Where to volunteer to find sense of belonging?

[Wandafishcake]

Posting here for traffic.

I recently changed job. I much prefer my new role, and I’m happier with the work, but while my colleagues are lovely they aren’t interested in being a team beyond the actual job. They have busy lives and work colleagues just aren’t that important to them. We’re not getting together for a Christmas zoom meeting or anything, none of them wanted to do Secret Santa. It just makes me sad. My old workplace felt much more of a family and like we cared for each other.

I am a single person, early 30s, and I’m lonely. I have friends, but 1:1 friendships aren’t the same as feeling like I belong in a team. I love the actual job and it’s quite niche, so I’m not changing my workplace, but I thought I should look for this sense of community in a voluntary role. Something that bonds people. Something relating to public service maybe?

There is an RNLI nearby but I am not a strong swimmer and have poor vision (fine with glasses but -10 without). I would volunteer for the fire service but I suppose I am a bit scared? Again the vision might be a problem. I’m not afraid of physically or mentally demanding work, because I think that’s what bonds people, and I don’t mind a significant commitment at weekends & evenings or lots of training.

What else is there? Any ideas? I’m happy to give my time to any good cause, but it needs to be teamwork, I wouldn’t want to man a charity shop for hours.

Thanks for any ideas!

Guiding or scouting are the suggestions that leap out at me. Obviously need to get on with kids.

I don’t suppose you live somewhere with a Mountain Rescue? (I am nowhere near mountains, only moors, but we have one!)

Ooh yes, Parkrun! Aren’t the under 10 park runs starting up soon?

I've done lots of volunteering over the years (Homestart, bereavement counselling, animal rescue) (I'm late 50's) and by far the one which has lead to making friends outside of the role is working at a local heritage property (private preservation trust). I'm a steward and tour guide, and have made various friends from this role, some young, some old. We have such a laugh, and I love dressing up, so I always get called on to do the dressing up stuff. I've also been on local radio a few times promoting the trust. A few volunteers I know also volunteer with local NT properties, so that may be worth looking at.

Scouting? I was made very welcome, despite my complete lack of scouting experience, and stayed for nearly 10 years. I learned a range of skills and did lots of exciting things.

army, navy or air cadets

Special constabulary. The police service is very much a family and with your mental health experience you will have lots to offer

I used to volunteer at the local hospice on reception, it was the loveliest place ever to work, not one drop of sadness. It gave me a whole new look on life It was a truly uplifting place to work.

Pick a area you have real passion for. I volunteered for the Woodlands trust and now I volunteer in the SEN sector and am a school governor. Both have though me new things that I never would have been able to be involved in my job.

Community First Responders.
Mountain Rescue
PCSO
Pub Quiz team
National Park volunteer
Girl Guides
Search and Rescue

Girlguiding! Training and support for new leaders is great. Can also play to your strengths - my brownies do lots of outdoor adventure themed activities. Also
Brownies are hilarious.

Gardening/conservation for the National Trust?
But do remember that in many volunteer roles, you'll be working with different people each week depending on rotas. They'll be perfectly pleasant but probably not your new soulmates. And it won't necessarily come with a social life attached.

Conservation work is very team oriented.
Guiding is like a family but depending on your area you can find yourself with a lot of responsibility very quickly and personally I felt rather alone / under pressure operating with just a parent rota.

If you like animals, you could volunteer at your local rescue centre - there's a fab team of volunteers at ours. I've also walked/looked after some lovely dogs through Borrow My Doggy, which has been a really sociable experience.

Oh wow thanks for all the suggestions and lots I hadn’t thought of! I will definitely start checking out which are going on in my area. I just cannot WAIT for this awful pandemic to be over. I’ve been working from home, alone, since March and I want to be around people again so badly.

From the things you've suggested, becoming a special police officer might suit you right down to the ground.

But for something non-voluntary and just plain good fun - join a choir!

Came on to say parkrun too if you’ve one locally once they get going again. You don’t need to be a runner- they all take multiple volunteers each week to run and if you do it regularly you’ll soon get to know all the team/regulars. Best thing I ever took up!

I volunteered at my local CAB for about a year, and it was very friendly, drinks after work , christmas meals. I was sorry to leave but unfortunately I needed to earn more money so had to go back to work fulltime - it was a great place to volunteer, apart from the friendly team the work was also very interesting( I was part of the benefits advice team). I'm still touch with a couple of the people I worked with

@Wandafishcake Try the organisation most local to you on this list:

www.gvs.wales/about-us/wcva-county-voluntary-councils-cvcs-and-volunteer-centres-vcs

If you talk them about your reasons for volunteering they should be able to find some good options for you.

Might also be worth finding your local communities Covid Mutual Aid group too and offering support there. I live rurally and almost all of our small dispersed villages had one springing up from March to support older/vulnerable residents.

I've made some amazing friends through politics. My party isn't big where I live either but for those of us who feel strongly enough that the alternatives are equally shit that we're willing to spend our free time banging our heads against the brick wall of first past the post, there is very definitely a strong sense of being part of a team of idiots.

IME some groups are a better 'fit' with any particular personality than another, so I'd recommend joining something you like the look of but don't be afraid to move on and try something else if you don't feel part of that particular group of people.

Sometimes it's the other personalities that make a group work rather than the actual activity. I've a friend who swears she's tone deaf and has no sense of rhythm who ended up in a Morris group, which she loves because she really hit it off with the other people!

@400rabbits I agree citizens advice. U did every Friday for two years till my work situation changed.
Excellent team spirit, quizzes, drinks, Christmas parties, etc. Also very mentally demanding and interesting

Does citizen’s advice only need volunteers during work hours? I work full time so that could make it tricky for me.