At a community farm, there is always another job to do.
There are seeds to sow, vegetables to harvest, weeds to tackle and countless practical jobs that keep the space going. When volunteers generously give their time, it would be very easy to focus entirely on getting those jobs finished. Sometimes one of the most valuable things we can do is stop. Put the tools down. Make a cup of tea. Sit together. And occasionally, play a game.
It might look like a simple tea break, but we believe these moments are an important part of what volunteering in a community should be about.
Research gives us good reason to think about volunteering as much more than unpaid work. NCVO’s national Time Well Spent research found that 93% of recent volunteers said they enjoyed volunteering, while almost nine in ten said they had met new people. More than three-quarters, 77%, reported that volunteering had improved their mental health and wellbeing. [ncvo.org.uk]
Why games?
Games have a wonderful ability to change the dynamic of a group. When we’re working, people naturally have different roles, experience and abilities. One person might have years of gardening experience while another has never held a trowel before. Sit around a table with a simple game, though, and those distinctions can become less important.
That’s the culture we want to nurture. One where play isn’t seen as frivolous or as time wasted, but as another opportunity for connection.
Connection is part of the benefit
When somebody gives a morning or an afternoon to a charity, there is an exchange taking place that isn’t financial. They give us something extraordinarily valuable: their time.
We want to give something back. Not payment, and not simply a thank-you at the end of the day, but an experience of being welcomed into a community.