Chat with an old lady, learn math with a primary school child or would you rather pick up rubbish on the Isar? Everyone who went to the volunteer fair at Marienplatz will be spoiled for choice this Sunday. Hundreds of people mill about in the gallery and in the large meeting room of the town hall, as well as in the hall of the old town hall, where a total of 75 clubs and initiatives present themselves with small stands. People want to help in their free time and do something meaningful. And they face the difficult task of choosing an organization that particularly appeals to them. They come “to see what their hearts burn for,” as Third Mayor Venera Dietl put it at the opening of the fair. According to Dietl, voluntary commitment is “the core of our society”. The trade fair is taking place for the 18th time. The SZ spoke to some committed people and seekers.
Daniela Groksch
Daniela Groksch
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
The 21-year-old student is involved in the Open.med contact point on Dachauer Strasse run by the “Ärzte der Welt” association and helps at reception a few times a month. There, people without health insurance receive medical care anonymously. She had previously worked as an intern and then decided to continue on a voluntary basis, says Groksch. You don’t necessarily have to be a doctor to help out in the club. She first studied health management and then switched to law. The association also has a foreign program, says her colleague at the stand, but at the moment they are increasingly looking for volunteers for the domestic program.
David Ludwig
David Ludwig
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
The 19-year-old says he completed his high school diploma last year, but his application to university has not yet been successful. He had already volunteered in his table tennis club, but wanted to do more. That’s why he came here to the trade fair to take a look at all the options. And also to spend the time wisely until you apply for university again.
He is interested in medical topics, says Ludwig. But he also believes that he is “good with older people.” He was surprised to see so many people interested in volunteering and all obviously wanting to help. “The willingness is great. That motivates me.” He hopes that the volunteer fair will continue for a long time. “Here you get good information and you get sweets,” says Ludwig with a smile.
Ulrike Dahme
Ulrike Dahme
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
Together with a colleague, Dahme is standing at the telephone counseling stand of the Evangelical Counseling Center in Munich and is recruiting volunteers. The 59-year-old has been working at the club since 2011, started as a volunteer herself and now works there full-time, as she says. She looks after the volunteers – after all, the voluntary work has to be coordinated. The colleague next to her only gives her first name, Claudia, but also doesn’t take a photo because she doesn’t want to be recognized. After all, someone who knows you might be hesitant to call the helpline.
The work is not easy, you have to be prepared to be confronted with difficult topics, says Dahme. The training for the volunteers is therefore extensive and lasts a year. This deters some who are looking for something short-term and less time-consuming, says Dahme. The question of young people is becoming “increasingly problematic”. But if you decide to do so, you become part of a familiar and stable circle of committed people and can support people in need. People of all faiths are welcome, it says on the club’s homepage.
Olaf Siedle
Olaf Siedle
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
There is a hustle and bustle in the town hall gallery. Olaf Siedle is standing next to the stand of the “Kinderhelden” association, which provides mentors for primary school children. “I’m retired and would like to do some volunteer work,” says the 56-year-old, who until recently worked as a technician at Telekom. His 22-year-old daughter Melanie accompanied him here. She says she is already involved and plays table tennis with people with disabilities. Now the father also wants to choose something suitable. He is open to many things, says Siedle, could imagine something with young people or in the family area, but would also contribute his technical skills. He also finds environmental issues interesting.
Heike Wimmer
Heike Wimmer
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
“I always wanted to get involved socially,” says the 43-year-old. The book “The Big Five for Live”, which is about knowing which five big goals you want to achieve in life, gave her the impetus to look for a suitable club. Wimmer says she finds it difficult to search for something suitable online alone, which is why she came here to the trade fair. Professionally, she does quality management for medical software.
Everyone here is so warm and tells so much, she likes that. Wimmer, for example, would find it very nice to accompany someone in their old age. She already does something like that with her neighbor. She is 80 years old and “super fit”, they like to spend time together and drink coffee. She is also interested in hospice care. Wimmer says that she had already taken care of the dying person for a week, and that was extraordinary. But she is not yet clear what it will ultimately be. She holds a whole stack of flyers and brochures from the individual clubs in her hands and moves on to the next stand.