One of the most positive aspects of volunteering at RSE’s Dignity Centre Nicosia, is that age is not an issue. (The author of this article must declare a personal interest here, as she, like Eileen, is of a ‘certain age’). As long as you are fit and healthy, are computer literate, and enjoy teamwork, there is much you can contribute and even more to enjoy. People who are retired have a lot to offer in terms of life experience, and, as Eileen pointed out during a recent discussion, “They have time.”
But volunteering with RSE is not only for retirees, and applications from across the whole spectrum of nationalities and age are encouraged. So long as you are at least 21 years old, share RSE’s vision of a world where communities welcome refugees with dignity, solidarity and compassion, and have a minimum of two weeks to spare, you can apply.
With three volunteering missions under her belt, (two in Moldova and one in Cyprus), Eileen recently returned to the Dignity Centre Nicosia. This time, her daughter, Zoe, joined her. “My mother made it sound such fun,” says Zoe, when the three of us sat down together to talk about their experience. And although Zoe admitted to being “a little bit worried at first whether we would end up hating each other,” found that volunteering as a mother and daughter team was “surprisingly wonderful.”
In today’s increasingly uncertain and polarised world, with hate speech, anger and racist-inspired content widespread online and in social media, RSE’s insistence on language that emphasises kindness, dignity, and compassion with, and for, refugees and asylum seekers, stands out But this sense of care and respect for those living through often terrible trauma manifests itself not only in words, but also in their operational approach, and lies at the heart of RSE’s field work with its teams. It is something that many Dignity members in Cyprus have been quick to recognise and value. “You are as kind as you are beautiful,” one person remarked to Zoe recently, as she was helping them with their purchases in Dignity’s food market.
“Oh my god, that’s going to stay with me for life, I’m going to be thinking about that for years to come!” Zoe commented after they had left. For her mother, Eileen, who had witnessed the exchange, it was a defining moment personally. “To see her kindness, it’s everything you want as a parent, you know. It’s like, yes, she’s grown into a fine young person….”
During our conversation, I was interested to know what messages they would pass to prospective volunteers. Zoe didn’t hesitate: “Come!! Volunteer!! It feels good. It feels as if I am making a difference, which I know I am.”
Eileen, who writes about volunteering on Facebook already has three friends lined up to join her in the future.
Both mother and daughter admitted that getting used to the help desk’s online tasks, which include responding to people’s requests to apply for a labour card, or to open a bank account, or for help to write a CV, could seem a little bit stressful at first. “But once you get over that, it’s very intuitive,” commented Zoe, “and the process is quite simple.” For her part, Eileen acknowledged that having good computer skills as a volunteer would be a great asset, but was not critical, and that “even if you are not super [skilled] you can get through.”
And there is so much to do quite apart from the online tasks. Just spending time with members who drop in for a coffee, or to re-charge their phones, or simply for a chat feels rewarding. And then there’s Dignity’s market for refugees and others who have recently left the camp where they are housed upon arrival in Cyprus. The market offers a range of quality food items and other basic supplies which require replenishing several times a day. “I love re-stocking the shelves,” confides Eileen.
I was interested to know what each of them would take away as a memory – one amongst many – from their fortnight with Dignity, since spending time amongst volunteers with whom you would otherwise probably never cross paths, can, in itself, be enriching. “I still keep in touch with people I’ve met,” says Eileen, “and that’s a really cool part of the experience.”
“Even working with people who are much much older than me, I feel that we are peers,” Zoe concludes. “I don’t feel like there’s an age gap. I feel we are all here for the same purpose, we have the same mission, we all have the same goal.”
Written by volunteer, Jessica Barry.
