a very vibrant organization at that time,” Bob says. “They had a ‘give once’ philosophy—you’d give once, to them, and they’d distribute your donation to worthy organizations in the community. It was very effective.”

Since retirement, among a host of other volunteer pursuits, Bob has joined the board of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, a Catholic organization that provides health care and other services to those in need.

“The connections I’ve made—as a nonprofit CEO, board member, and volunteer—they’ve been very important,” he says. “I’ve maintained a lot of them. But life is that roll of toilet paper, right? And now, it’s winding down, so I want to make good use of the time I have left. There’s great fulfillment in all types of community involvement. We’ve been fortunate, and giving back is important to us.”

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In Colorado and want to volunteer? Search hundreds of opportunities on Idealist. Or check out Metro Volunteers, a Denver-based organization that promotes volunteerism in the community.

Learn more about Colorado month at Idealist!

Ron Bell is one of 10 U.S. Navy submarine veterans who volunteer to lead weekly visitor tours on the USS Blueback, a sub docked outside the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Oregon. Retired from a career in scrap metal construction, Bell spoke with me about why he loves volunteering.

This post originally appeared on Next Avenue, a PBS website that informs and inspires the 50 + crowd. 

Ron Bell below deck in the USS Blueback

I had been following the USS Blueback submarine since it was retired in 1990, because that’s what we submarine vets do. I was in the Navy for four years during two wars, and worked on a few submarines similar to this one, doing everything from maintenance to communications. When I heard the Blueback was coming to Portland, I had to see it and I had to be a part of it.

So in 1995, soon after it docked, I got involved in volunteering there. From giving tours of the sub to performing maintenance — whatever needs to be done, I do it.

I’m also here because submarines are the most beautiful pieces of machinery. Once you get bit by these things, you want to know all there is about them. You can’t quit.

Checking up on the sub

The Navy still owns the Blueback, but they’ve made it non-operational. For good reason, maybe. To be honest, I don’t think they trust us old sub vets not to take it for a spin. Every year or so, they visit to make sure it’s still up to par. Which, of course, it always is, since they’ve got us on deck.

I enjoy everything about what I do down here. I love telling our tours how we lived on a sub back then and sharing old stories. People like hearing them and I like telling ‘em, so it works out nicely.

In the Navy, I was in Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines — during the Vietnam War — and then the coast of Europe, especially Russia, during the Cold War when I was in a nuclear sub. We got hit by Communist missiles a couple times.

You have to go through sub school, which is a rigorous, intensive type of training. Everyone on deck needs to know how to do everything, in case something goes wrong.

The USS Blueback docked outside of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Photo credit: Meltedplastic on Flickr)

The joy of volunteering with fellow vets

The point is, sub vets worked hard to get to where they are. We are all very proud of what we’ve done and deeply respect each other. That’s what makes it so rewarding to work together here. Being on a sub in the Navy is something that connects us all at a very deep level.

I’ll tell ya, if you get a bunch of sub vets together for a cup of coffee after our shift, you end up sharing a lot of laughs and old sea stories, which is just the Navy term for lies.

I’ve visited amazing places around the world while on patrol, but now all I want to do is stay in the states and see this beautiful country where my wife and I live. We make time for RV trips every year to do just that.

An opportunity for time traveling

And of course, I travel back in time when I’m on the sub. As soon as I first walked on board the USS Blueback, it was just like “Boom!” I was back. And I loved it.

And I think the rest of the vets here feel the same. Being here brings back so many fond memories; it’s good for the heart.

I have to say my favorite part of volunteering is when young sub sailors come down to look at the old machinery — it’s a piece of history. They respect us more than anyone, since they know they wouldn’t be where they are if it wasn’t for us guys. That’s why doing this matters.

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Want to volunteer in your community? Search over 13,000 volunteer opportunities around the globe listed on Idealist. 

Datatel Volunteers Shelving Picture Books at Centreville Regional Library (Photo credit: Fairfax Library Foundation, Creative Commons/Flickr)

During this time of year, many people want to give back. But whether you are looking for a one-time opportunity or are eager to jump start a long-term volunteer experience, you should take some time to figure out what kind of volunteering you would like to do.

• Hands-on: activities where almost anyone can show up and, with minimal training, get started (taking tickets, cleaning up parks, planting trees)

• Skilled: tasks that depend on a volunteer’s particular skill set or experience (using graphic design skills to help an organization redesign brochures, building or maintaining a nonprofit’s website, providing legal advice for an immigration support agency)

• Direct service: volunteering on the front lines of the organization and likely having direct contact with the population served (delivering meals, packing food bank boxes)

• Advisory: serving in a more behind-the-scenes role to help build an organization’s capacity to reach their mission (providing feedback on strategic or fundraising plans, helping organizations learn more about using social networking sites and tools, serving on a committee or board whose role is largely oversight and governance)

• Online: completing projects that you can do from anywhere in the world as long as you have email or internet access (translating materials, blogging, developing websites, advising on strategic plans)

Action steps

• Think about what kinds of activities you really enjoy or have always wanted to try.

• Do a skills assessment to see how you might be able to lend your personal and professional expertise to an organization, issue, or cause.

• Think about where you want to get involved—behind the scenes, on the front lines, online.

• Don’t forget to consider what you would like to gain from this experience—and what kinds of activities are likely to help you reach your own personal or professional goals.

What kind of volunteering do you enjoy?

This post is republished from our volunteer center.

From Milserve to Team Rubicon, the opportunities for vets to continue serving after they’ve come home are increasing. According to a recent report by Civic Enterprises, becoming involved with community service can greatly help the transition to civilian life. This is one vet’s story. 

During his time with the Air Force in Vietnam, Jeff Hottensen lived on almost every continent in the world. When he returned to NY after a little over two decades, he saw an ad in the paper to volunteer with a blind baseball team in Babylon. Eighteen years later Jeff is still stepping up to the plate.

“All those years in the service, I never had a connection to anything. No place was home,” he says. “I wanted to be part of a community, to do something and not move every two and a half years.”

Jeff, now 65-years-old and a customer service rep at AAA, grew up playing stickball in Manhattan and loves that baseball is a sport almost anyone can play. Twist the rules a bit, throw unlikely players on the field, and the game becomes even more high stakes.

Jeff (left) at a recent exhibition game at Citi Field, home of the NY Mets. (Photo via Camille Hottensen.)

“Not only are they beating a disability, but they are beating the system. It’s so much more thrilling,” he says.

Beep baseball works like this: A sighted pitcher throws a beeping ball to a blind or visually impaired batter who is blindfolded to combat any advantage. After hitting the ball, the batter uses their hearing to run to first, even better third base, which is also beeping. No balls are thrown. If the fielder gets the ball before the batter reaches the base, they’re out. The game is over in six innings.

Jeff is currently with Rockville Centre-based Long Island Bombers and has had just about every role from catcher to base judge to umpire at the World Series — in addition to describing items at the gift shop so the players can bring home souvenirs when they travel. He’s suffered bumps and bruises, broken fingers, even a concussion, yet he returns year after year.

“I learned, which I never thought I had, that caring feeling,” he says. “I surprised myself.”

From national service to community service

The first time Jeff met the players he was nervous about how he would act. He’d never been around the blind before.

“I was so scared of saying the wrong things,” he says. “I remember meeting this guy Jack who was running the team. He said ‘Good to see you. Oh wait, I can’t. So maybe it’s good for you to see me.’ ”

The immediate joking made Jeff feel right at home. Eventually he was able to transfer the leadership skills he honed in the Air Force to volunteering. Early on in Vietnam, for example, Jeff was thrown into a role as Branch Chief and had to manage people of all genders, races, and ages.

“I loved seeing young kids come in, teaching them, and watching them grow up,” he says. “Before they ship out you’ve made them into somebody respectful. You saw them build their self-confidence.”

With the Bombers, whose players are increasingly younger, empowering them to not fall into a depression because of blindness is part of teaching them how to swing a bat.

“Her mom said her life has changed so much and that this is the best thing that has happened to her,” Jeff says about a new sixteen-year-old recruit who’d recently gone blind. “How can I quit now? Those things keep me going.”

In later years Jeff has become more involved with organizing. If the weather is bad, he sets up a phone chain. If they’re stuck at the airport on the way to the World Series, he makes sure the players have something to do. Each year Jeff also arranges the LI Classic, a local tournament.

A second family

Above all, being a part of the Bombers reminds Jeff of the tight knit camaraderie he experienced in the Air Force. He and his usual roommate at the World Series, Jim Hughes, have been with each other through marriages, births, career changes, and more.

The Long Island Bombers have been around since 1997. (Photo via the team.)

“The two of us have just grown up together. He was 18, I was 40-something when we both started. Unbelievable,” Jeff says. “You build lifetime relationships over this. You really do.”

It makes occasions like winning a game at the World Series even more special. The year was 2005, the field was Houston’s Meyer Park. Jeff was catching; the Bombers hadn’t won a game yet. It was the last one of the series. Frank Guerra got a hit that tipped the game in their favor. He jumped into Jeff’s arms, and the rest of the team went crazy.

“I just thought it was the greatest moment,” Jeff says. “Without winning a game they might’ve lost a lot of courage and confidence, and not gone to the next World Series.”

Not like the team needed much cheering up to begin with. Jeff is continually struck by is how the players don’t view their blindness as a handicap, a philosophy they spread through local clinics and demonstrations at places like Camp Abilities.

“I never heard one of them complain about something they couldn’t do,” Jeff says. “It’s made me less tolerant about people who whine about nothing.”

The positivity is addicting. Soon, Jeff and his wife are thinking about becoming snowbirds, spending half the time in New York and half the time in Florida. He’s already putting feelers out to see if he could start a team down south and add more years to his umpire uniform.

The question remains: Will he ever strike out with beep baseball? The likely answer is no.

“I’m staying for at least 20 so I can get my retirement pay,” Jeff says, laughing.
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Inspired to volunteer? The Bombers are always looking for extra hands to carry bats, spot bases, and wear blindfolds. Get in touch by emailing beepball@libombers.org.

Consider DIY volunteering (Photo credit: WAstateDNR – Department of Natural Resources, Creative Commons/Flickr)

With over 15,000 volunteer opportunities on our site, we think there is something for everyone who wants to volunteer. However, we understand that sometimes, there’s nothing that quite fits what you’re looking for. Or, perhaps you are already volunteering, and want to take on new responsibilities, but aren’t sure where to start.

If either of these apply to you, you should consider DIY/Entrepreneurial/Independent Volunteering. By honing your skills and researching organizations that would benefit from your help, you can create a rewarding experience. Here are ways to craft a volunteer experience, from our Volunteer Information Center:

Let’s say you have a project in mind. Try answering the following questions to set parameters around the project:

• What do you need in order to be successful? This can be tangible stuff like tools or other supplies, or it can be more intangible like advertising time or online space to get the word out.
  

• Who do you need in order to be successful? Is this something you’ll take on by yourself or will you be looking for fellow volunteers? How many volunteers might you need to make your idea happen? What specific skills or political/social/community connections would be an asset? How might you partner with existing organizations, staff, and volunteers?

• How long will it take to achieve your goals? What is your timeline like? Do you have benchmarks or goals in place to measure how you’re doing once you get started? How will you measure and evaluate your progress? How will your project or role be sustained should you decide to move on—will you recruit a volunteer to take it over, seek to integrate it into an organization?

• Why this project or role? Be prepared with research and reasons to explain why your project or role is needed, as well as, if applicable, how it doesn’t duplicate any other efforts. For example, if you’re starting a new wildlife census program and one already exists in your area, you’ll need to be able to explain to potential volunteers, funders, or media contacts why you’ve created a new one and how it’s different.

Consider checking out the Volunteer Self-Organizing tool kit by The Resource Center, Corporation for National and Community Service to help you flesh out the details of your project.

After adding a little more structure to your project, you might want to reach out to organizations. Before you do that, remember to do the following:

• Be as specific as you can. Especially on what you might need from the organization and how your project or role fits with their mission. The more details you can provide, the more likely they are to take you up on your idea as it demonstrates that you are passionate about their cause, have done your research, and have thought everything through.

• Be ready to talk about what skills, experiences, and connections you can bring to the table. This helps make the case as to why you’re the right person to implement the project or take on the role.

• Be ready to commit. If you’ve got a great idea for a volunteer role or project but aren’t entirely sure you can follow through on what you promise, it may be a good idea to wait. Just as successfully creating and launching your independent volunteer role or project can be a great relationship and resume/CV builder for you, dropping the ball or doing the job poorly can potentially result in a damaged reputation for both you and the organization that invested in your vision (for more on the rights and responsibilities of volunteers, click here.)

• Be aware that not all organizations will be ready to give your proposed role or project a go: some may be hesitant because, frankly, they just don’t know you yet. Others may not have the capacity for, or perhaps even the interest in, your idea. Don’t let this get you down though; simply go back to the research drawing board to identify other potential partner organizations in your area and give them a try. If you’ve got a great idea and a plan to make it happen, chances are you’ll find a good fit somewhere. And of course, if you still can’t find a good partner…

• Don’t be afraid to go it alone. While in most cases it would be ideal to partner with existing organizations—they often have significant experience, connections, and resources that would greatly enhance your DIY project (as well as help you avoid duplicating efforts or reinventing the wheel)—you may in fact find that you’re in uncharted territory. However, if you’ve done your research and have a pretty clear idea about what you’d like to do and why it’s important, it’s worth taking the leap on your own.

Have you created a volunteer opportunity from scratch? Tell us about it in the comments!

When it comes to volunteering abroad, it’s hard to figure out where or how to start. How long should you volunteer? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Should you volunteer abroad alone or with a group? We asked a member of the Idealist community to share her experiences finding, landing, and enjoying her international volunteer experience, as well as some challenges along the way.

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by Nicole Ricchione

There are so many reasons you might decide to travel abroad alone. For me, it was about finding my independence. As someone who brings a friend along to everything — networking events, parties, even grocery shopping — I realized it was time for some serious self-reflection. I decided the best way to accomplish this was to do something that terrifies me: solo travel.

Beginning research

But, not only did I want to travel alone, I wanted to do something truly meaningful with my time. I decided to use my Spring Break week off from grad school to volunteer abroad.  Ironically, when I started looking at organized volunteer programs, many of these programs were too expensive and I wondered if I would be able to volunteer abroad at all.

Fortunately, I stumbled upon Eco Volunteer UP, a non-profit volunteer organization in Ecuador. The person who ran the program, Maria, paired volunteers with people living in farm villages in the mountains of the Cloud Forest outside of Quito. In addition to being more affordable than other programs — I paid a small admin fee of $200 to Eco Volunteer UP to cover its costs and a $50 fee for the week to cover the cost of home-cooked meals and stay with a host family – the program felt more grassroots.

After reading some reviews, I knew this was the perfect program for me. It would allow me to have the most possible independence without being completely on my own in a country (and continent) where I’ve never been and don’t fluently speak the national language. I also felt really good about supporting a small, woman-owned business in Quito.

Planning for my arrival

View from my window (Photo credit: author)

The days leading up to my trip, I was completely terrified and excited all at the same time. I barely knew any Spanish. What if Maria never picked me up at the airport? What if this was a complete scam? I had no backup plan and I knew that Quito wasn’t the safest city for women to be traveling in alone.

So, leading up to the trip, I did a lot of meditation to relax my mind and put myself at ease about my upcoming adventure. I also took a few Spanish lessons from my roommate, who is fluent in Spanish. She wrote down a few important phrases for me to remember like, “I’m a vegetarian”, “Does this have meat?”, and “I need directions”. I also did a lot of research about Eco Volunteer UP. And I knew my experience traveling abroad and common sense would be enough to keep me safe.

Setting all my worries aside, the day came and I landed in Quito. Maria’s boyfriend picked me up at the airport and together they drove me through the winding mountain roads just outside of Quito for what seemed like a good three hours. Then, we arrived in San José de Las Tolas, a village that probably consists of, at the most, 50 residents. Maria introduced me to Magdalena, the woman who I would be staying with and volunteering for. She spoke absolutely no English. It was quite the culture shock for my first day in a new country. Then, I was introduced to Rebecca, another volunteer staying with Magdalena. I was so relieved to have a girl around my age that knew English so that I wouldn’t be completely alone all week. As much as I wanted to do this on my own, being surrounded by only Spanish-speaking people was something I wasn’t ready to face.

Getting to work

Waking up early to help milk cows (Photo credit: author)

Language barriers aside, I was eager to help out. A typical day would consist of Rebecca and I waking up early to help Magdalena, a single woman who lived on the farm. We would milk cows, have breakfast, and then take a break to go out and explore on our own. We spent a lot of time wandering the mountain trails and hanging out with the locals. Then, in the afternoon, we’d help Magdalena with various odd jobs, like planting yuccas and tilling soil on her organic farm or helping set up for the village’s annual celebration.

The best part of my experience was getting to feel part of San José de Las Tolas. The local villagers gave Rebecca and I such a warm and friendly welcome and made us feel right at home. In total, probably only two people in the whole village knew any form of English, but I barely felt the language barrier because there are so many forms of communication that don’t require words. I also met an inspiring young man named Luis who learned English by interacting with all the volunteers who have stayed in town over the years and then practiced what he learned by emailing with them once they went back home. In fact, I kept in touch with Luis once I got back home so I could help him with his English and he could help me with my Spanish.

Are you ready to volunteer abroad?

If you want to fully experience a country and really immerse yourself in the local culture, there is no better way than volunteering through a homestay. I experienced things in Ecuador that I never would have experienced if I simply went to Quito or the Galapagos with a group and did the typical touristy things. Of course, I still have vacations where I tour and just take in the sights  — I’m going to Peru in a few weeks to hike the Inca Trail with a group and I’m very much looking forward to it — but there is a special connection that I will always have with Ecuador and the village of San José de Las Tolas.

Do you want to volunteer abroad but are nervous about taking the plunge? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for advice!

Nicole is an MBA student at Rutgers Business School studying social entrepreneurship, aspiring to someday start her own world-changing business. She loves traveling and writing and is currently the blog coordinator for StartSomeGood.com. Connect with her on twitter @nricchio or email her at nricchione [at] gmail [dot] com.

An ongoing experiment: can our community’s collective brainpower help an idea become reality?

Meet Melanie

For Melanie Lockert, who grew up singing in the choir and performing high school plays in Los Angeles, theatre is the one place where she can really be herself. But the business side  — auditioning, networking, etc. —  has left Melanie feeling increasingly disenchanted as an adult. “I don’t believe the system functions in a way that is conducive to self-esteem and communication,” she says.

Animal exercises with third graders at Harlem’s PS 175. (Photo via Melanie Lockert.)

So when she began practicing Theatre of the Oppressed with youth at Brooklyn’s Falconworks Artists Group, she knew the focus on individual experiences as a catalyst for social change would restore her faith in the art form.

“Theatre of the oppressed doesn’t shut out anyone. It doesn’t say your experience is wrong and my experience is right. Everyone can be an actor,” she says. “ It’’s a mobilizing tool for people who have never spoken in public and who have never expressed issues in a safe environment where they can feel comfortable playing.”

The intention

Melanie recently relocated to Portland, Oregon after getting a Masters in Performance Studies at NYU. While in New York, she taught theatre at PS 175 in Harlem with the New York City Mission Society and before that, managed art programs for underserved youth in Los Angeles. She wants to draw from her experiences teaching and work with this same population to create plays based on issues they or their communities face.

“It’s a way to open up a dialogue about what these young people want, and what they want out of their lives, addressing some of the things they want to see change in their community,” she says.

Obstacles

Melanie is currently in the planning stage. Here are some challenges she has identified:

1. As a newcomer to Portland, Melanie is struggling to connect with organizations whose constituents could benefit from theatre of the oppressed.
2. Finding people is one thing. Locating a space where they could practice and perform poses another logistical consideration.
3. When she’s not playing with a local theatre company, Melanie is actively seeking full-time employment and volunteering opportunities with arts organizations, both of which have been difficult and detract her from focusing on the project.
4. Like most people with an idea, Melanie continually fights the doubtful voice inside her head: What if this isn’t a good idea? Is such a program necessary? Give up the dream and focus on making a living instead?

How you can help

• Do you have advice for overcoming paralyzing doubt?
• How can Melanie start meeting the right people who would be interested in making this idea happen?
• Do you know organizations in Portland working with youth (or women) that might be interested in having Melanie teach a workshop at night or on the weekends?
• How she can find a free or low-cost community space that would host the program?
• If she wanted to scratch working with organizations all together, how could she recruit youth by herself? What would be the legal logistics to consider?

Leave a comment below or send her a message through Idealist and if the project progresses, we’ll keep you posted!

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Do you have an idea that’s just starting to brew? If you’d like us to consider posting it as part of this series, email celeste [at] idealist [dot] org.

The idea

A female firefighter who rappels out of helicopters and slogs through swamps to help people in distress. A woman who has provided foster care to over 200 troubled teens in her lifetime. A young Somali man who escaped his country’s civil war, won a scholarship to a Canadian university, and now helps refugees.

They, along with others, have volunteered to be on loan at Surrey Libraries in British Columbia as part of the Human Library, an event where people become living books.

The Human Library is as straightforward as it sounds: instead of grabbing a book off the shelf, you sign out a person and listen to them tell tales for a couple of hours. Think audio book, but with a handshake (or better yet, hug) at the end.

This notion of bringing books to life began twelve years ago with a Denmark youth organization that wanted to challenge prejudices. The idea has since been adapted around the world, and can now be found in over 45 countries.

Why we’re adding it to the Idea File

• New take on an old concept. Libraries everywhere have gone through many transformations (books rescued from the trash in Bogota and traveling donkey libraries in Ethiopia come to mind), and the Human Library further proves these institutions aren’t dying, but rather, evolving.
• Respects and appreciates diversity. Everyone has a story to tell. People of all experiences, ages, and backgrounds are encouraged to participate, tapping into the knowledge and expertise of the local community.
• Encourages empathy. We read to immerse ourselves in other contexts and see the world from someone else’s point of view. When talking to living books, you might find that your similarities thread you together, instead of your differences.
• Values real-time conversation. With eBooks, iPads and everything in between dominating much of our time today, being able to look into someone’s eyes and connect around our humanity is refreshing.
• Adaptable in many contexts. The concept doesn’t have to be limited to an actual library: it could work at schools, festivals, government offices, corporations, and more. Depending on resources, it could also be an ongoing program or a once-in-a-while event.

How you can replicate it

The folks who created the first Human Library want nothing more than for you to borrow their idea. They’ve already done a lot of the initial legwork for you; their website has a guide for organizers in eight different languages, sample evaluation reports and forms, tips for readers, and more.

Interesting fact: the first Human Library took place at a music festival in Denmark. (Photo via Ravi Basi.)

We also reached out to Ravi Basi, one of the organizers at Surrey Libraries, to hear her advice for people looking to start a Human Library where they live. Here’s what she had to say:

Finding living books

1. Use your own networks. Relying on unsolicited offers from the public is too random and complicated of an approach. Instead, gather recommendations from staff, community agencies, colleges, and nonprofits in addition to scanning local newspapers.
2. Set your criteria from the beginning. Living book volunteers at Surrey Libraries, for example, had to have a story to tell, good communication skills, be personable and friendly, and understand the concept and goals of the Human Library. If they met this criteria, they then went through an interview process.
3. Incentives, while not necessary, are nice. The living books will probably be enthusiastic and eager to participate. But still, to show gratitude, you can do things such as offset parking costs, provide lunch and snacks, and give gift bags.

Organizing the event

1. Start small. Rather than hosting a day-long event, try an afternoon or evening event of four hours. Learn the glitches, and then improve next time around.
2. Allow readers to pre-register. To ensure the living books aren’t left without readers, devise a registration system where people can sign up for time slots in advance.
3. Have a back-up plan. Err on the side of having an abundance of living books and line up spare readers to account for no-shows.

“Anyone who plans or participates in the Human Library will find it to be a valuable, even profound experience,” says Ravi. “It’s worth doing.”

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If you’re inspired to bring the Human Library to your community, feel free to email Ravi for more advice: rkbasi@surrey.ca.

Do you know of other projects that are fun and potentially replicable? If you’d like us to consider posting it as part of this series, leave a comment below or email celeste [at] idealist [dot] org.

As a thank you to our community, each week we’re highlighting interesting organizations and opportunities that you’ve shared on our website. Because of you, Idealist.org is a hub for people who want to create a better world. Thank you.

Interesting and unique ways to create a better world (Photo Credit: Many Languages One Voice)

Volunteering is a great way to share your skills, pick up some new ones, and be part of some high-impact, meaningful work. This week, organizations posted almost 1,000 opportunities to pitch in. Here are some highlights:

Book Design Volunteer (New York, NY)

Behind the Book is looking for volunteers to help turn students into published authors! The organization organizes inspiring workshops that help students write and illustrate a story or create an anthology of their collected works. They need a volunteer to then edit and format the materials and upload them into blurb.com to make beautiful and inspirational piece of work available to the public. If you have an eye for design and a passion for education and literacy, help budding young authors get out their first published works.

Volunteer with Upwardly Global (San Francisco, CA)

New immigrants to the U.S. often find it difficult to rebuild the careers they left behind. Accomplished surgeons and engineers take entry level jobs, and American employers miss out on a diverse, skilled, ambitious and too often untapped pool of talent. Upwardly Global seeks to eliminate barriers to employment and close the gap between college-educated, work authorized new Americans and employers who need their skills. Volunteer for a few hours or a few times a week to mentor a job seeker, hold mock interviews, or share networking tips. Your industry knowledge and experience with the American work culture are invaluable resources to new immigrants, and you’ll get some great cross-cultural experience in the process.

Amharic-Speaking Volunteer (Washington, DC)

Some kinds of volunteers are particularly hard to find. Many Languages One Voice (MLOV) needs help collecting and sharing the histories of Washington, DC’s immigrant communities, but they can’t do it without the language skills. If you’ve got what it takes, let them know! Photography experience is a plus.

Meadow Monitoring (Sonora, Modesto, and Groveland, CA)

Like meadows? Like looking at them? Then head out to the Stanislaus National Forest to help out the Tuolumne River Trust. Volunteers will be trained to conduct basic field work, and they’ll report back on erosion, conifer encroachment, and vegetation cover in the meadows to help determine which areas are in need of habitat restoration. If you’re lucky enough to be able to participate in this one, send us back some pictures!

Don’t see a volunteer opportunity here for you? Don’t worry, we’ve got thousands more! See anything you’re particularly interested in? Tell us about it!

Many of us volunteer to help solve a pressing problem in our communities. But did you know that the time you give to an organization can also be a great professional development experience?

Volunteering not only helps people in your community; it also helps your career. (Photo Credit: RISD Museum, Creative Commons/Flickr)

If you’re eager to advance your career, consider the following benefits of volunteering:

• Develop new skills: Volunteering is a great way to develop a skill you may not use often in your day-to-day work.
• Apply the skills you already have in new contexts: Sometimes we need new challenges to keep our skills sharp. Volunteering your time and talent to help an organization outside of work will allow you to leverage your skills in a new way.
• Expand your network: People who are already involved in your target field are likely to know of new opportunities and can recommend organizations and people for you to get to know.
• Explore new career paths: Volunteering can provide an entry-point to a new career. By volunteering, you can expose yourself to different kinds of organizations, roles, causes, and more.
• Demonstrate passion to hiring managers: We know that hiring managers like to see genuine interest and understanding of the work their organization does, so it never hurts to have hands-on experience in the field you’d like to enter.

To ensure your volunteering experience helps you move your career forward, we’ve put together a few questions you should ask before taking on a new volunteer opportunity:

• What are your personal and professional talents?
• What skills would you like to apply in new ways? Keep sharp?
• What skills or knowledge would you like to gain or learn from your volunteer experience?
• Are you interested in contributing skills related to your career? Or would you prefer to do something entirely different?
• Who do you want to work with, get to know, learn from?
• Are there particular roles, careers, or organization types that you’ve been wanting to explore?

Has volunteering helped your career? Share your thoughts and experiences below!