quick voluntary survey; do you volunteer and if so...

[thirtysomething]

how many hours a week, doing what and most importantly do you enjoy it?
I have both kids at school now and do some paid work but not full-time - I am looking for some voluntary work to feel a bit more useful and maybe expand my social network a bit! So any ideas gratefully received!

I chair our local choral society, organising three concerts a year and two carol concerts. it's tons of work actually.
I am on the board of trustees of the local music education centre, helping out with workshops etc.
I am on the committee of the local NCT branch. I m membership secretary, co-ordinate the newsletter and help out in other things. I also teach - for which I will eventually get paid - antenatal classes.
I am on a committee for the local village website and to get people in the village access to the internet.
I am also on the preschool committee though I distinctly remember saying I wouldn't.
I am on an Arts Forum committee for the arts in the local area.
I am also on a parish council subcommittee for a new playground.
I also do volunteer work in schools (musical stuff mainly).

1-2 hours a week at Rainbows

I have read the thread now, what a fascinating list!
I have done National Trust and English Heritage and Woodland Trust volunteering in the past and loved it.
the musical stuff is absolutely the basis of my social life.
there are a million committees out there looking for people to help. have you tried your local volunteer bureau?
personally I would love to do mentoring, or advocacy work, or prison visiting. maybe one day, when the children are older.

I think to get the most out of it you need to do something you will enjoy even just a little bit or perhaps consider what is going to help you employment in the future.

You have to consider what kind of people you will be working alongside and what expectations there will be of you. I have worked in an Oxfam shop and I was the only person under the age of 60, I was young but I really enjoyed it and they gave me a lot of responsibility.

I used to be an editor for Netmums that was largely voluntary and gave me lots of useful skills to fill up my cv.

I've also befriended a person with a mental illness which was quite a challenge but I had to stop because he thought I was his girlfriend and it was causing problems.

I've fundraised for a local charity which again gave me very useful skills.

I think you need to make a list of your skills and approach local charities to see if they can make use of your skills. The benefits of working for charities such as the Red Cross for instance is that you get the opportunity to go on training courses that expand your skills and could lead to something more in the future.

Oh, I forgot - I worked at Oxfam for a while too, one day a week while ds was in preschool - really enjoyed it, as got to do everything from window dressing to till work, so being in charge of the books room (swooon)

But feel quite sad now, as I work 5 days a week and have no time to volunteer anymore.

I am Unit Guider of a Rainbow unit
I am assistant Guider of Brownie Unit
I am Chair of PTA

I also work 3 days a week and have two dd's!

I trained as a Community Educator for the Australian Breast Feeding Association, I can''t attent the local group meetings anymore as I have college on that day but this thread has jogged my conscience and made me realise I must show my face a bit more, well a lot more really