At CFS Events, we recognise the importance of giving back to the community and the advantages of providing our team members with opportunities to take part in voluntary work for local and national charities. This blog delves into one of our team member’s recent volunteering activities for The Dot Collective, a professional theatre company created for those with additional needs and dementia, and how these engaging corporate volunteering days inspire the team and benefit the business…

 

The importance of storytelling

Recently, I used one of my volunteer days to participate as a workshop facilitator assistant at a care home for the elderly in Oxford. The role included supporting participants, who have dementia and complex mobility and cognitive needs, to engage with creative writing and communication as a group. I was also asked to assist in monitoring and recording story themes that came up throughout the day and getting photo documentation.

 

The aim of this workshop was to engage participants through conjuring up memories, imagination and creativity within the over-arching theme of ‘A Day at the Races’. Through discussion of the participants’ previous experiences of going to Ascot, watching races on television, winning and losing bets they’d placed and what they’d wear if they were to go to the races today (one resident of the care home suggested a mini-skirt and tank top!), we were able to create a story or sort of mini-play.

 

There was ‘fancy hat-making’, toy horse racing, jockey-style clothing to don and much hilarity. Some of the care home residents had fond memories of horses they used to own, and others suggested things they’d bet now if they were gambling on a race: a hat, a coin collection, a song. In fact, the participant who’d bet a song on her wind-up horse, Bernie, to win, gave a beautiful rendition of ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’, which everybody (residents, staff and workshop leaders) joined in with. There was such a sense of mutual support and fun and community, as well as the sense that these stories needed to be remembered and told and heard.

 

Storytelling helps develop empathy in listeners and build identity in the telling. It was beneficial to step away from an office environment for a day and gain new perspectives and hear different priorities from people who had lived full and varied lives.

 

The Charity

The Dot Collective was formed in 2016​ to provide innovative theatre of a high, professional standard that’s accessible and cognitively stimulating for those living in care, particularly those living with dementia.

 

The charity uses sensory activities to reconnect participants with their pasts, create joy-filled experiences and reduce isolation, as well as bringing professional theatre to care homes, where there often isn’t the opportunity to engage with the arts. With a team of professional actors and artistic directors, the company transforms spaces, creating a theatrical experience in a living room or garden. Through the storytelling workshops, they work with participants and professional writers to create new plays inspired by the memories of those in care, meaning their voices are heard and raising a positive awareness of dementia through the arts.

 

​So, why do corporate volunteering?

Along with the sheer joy of getting to hear stories and play dress-up and get creative, the day with The Dot Collective broadened my outlook, helped me to actively listen and empathise, and gave me a real sense of community spirit. All of these outcomes are advantageous in the workplace and can help to gain a better sense of perspective and understanding on issues that arise at work, other team members’ and clients’ needs, and an ability to think ‘outside the box’.

 

But there are tons of other benefits to spending a day or so volunteering!

 

Empowering:

 

  • You can discover new things about yourself, such as skills and strengths
  • You can feel a renewed sense of purpose
  • You can return to your workplace with more focus and boosted morale
  • You may bring fresh ideas back to your team

 

Team Building:

 

  • If you do a volunteer activity with teammates, you can discover their skills and strengths
  • You can spend quality time with colleagues and get to know them better
  • You may get to spend time with people you don’t usually work with

 

A Positive Impact:

 

  • Businesses can raise awareness of their chosen charity or organisation
  • Employees can make a positive impact on the community
  • Employees feel an increased sense of pride in their work and in their company

 

What volunteering activity will you choose?

 

Of course, you don’t need to run a story-telling workshop if that’s not your thing! There are lots of opportunities to volunteer across a range of activities, including working at a food bank or coordinating donations for charities, mentoring or coaching, litter-picking or coastal clear-ups, supporting a local event, or helping out at an animal shelter to name a few. You could also organise a team fundraising activity, do a sponsored running/walking event, or hold a coffee morning at your workplace.

 

Volunteering will improve your mental and physical well-being through the opportunities it provides to cultivate new or existing friendships, develop a sense of purpose, learn new skills and refresh your perspective.

 

Written by Ellie Cope (Events Manager)

 

For more information about The Dot Collective, visit their website: https://www.thedotcollective.com/

Charity number: 1169951

 

For more information on CFS Events’ Event Management Services, please click here or email daisy@cfsevents.co.uk

 

CFS Events x

 

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