Celebrating National Volunteers Week

By Belinda Young.

At Mums of the Hills (MotHs), we’re more than a virtual community; we're a real community bound by shared values, support, and a sense of belonging. Yes, we use Facebook despite its challenges, because it has allowed us to build a strong, connected community where many have found it hard to do so elsewhere.

Volunteering is the lifeblood of MotHs. Our community thrives on the dedication of volunteers who help manage day-to-day activities and special projects. The jobs you see in this fishbone chart are what I do each month voluntarily. Just me. Voluntarily. I stress that while I do these myself, there are jobs that others do voluntarily as members of our MotHs committee and of course as part of the team group admins. I am incredibly grateful for what they all do and this post does not diminish or ignore the jobs time and effort they put in. If I were to describe their roles, I am highly likely to insult them should I miss parts of roles. Mark my words, though, they are amazing, and I am deeply appreciative of everything they do.

The tasks in the image below provide a very basic overview of what I do. Some of these are daily, some weekly or monthly and usually several going at the same time. For example, there are currently at least 11 events at some stage of planning. When you look at the tasks, also keep in mind the other volunteers pitching in.  This might be an eye-opener. The workload for running MotHs is far larger than you think.  This chart also doesn’t take into account all the requests from newspapers, TV, radio, charities, businesses, local councils and MPs for involvement, donations, collaborations and perspectives on trending topics. It’s a lot of work but I love it and I love this community. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t.

For me the ability to do all of this volunteer work has been due to my unique job role. I’m a PhD student. You will often still see me working away into the early hours of the morning to ensure I fulfill my obligations to my studies, my family and this community. Due to our size and recognised commitment to this community, MotHs now has an amazing opportunity to become a self-sustained community service. Our goal is to provide ongoing and consistent employment to help MotHs grow while supporting our volunteers. By doing this, we will ensure that even if our volunteer circumstances change, this community will continue to grow and receive the consistency of service we’ve become known for.

Our community needs your help to continue thriving. Whether it's supporting each other during tough times, responding to climate challenges, or simply making meaningful connections, your involvement and support is crucial. Together, we can achieve so much more.