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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Hi all,</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A couple friends and I
sometimes volunteer with a group for blind teens that I was a member of in
middle and high school. The kids really love when we’re there, and they always
have a lot of questions. But something has been on my mind almost ever since I
started volunteering with them, and I was hoping some of you might have some
thoughts.</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Maybe it’s because I was
once a member of the group and now have a hard time thinking of myself as a
volunteer, or maybe it’s because I’m fairly introverted around most people, but
most of the time when I volunteer with these kids I just feel like another
member of the group. I think one of the benefits of working with groups where
some of the people are close to your age is the ability to relate to them and
for them to relate to you. I’ve definitely seen that happen as I’ve worked with
this group. But a disadvantage is that I often find it hard to distinguish
myself from the group and take on a leadership role. I’ve had kids half my age
ask me if I need help getting from one place to another, and the other
volunteers often bring me cups of juice or napkins at lunch before I even have a
chance to go get my own. All of this leaves me not feeling very volunteer-like
to these kids or very equal to the other volunteers. The times when I feel most
comfortable are when my friends and I are standing in front of the group doing a
presentation/Q and A on college prep or something similar rather than helping
the kids with a craft or fitness activity.</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">So, there seems an obvious
solution to this: Be more self-confident. And I know that is something I need to
work on, in service settings and in general. I also know that some of it is
plain confidence related and some of it is blindness skills related. And now
that I think about it, I suppose </FONT></FONT><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">this isnt really just a
question applicable to working with groups of youth. As blind people, in
whatever type of service we choose to do, we are likely to come across
situations where the others in our group of volunteers and those who we are
helping see us as needing help instead.</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I’ve been a little nervous
to put this forward because, as I said above, on the surface the solution seems
pretty clear-cut and something that I need to work on myself. But the article
that was posted yesterday about how service can be good for your health if you
are doing something that is a good fit for you and something you enjoy finally
inspired me to put this out there in hopes that some of you have had similar
experiences and might be able to offer some thoughts. I would love to keep
working with this group, and the kids really seem to like me and look up to me
as a mentor, but I need to figure out how to be an effective volunteer,
too.</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Chris</FONT></FONT></P>
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