On February 27, Nasta Bazar held a meeting for the Volnyja initiative, where they discussed with the participants:

✅When should you volunteer?
✅How to help and take care of yourself?
✅And how to get resources through volunteering?

Advice from Nastya will be useful to those who want to become a volunteer, and to those who have been in this field for a long time.

And if you know for sure that you are ready to help now – fill out the mentor form and support Volny!

We are very proud of Belarusians for their solidarity and mutual assistance. You give the understanding that there are more good people. But there is no time to stop! That's why they put together instructions on how to volunteer and not burn out.

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Let's start by defining the values:

1. What is really important to you in life?

We agree, the question is difficult and a bit pathetic, but only through an honest answer will you understand whether you need to help others at all and why.

2. Who and why is it most important for you to help?

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to help everyone at once. Therefore, we choose the most touching and understandable for ourselves.

3. Where are your limits?

Determine: what you can or cannot do, what you like to do and what is difficult. ‍ We must remember: there is no unimportant job, so it is important to find something that is comfortable and interesting for you.

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Analysis of resources

• Skills : determine what you do well, what are your main and useful skills?
• Risks . A useful question is what I am NOT doing when I do this. For example, when I help, I ignore my own needs. Or if I spend more time volunteering, then I neglect my family. This will help you find a balance and not take on too much.
• Time . Determine how much time (per day/week) you can spend helping others. To do this, you can use various devices for recording working time (Timesheets).

People who have different degrees of interaction with mentors turn to Volnyja for help. We take this into account when selecting a couple (mentor + Volnyja) and adapt to the needs of each person.

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Responsibility – about oneself and others

• It is better to refuse immediately than to fail later .

If you don't calculate your time or strength, promise and then don't help in time, the result will be a worse situation than initially not agreeing to help.

• In a conflict of values, you decide .

Whether or not to help a person with different views in a situation in which you normally help is your personal choice.

• Take care of yourself first – then others.

There will be no resource for others if we do not realize our personal condition in time and give ourselves a break.

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Taking care of yourself

Base : sleep, food, physical activity are always a priority.

We cover our basic requirements first, and only then help others cover them.

Focus : it is better to do one thing effectively and efficiently than 5 inefficiently. So prioritize and plan your time.

Vacation! Schedule it like you would time for work or volunteering. Then you will be able to be 100% useful in every activity.

Flexibility . It is clear that there are cases of lack of sleep, but you need to remember that this too will end. It's a good idea to plan for recovery afterward to help you get back into a normal rhythm.

Do not forget to record your condition and take into account your feelings . If you are tired, you need to take care of yourself. Even if you cannot determine the cause of this fatigue.

Do not hesitate to ask for and accept help . This is generally normal, and it will also help you to make the world a better place.

And most importantly:

Being a resource for someone is also a resource.

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14 Volnyja now needs your support.

Thank you to everyone who came to talk with Nastya, who joins in helping and who continues his work!

And thank you very much for the feedback! We hope that all knowledge will be useful and you will use it in life.

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