With no plans yesterday I decided it would be a good
opportunity to explore a part of Derbyshire I didn’t know. Having only lived in
Derby for just over two years, there are plenty of areas I still haven’t
visited and don’t know much about. So
with pin in hand, eyes closed, standing over a map (okay, actually just a quick
search on the internet – but the old way sounds much more adventurous) the
place of choice was Melbourne. No, I
wasn’t hopping on a plane to the other side of the world. There really is a place just a few miles out
of Derby called Melbourne. After a
lovely hike through the woods amidst the beautiful autumnal leaves and conkers
galore, we came across this and it made me smile:
As part of Melbourne Festival, artist Sally Lemsford created
‘Can you spare a minute of your time please?’, a piece to show that
volunteering happens everyday, everywhere, between people on the street. I wholeheartedly agree that volunteering does
not have to be organised and structured, and I know from working with vInspired before that the outdated image of volunteering as a formal, weekly
commitment in a charity shop can still deter young people from getting
involved.
Simple acts of kindness that the people of Melbourne did for
each other were recorded and added to the clock, each representing a minute
spared for the benefit of others. ‘Tom
drew me a map’, ‘Sharon peeled an unripe banana’ and ‘Ann directed me to a cafe’
are almost effortless tasks that took just a minute. But that minute spared could have made
someone’s day or helped them more than you or I may realise.
Team v Derby City
needs people aged 16 – 25 to give as little or as much time as they want to
help run campaigns in Derby, tackling important social issues, and changing our
community for the better. Volunteering
for Team v Derby City won’t be formal or strict, and it definitely won’t be
boring! Any time you can give will make a difference. Like the people of Melbourne, we want to prove
that society isn’t ‘broken’ and Derby is full of young people willing to spare
a minute (or more!) to do something good.
Can you spare a minute? Get in touch!
Email: Lucy.Dean@vinspired.com
Twitter: @TeamvDerbyCity
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamvDerbyCity
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