To think the Big Help Out seems like a cheek

[teneastereggs]

People are working really hard on the whole, often several jobs, NMW and look at doctors working for not great pay. People who want to volunteer probably already are, many for instance volunteer for all our food banks. AIBU to think the Royals suggesting we all volunteer to 'celebrate' the Coronation seems like a cheek?

How is holding our leadership to account 'negativity'?
People are justifiably annoyed that a multibillionaire, instead of putting his hand in his pocket, is calling upon the squeezed public to reach deeper into their already threadbare ones.
It would be different if, say it had been accompanied by a sizeable grant, awards, or some tangible help.
As a volunteer myself I appreciate the benefits. I work with disadvantaged young people providing career advice.
What I don't approve of is the government and/or private corporations offloading their responsibilities onto the general public.
So many roles that used to be paid are now staffed by 'volunteers' - with onerous interview processes etc.
There are lots of articles talking about a snortage of volunteers to fill 'key roles',, like this for example:
https://www.pilotlight.org.uk/news/are-we-past-peak-volunteering

That doesn't sit right with me. Volunteering is about goodwill... 'key roles' should be paid.

Volunteering is about goodwill... 'key roles' should be paid. Completely agree. As pp have said, volunteers are often taken for granted.

As for the RF I do think it also take's the public's goodwill for granted. The Queen had it, but I'm not so sure about the remaining members.

Don't you have to jump through a lot of hoops to volunteer, a bit like getting a paid job, you won't be able to just rock up and do some volunteering.

Similar @ichundich just come back from Poland - prices reasonable, no potholes, no rubbish, fab public transport and more plentiful fresh and affordable food.

utterly depressing getting back to rip off Britain, late train, barriers not working (as usual), rude taxi driver costing more than it did to travel 50km in Poland for a 5 minute journey here. Opened my Nextdoor app to read the first post - a rant about ‘illegals’ being housed in a hotel and looking forward to when ‘we ship the lot of ‘em off to Rwanda’. Disturbingly resonating after having visited Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Agreed.

Yes volunteering is a wonderful thing in some circumstances. But where the role is crucial pay people properly and stop trying to take advantage of goodwill.

I volunteer in a few different contexts but I've had to scale back one of my biggest commitments (running a children's activity) because I am knackered, done in. Partly I'm working far more hours because of the cost of living crisis and partly I'm fed up with a total lack of interest or appreciation from the paid staff in the organisation.

I will be volunteering on Friday Saturday and Sunday of the coronation weekend. Then on Monday we all have to come back to run a big help out event to try to get more volunteers. It won't it will just steal the only free fucking day of my weekend but the retired people who thought of it have all week to recover after that so that's all fine then 🙄

That sounds like a lot deplorabelle

It must be hard for charities, but also they do need to stop taking volunteers for granted and making increasing demands on them. People just can't do it, with working extra hours now, in many cases.

I used to volunteer when I had school aged DC, less out of a need to help people than to get experience and social contact. But I was let down and all the opportunities were flawed in some way - either token work which didn't need to be done, or too much office politics, or expectations too high with not enough training. Would not get involved in any volunteering now, even with plenty of time on my hands. Would rather spend time at the gym or doing adult education classes, everything is on my terms then.