INTRODUCTION> Virtual Volunteerng : Other Approaches : Copyright

Virtual Volunteering

For every hour of help you receive, pass on two hours of your own skills and knowledge to someone else. You could either help someone in your own everyday life, or on a more official basis through volunteer organisations.

As a bit of a geek (had you guessed?), I'm particularly keen on the idea of virtual volunteering.

Some examples you could consider:

• Tutor a student on the other side of the world to help them improve their English. I don't really agree with English becoming the World Language, but I'm pragmatic - if you speak English, you have FAR more opportunities available to you. If you were lucky enough to be born in an English-speaking country, share that advantage with someone who wasn't. MIT are currently working to get MILLIONS of schoolkids in the Third World online (see below). Surely you can think of some way to help?
• Volunteer at a Teleseniors group, helping elderly people use the web to overcome physical limitations and allow them to communicate with their family and friends.
• Teach someone how to cook, so they eat less junk-food.
• Build a website for a local community organisation and teach someone there to update it.

There is a lot that you can do that won't undermine people's paid positions.

Everyone has something to share with others. It's not that I'm a sentimental do-gooder, it's just plain common sense. And if you learn to build websites, you can pass on all of the knowledge you have to others so much more efficiently.

I'm not naive enough to think that my own approach to web-building will suit everyone. You may prefer another approach, and if so I'm happy to recommend some alternatives to this site.

The truly wonderful MIT strike again, with their $100 Laptop For Every Child Program - it's going to change the world.