SPEAKER_02 0:01

Welcome to another episode of From the Park Bench, where an artist and an athlete sit, observe, discover, and inspire the communities of arts and sports. Because we believe that arts and sports matter and play a huge role in shaping our youth. Will we connect? Will we collide? Will we achieve common ground on the topic today? Find out as we talk From the Park Bench.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Good morning, Kamala. Morning! So I like to think of this as our getting to know you section. You

SPEAKER_02 0:35

know me.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Yes, but I'm talking about the audience. You don't know me. Hello? Text me. So quick question for you. And again, this is for the audience because I obviously, of course, I know all this stuff. As the summer is upon us and the warmer weather is here, what do you typically do to enjoy the warmer summer weather? What do you like to do on a summer Saturday?

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Well, ride my bike. Duh. So for me, it's a bike ride. And especially in the summer, what I love most is night bike rides. Because hot summer nights in my radius. Who was that?

SPEAKER_00 1:19

I don't know. Van Halen. What was it? Hot

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summer nights.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Oh, that wasn't Van Halen.

UNKNOWN 1:24

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Hot summer... I think it's Honeymoon Suite. No. Anyways, that's horrible. That's horrible. Check it out, everybody.

SPEAKER_02 1:32

Yeah, yeah. Tell us what we did wrong. But hot summer nights are the best on a bike ride. Because normally, I don't like to be cold. So at night, I'm always wearing a jacket. I always feel like I'm cold and it's like a cold breeze. But in the summer at night, oh, and there's that warm breeze, like that tropical wind.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

It's

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amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

And the lights and and and the community is just kind of still at night but there's this magic in the air especially in Ottawa along the canals with all the lights it's so I feel it's romantic magical and this breeze I love it so so

SPEAKER_00 2:15

you go when it's dusk like it's actually dark with the lights it's not just

SPEAKER_02 2:19

like like night

SPEAKER_00 2:20

like you can't see the pothole you're about to hit on your

SPEAKER_02 2:23

bike true that is true it is can be kind of dangerous but But I do have a nightlight on my bike, so I am safety first. Well, it could be. But yeah, a night bike ride.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Very cool.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Volunteering today. And I remember when you came up to me and when I approached you with this topic and you're like, volunteering? What is there to talk about? Do you remember that? But for me, I think it's the untold stories of volunteering. It's those things that we don't talk about that I love talking about. And in volunteering, there's putting on my relationship coach hat. There are so many relationships within it. So you have the relationship between yourself and the cause. If it's something that you truly believe in, like this is important to me and I want to do something towards this. Then you have a relationship between yourself and your community and connecting with people. And that's where, you know, there's tons of articles and research behind upping that happiness meter, that volunteering can help raise that bar of just feeling good and mental health. And then you have the relationships with the other volunteers. I mean, you're literally put in a group with people that you don't know. They're ultimately strangers with all these different personalities and walks of life. And then you're having to do a task together. I organizers and the volunteers and and how that structure works and sometimes it's not always the best relationship uh you know we can get into more of that but that's kind of where the good the bad and the ugly because there are so many untold stories there's so many wonderful things but there's so many untold i don't want to say ugly but just not great stories in it as well

SPEAKER_00 4:18

yeah yeah i mean volunteers are often run by volunteers right so it's uh it's uh it can be a bit of a messy world.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

Yeah. And I've had experiences with both. I've been the one organizing volunteers. I've been, you know, recruiting volunteers. I've been that volunteer in so many fast girl guides. I mean, my gosh, that was one of my best volunteering experiences. I remember how excited I was because I never got to be a girl guide when I was younger. So to act as a girl guide leader with my daughter was a whole venture into volunteering that was just fantastic because you have that mentorship aspect like the giving back the creativity I soaked it in like a sponge and that's a ginormous organization that's run on volunteer basis if it wasn't much as it is in sports if the volunteers were there then it wouldn't exist so the gratitude and the appreciation that's there but also the structure Unfortunately, that is where I witnessed those that having a bit of that authority role using it as leverage. And sometimes it's almost like it's a bit of a power trip that happens and it's unfortunate, you know, and that's where talking about it and voicing it, kind of nipping it in the bud because they're in that role. But we're all volunteering. We're all here for the same thing, but that they can take it and almost turn it into an advantage of, you know, of power.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Yeah, I know. It's, I mean, I've seen it a lot in the minor sports world where they're, you know, they have their regular day job, which maybe they have a middling role or they don't have the influence they want. Then they become, you know, in a leadership position that the president or the whatever it might be of an organization. Yeah. And then it's their time to shine and they get to put their stamp on it. And most, I mean, I don't want to say it incorrectly, 99% percent of people in in minor sports for sure are there for the right reasons and even the ones that step across the line they're probably there for the right reasons but they don't necessarily have the skills to do it right you can't just do it because you don't have the titles so

SPEAKER_02 6:38

and people are people it's it's just like in girl guides i mean you're 100 99.9 of them are great and there's going to be bad seeds in everything you do and people are just people and sometimes you have no idea

SPEAKER_01 6:50

yeah

SPEAKER_02 6:51

exactly to your point they could be frustrated in their day

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job right and and

SPEAKER_02 6:54

they could be berated suppressed like there's there's a whole bunch of stuff going on that it just kind of the outlet is unfortunately in these different environments but but for the most part there there is a lot of of good but there are just those stories that and I think it's important to talk about because I do remember even in Girl Guides thinking the way she's this was a woman and the way she was acting and treating and behaving it wasn't right and I remember kind of saying like I don't it doesn't feel good like there's just something wrong about it and I don't and I think it's just a matter of having that conversation having a discussion talking to others about it when you're witnessing something that in your gut doesn't seem right just talk about it with that person and with others to get support

SPEAKER_00 7:45

yeah I think it's you know, in that space, it really comes down to, with volunteers, there are so many that are required, right? And if you become a president of an association or something along those lines, you're not, you're getting chosen by the group, so it's, I want to say more of a popularity contest, but no one's looking at your CV and saying, oh yeah, you would be perfectly qualified for this position. Sometimes that happens, but there's a lot of situations where they're the only person for the job, right? And I think by that, in doing so they're at a disadvantage because they're going to do the best they can, but they may not have the skills. And I think that affects the entire organization.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Or, sorry, I was going to say on that, or sometimes someone's volunteered, or you use the term voluntold, which I don't love. It should always be an ask. But like, hey, aren't you good at crafts? You can make the signs. So someone knows of a skill that you have and you're kind of assigned that role. Or aren't you good at communications? Well, maybe would you be able to put the this out on social media or whatever the case may be but because of a skill that you have you kind of are asked to

SPEAKER_00 8:53

volunteer for that role and I think that's mostly how it happens right like the I know we're talking about the fringes where there's challenges but the even mild challenges exist because of when you're a volunteer you just came from work like you've had your day job you've got stuff at home so it's there's only so much space and bandwidth to get this stuff done right so and one of the stats I saw was 73% of communities sport organizations are volunteer driven. But the number is actually higher. So I think that relates to organizations that are completely volunteer. Like it's a board that runs the club. There's no staff. Because the real number for volunteers in a sport organization is high 90s. For sure. Significantly. I would think so. Almost everybody's a volunteer aside from a few paid staff if you're lucky enough to have paid staff. So it's a very important piece. And again, like anything else on the sports side, Every club does it differently, right? So if you've got someone that can organize it or knows who to look after or who to identify to be in certain roles, you can. But again, even as a president, I'm a volunteer. You know, if Kamala says she wants to do it and I know her a bit, we need somebody, awesome, great. Do the best you can. On to the next thing, right? So I think all volunteers are coming there with their best intentions in mind, but it's not always the best person.

SPEAKER_02 10:16

Well, you said something, too, about So one thing that I'm really known for is, and I know this about myself, is sometimes taking on too much. And maybe there's the maybe even a bit of the asking for help, like, OK, I'm in this too deep. How am I ever going to get myself out of this? You know, I've committed to all these things and I'm just kind of overwhelmed. But I think that's where the support of the group, the asking, the communicating, the saying, hey, I've I've kind of taken on too much or timing, because remember, everybody does have these day jobs. So all of a sudden, what if your day job just like inflates? Yeah. Without the volunteers, even in the arts and sports, these activities or whatever they're providing wouldn't exist.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

It doesn't happen. And it's funny, you talk about the voluntold comment. I used to run a soccer club and the volume of coaches you need are incredible, right? So you need people to stand up and say, I'm going to volunteer. And there's always gaps for the start of the season. So I would walk to the field the first day, which everybody's excited. And we know there's four or five teams that don't have coaches. And as the parents walk up to the field, I say, hey, are you the coach? And they say, no. I'm like, do you want to be? Because we don't have a coach, right? So you have to have that real discussion with the parents to say, nobody's stepped up, but we need to do this by committee for now until we find someone that says they're going to.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

Like an interim, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

And what often happens is there are people on that team that have coached and would want to coach, but I'm taking this summer off. Like I wasn't going to coach. Okay, fine, I'll do it, right? And that kind of gets me into like, why do people volunteer? And I, you know, I think I don't know if we've mentioned this yet, but generally, why did I volunteer? I volunteer because I coach my kids' teams. I just have a passion for minor sports, so I wanted to help. I helped coach teams, or I volunteered to coach when I was in university. I didn't even know who these kids are, but I just wanted to be in that space and give back to sports. So that was my passion. It's why I did it. So it was not easy for me, but the motivation was there. So I did whatever I needed to do to be that coach. So I think that's why most people volunteer, because they... They want to be in that space. They want to give back. When you play sports as a kid, you know that all the people that are coaching you are volunteers. You just want to do the opposite and give back. And that's why I joined my first board was Baseball Oshawa because I just wanted to be a part of this structure that meant so much to me and give back. Well,

SPEAKER_02 13:35

it's funny because why I volunteer for different organizations, it's all kind of different and timing. But for Girl Guides, it was because they didn't have that opportunity as a kid. And I would volunteer for sports because I'm not that great at it. So

SPEAKER_00 13:48

maybe... You would not volunteer or you would? Oh, I would. Okay,

SPEAKER_02 13:51

okay. Yeah, because that's my way of being part of sports and I don't have to play. Right, right. Maybe I could be like a ball person or like...

SPEAKER_00 14:01

You could be the team manager because if you don't know how to play the sport, we don't want you teaching the kids.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

I'm kidding. Okay, I was going to say, doesn't a team manager actually have to know

SPEAKER_00 14:10

something about... Well, no, but what you said earlier about they don't have to specifically know, but it allows you to be a part of the team without having to teach the kids the details because it's funny, just maybe think of something. One of the reasons that people don't volunteer is because they have fear of being inadequate, that they can't do it, right? And I recall, again, a soccer example where I was on the field looking for coaches because you didn't have coaches. And there was this big, strong muscle guy who I did my, hey, are you the coach? No, do you want to be the coach line to him? And he was, and this is a guy that was intimidating, right? But he was fearful of coaching you six girls. Not because he's scared, he just didn't understand the sport right so it doesn't matter who you are right if you don't understand the sport or you don't know what to do that kind of fear can creep in and at that age level I said these are young girls they don't know anything about like whatever you tell them they're going to believe right because you want to be a leader but I think that holds people back is that they don't feel they have the skills which for you you were in the girl guide thing that's what it was a girl guide so I thought my first thought was I would not want to have done it because if I wasn't, if I didn't have the experience, because I want to draw on my experience as a youth and then say, I'm going to do it as an adult. But you did the opposite, which is great, right? Totally. Yeah. So you understood. I mean, as a woman, you're probably more evolved than most men are. Sorry, guys. But in terms of thinking of those things. No, I know. I meant that. But, you know, you can sort of think outside of the box and then think more practically about supporting kids and that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

But on that note, you made a good point about people not thinking. that they have the skills. I was part of a, I volunteered for an organization. It was Magic of Children in the Arts and it was the largest art exhibit of kids in elementary school. So it was, it was amazing what we had all volunteer run and we had art teachers, art artists go into the schools and teach children various mediums and various techniques. And it was, it was logistically, it was, Unbelievable, because we went into the schools, we conducted these art classes, then we took all the art. We had volunteers go to the schools, pick up all the art, take them to a local library where he exhibited it like a ginormous art museum. And each piece was judged. Wow. I know. We had to get volunteers to judge each of the art pieces. And we would ask, and they were like, I don't know anything about art. Just say what it makes you feel. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting. and I got a ribbon for it. It was wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

That's amazing. That just made me think too about how organizations can be better at inviting volunteers to come, right? Yes. So if you provide a structure by which they can feel safe or you give them support and training, I mean, that doesn't always exist. 100%. And I

SPEAKER_02 17:39

think that done well is something that is often overlooked. And I think having that structured process even though it is for volunteering, is so important. Each step along the way, the wording used, the ask, the how, the when, the setting up the parameters and the conditions. You'd only be doing it for this amount of time. You don't need to know anything about art. We will be mindful of time. You'll get refreshments on the day of. Setting up those intentions sets up safety and they understand everything going into it so the relationship has everything structured and set up. So there's no, there's no surprises. Everyone knows what's going on and it gets you excited. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's, um, that's really good. I wonder what, again, only drawing from my experience when you, even clubs that have on the sports side that have staff, it's still only a handful of staff and they're like, I think we had 300 plus volunteer coaches and we only had six or seven staff. Right. So there's only so much you can do, but, but what you said there was is very nuanced. And if clubs could think about it in that way. And we did our best. We tried to offer support. We offered for the coaches new drills every week for the hosting kids so they had something to try and work off of. But I think it's more than just that. It's the whole life cycle of a volunteer, which really makes a difference, I think.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Well, and to your point, do they have the resources to have someone to plan it? I mean, you want to plan for the volunteers. Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, yes, yes. The plan of the volunteers is crucial in pre, during, and post because those volunteers, not only do you want them for the next event, but they're kind of the cheerleaders for the event. They're going to talk about their experience and they're going to say, oh my gosh, it was a fantastic event. I did this and that. And whoever they tell that ripple effects, kind of like marketing, you know, they then talk about what they experienced and then what festival was that? And they look it up and,

SPEAKER_00 20:47

you know. It's interesting too. Sorry to jump on you there. Yeah, no. It reflects poorly on the brand. It reflects poorly. That's what I'm

SPEAKER_02 21:23

trying to say. Thank you. It does. And from a marketing perspective, marketing PR, not that there's good intentions with every organization and club. They're doing it with heart. Their why is from a heart, genuine place. But some often with that lack of resources, not being prepared, without judgment, I say with peace and love, with no judging, sometimes it does reflect that it looks like it may be perceived as they don't necessarily care or they haven't taken the time to really plan for those volunteers or for the event itself but it's just but when they do and when that extra effort is put in that really elevates the organization and the connection to not just the volunteers but the attendees the everyone involved in that organization

SPEAKER_00 22:14

and what you said earlier too I mean the benefits of volunteering are numerous, right? Just the joy you get out of connecting and being a part of it and helping your community and helping kids. I mean, it's, there's a lot of reasons why people should want to volunteer. For sure. And like you say too, if the, again, I don't want to beat on the clubs or the people that are supporting it. If you have that experience, sometimes it is you. It's not the organization. Yes. Because you can do, you can't just say, oh, they didn't do this. I'm not going to do this anymore. Like you're required because they're all kind of volunteers. Yeah. But I think there's, there's so much value, especially if it's an area you're passionate about. If you're not getting the support you need, then say, how can I help here? What more can I do?

SPEAKER_02 22:52

Well, the worst thing to hear is someone that having a bad volunteering experience and then not volunteering again. I still went back to girl guides. I still volunteered. Those bad experiences, what you want to do is learn from them. Don't judge them. Don't judge the people involved. Don't judge the situation. And then try it again. Give it another shot. But please volunteer because you are so right. The benefit Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. with me maybe I will next time and you raising your happy meter is contagious to those around you and it will raise theirs and what you your do-gooding will inspire others to do the same so

SPEAKER_01 24:00

yeah

SPEAKER_02 24:00

so please volunteer in any way you can even if it's for half an hour a month I mean no one's saying it's got to be you know like these absurd amount of hours that you have to commit if you can only commit a certain amount then that's fine boundaries are important

SPEAKER_00 24:14

yeah and just to pull it back to the sports thing briefly It's all this stuff that we talk about, the sort of mess in the background, the mishandling of volunteerism, all that kind of– those challenges.

UNKNOWN 24:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:26

The kids, from a sport perspective, when you're their coach and you're there volunteering, they don't know any of the other stuff that's going on in the background. They just know that you're the coach, you're there to help me. So as you said, I mean, there's so much positive to volunteerism that we can't lose track of the fact that the people that you're volunteering for really enjoy the fact that you're there and they're happy that you're coaching them or whatever they might be thinking. So yeah, the other stuff can work out for sure. Gratitude for both sides. Gratitude

SPEAKER_02 24:55

for just being and being part of something bigger and something with your community and gratitude from the organizations for those that have helped. So I think, yeah. And I don't judge. I mean, sometimes when I see someone wearing a horrible skirt, I'm going to judge. I'm just joking. I never do. But you don't know anyone's situation, their home life, what they came into that event or organization for or why. Their why. their story that led them to where you are. All you can do is just do the best you can with the people that are there and just have fun. You know, at the end of the day, whatever you're volunteering for, let's not forget that we're doing it for fun, right? I mean, there is a cause and there's a purpose to it, but

SPEAKER_01 25:44

if

SPEAKER_02 25:44

you're not doing it for fun and if it's not making you happy, don't quit necessarily, but just look at it and how can I make this more fun?

SPEAKER_00 25:53

Exactly. And there's so many benefits to volunteering we strongly recommend that everybody volunteers and if you have the time just pick something just be a part of the community

SPEAKER_02 26:03

100% so I guess we definitely connected on this one although we talked about maybe some collisions but I felt there was we connected here yeah it's an important topic it is it is an important topic and we do want to hear from everyone if you have a volunteering story that you'd like to share go to fromtheparkbench.ca leave us a message let us know your thoughts, your experiences, what you thought of what we had to say. And yeah, because I'm always curious to hear other people's stories. I love listening to it. So thank you. And thank you, Bart Mart, for our amazing studio. Thank you to my wonderful co-host, Ted, for all his wonderful sport insights. And we say chat soon from the park bench.