22 October 2012

Lots of new things going on at Children's Helpers Worldwide!

I recently mentioned in another post that things were very busy at my organisation, CHW, with some volunteers doing amazing work! I am really pleased to be able launch the new website, and a new video for CHW! CHW is also now on facebook and twitter, if you want to connect with the charity there. Here is the latest news, in a bit more detail:


New Website!

Firstly, we have a new website! It is at the same address, but it has been redesigned. You can see it here: www.chworldwide.org

A big thank you to Sheldon Fernandes, a web developer, who volunteered his time and made this happen!
(You can see more about Sheldon's work on his own site: www.sheldonfernandes.com)


New Video!

As well as launching the website, we are also launching a video! A volunteer from Swansea (who didn't want to be named) wrote lyrics for a song, which tells you about our projects and ways to get involved. He arranged for a group of children to record the song.

You can see our video on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs0aqUf_2NU, or watch it below: 



If you want to know more about the children from Wales who sang, and the children from Ghana who are drumming and singing in between the verses, you can go to this page on our new site: http://chworldwide.org/what-we-do/our-video/


Join Us on Facebook and Twitter

We also have a new facebook page, so please do click "like" to connect with us on facebook too: facebook.com/ChildrensHelpersWorldwide

We have a new twitter account too, and you can follow us at @CHWchildren


Spreading the Word

If you know anyone who would like to get involved with our work, please pass this on. One of our volunteers, Magdalena, told Sheldon, the web developer, about CHW and one of our trustees, Emma, told the volunteer in Swansea about us too, which shows what great results spreading the word can have! We are aiming to create a network for people around the world who want to give children a better start to life. We have partnered with local organisations in five countries, so far (Argentina, China, Ghana, Romania and South Africa) and look forward to more supporters and volunteers joining us to help the children. 

16 October 2012

A Call to Speak Out Against Bullying - for Vloggers

October is anti-bullying month! Sadly, bullying affects many children and teenagers around the world.

Image courtesy of Ambro/www.freedigitalphotos.net

The following facts were given on the website of DoSomething.org:
  •  Bullying is the most common form of violence in schools(verbally and physically)/ 
  • One incident of bullying [happens] every seven minutes. 
  • It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school everyday due to the fear of attack or intimidation by other students. 
  • 2 out of 3 teens are verbally or physically harassed every year. 
  • 58% of teens have had hurtful things said to them online and over 40% say it’s happened more than once.
The page goes on to give a plan of action and also has a video made by young people. You can see it here.

I am a member of the 20sb network, for bloggers in their twenties. If you are also in your twenties and like to blog or vlog, you may be interested in what they have planned to mark anti-bullying month. They are asking people to:

 "post a vlog (or blog post if you’re not up for the face time) about a time you were bullied, tips for dealing with a bully, or maybe lessons you’ve learned from being a bully

The deadline is 24 October and entries can be left in the comments section of their blog post on anti-bullying month. They will compile highlights from the videos, to be shared at the end of October. All the details are here.

Even if you are not in your twenties (and so can't enter your vlog for the 20sb call to action), you may want to think about this theme for this month. How can bullying be prevented? How can we help young people who are being bullied? Let's hope that our actions this month can go towards answering these questions and stamping out bullying!

13 October 2012

Great Volunteer Websites

Image courtesy of stockimages/freedigitalphotos.net

Things have been quite busy recently, with two volunteers doing excellent projects for CHW! One has been making a video for the charity and the other is redesigning our website. We are hoping to launch the new site, along with the video, very soon. I will post updates here! Every spare moment I have been updating content and photos for the new site, which has kept me away from this blog for a couple of weeks. A lot of people do ask me about volunteering, so I thought I would pass on some links here, in keeping with the fact that two amazing volunteers have been working on projects for us recently!

Some of the links are for people already involved in voluntary work. I wrote another post here, for those interested in searching for volunteer opportunities.

My focus is always on children and youth, but the links below are relevant for people who want to volunteer in other fields too.


Global Service Leaders
Network: meridianserviceleaders.ning.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/GlobalServiceLeaders

Who is this for?
People involved in service work, and with organisations that have volunteers, and who would like to connect with other people engaged in service work around the world.

I am a member of the network and it has been great to connect with (and even meet) others running organisations and doing service work in different countries.


The Blogunteer
Website: blogunteer.com

Who is this for?
People interested in volunteering and charities. Organisations (mostly from the US), which are not too well known, but are doing excellent work, are profiled here.

I found this blog through Pinterest and thought it was a great idea.


KnowHow NonProfit
Website: knowhownonprofit.org

Who is this for?
People who are volunteers, trustees or staff of nonprofit organisations. The site is aimed at people in the UK, but others may also find useful tips here.

I have signed up to this site and received useful newsletters from them.


The Bridge - Youth Empowerment
Website (Volunteer Page): thebridgeye.org/category/internships-volunteering/volunteering
Facebook page: facebook.com/thebridgeye

Who is this for?
Young people who want to volunteer. Opportunities are listed on the volunteer page. Other pages also contain information on jobs, internships, fellowships, events and scholarships around the world for youth.

I found this organisation on facebook, and they listed an event of mine when I was volunteering on sustainable development projects, leading up to the Rio+20 conference.


Do you know any more good sites for volunteers, or finding volunteer opportunities? If you do, please add them in a comment below.