Free time?

What do volunteers look like? If they are like me, they are dressed head to toe in black (black facemask included), and they hide in the dark for two hours. Every 20 minutes or so, they move around large wooden frames three times their height, and then go back to their hiding places.

If that doesn't sound like your idea of volunteering then you probably haven't been backstage at an amateur pantomime (which is where I've spent my evenings for the last week and a half). It only happens once a year, and honestly it's one of my favourite things to do. It's tiring - particularly when the set is as enormous as our set is - but it's incredibly rewarding. In the 20 minute gaps in the dark I try and keep up with my other volunteer roles, emailing fellow trustees to put together annual reports and to make sure our AGM is organised on time.

Whenever I talk to people about how I spend my days (9-5 at work, 5.30-10 in the theatre, sometimes at choir, sometimes at other board meetings or supporting other theatre groups and societies) they always say the same thing...

That sounds so tiring...you must not have any free time!

I find that comment so fascinating. This is my free time. It's the time which I have available to give freely. I happen to give up as much of my time freely as I can, by sitting on boards or by getting hands on in the theatre, and to me the absolute best thing about it is the knowledge that I'm able to contribute. Volunteers are the backbone of our society - whether they are out and about delivering food parcels, sharing their skills and knowledge to lead charities, helping kids learn about history and science at museums, or spending time answering calls on a helpline. All of those people are giving their time freely, and I'm certain not one of them feels that it's a waste of their "free time".

It's important for me to take a step back though at this point and say that I realise how privileged I am to be able to volunteer. Not everyone has time to freely give in the way that I do right now. Many people in our communities are forced to use all of their available time working to put food on the table. Others have family or other personal commitments which mean that their time is never entirely theirs to give. Still others need to give their time back to themselves, to rest and recuperate ready for the next big thing. Voluntary roles aren't always accessible, and they aren't always easy to find. Even as a keen volunteer, it took me years to get involved in a lot of the things I now call my passions.

Volunteering is a privilege, and it's a pleasure. I hope we can do more to encourage those who have it to give their time freely, and I hope we can do more to make volunteering something for everyone. For a lot of people, it starts with finding the right opportunity, so if you're reading this and thinking about the time you have available to give freely then please start thinking about how you'd like to give it. Here are a couple of the things I think about when I spot a new opportunity:

1. How much time does the role need? Is it a regular commitment or is it as-and-when?
2. How much can I give? Do I need to set clear boundaries to do my best job?
3. What do I have to offer? What does the project or organisation need?

Here's another version of me as a volunteer. This one doesn't involve any heavy lifting, or any late nights. It doesn't involve me knowing the difference between a parcan and a fresnel (which if you're interested are two different types of theatrical light).

This one involves me turning up each week to be an active part of my community choir. It involves me committing to regular rehearsals, it involves me being invested, and it also involves me bringing forward my professional knowledge of governance and my financial awareness. As a trustee and the treasurer of Leeds Vocal Movement, I give my time voluntarily to help my choir succeed - it's just an additional perk that I get to sing as well.

Every volunteer looks different. There are people working the equivalent of a full time job ensuring community gardens are well tended, and others who spend a couple of hours a month attending meetings. There's no "right" way to be a volunteer, and no "right" way to give your time freely. But if you have some free time, and a passion, then there will be an opportunity for you. Instead of scrolling across to the next mindless show on Netflix, I urge you to take a moment and think about whether you could do some phone befriending instead. Maybe you know a lot about cats, or rhubarb, or property law, and maybe you could give that knowledge freely to an organisation that needs it.

The people who are worried about my free time aren't wrong...I don't have a lot of moments in my life where I'm not doing something. But if you're reading this and you're interested in starting your own journey to give your time for free then please get in touch. I will happily (and freely) give any advice I can.

...if I'm not busy at the theatre.