Volunteering group meeting on 6 May 2025

Transcript

(This was made by an AI so may not be accurate)

Tessa: And you've got time. Yeah. And it was like a welcoming thing. And I think that's one of the ways that we can, as through Girona Buddies, be useful, I think. And on the piece of the river cleanup, that was actually on me, I was waiting. They said they were publicized. They're supposed to make a poster, the nature people. And it was to come out yesterday. And I didn't check on it. I didn't tell people, which was a good point. I kind of put it out there and I left it hanging. That's not such a good thing.

Yvonne: Yeah. I totally understand that because, yeah, most of the time you kind of are left hanging.

Tessa: Yeah. But I think your point is right. It's like sometimes, oh, let's do this. And then it kind of fizzles away. It gives that sense of like, well, I'm not going to do that again.

Yvonne: I'm not serious about that. Yeah. That's a really good point. And for me, anything about the cleanup of rivers, of banks, of old campsites Do you follow the group? Not that much.

Ruth: Probably not. I'll try and find them. We've done a couple, my son and I have done a couple of litter pickups around the rivers. They tend to do one every week.

Yvonne: And you're advertising that weekly, saying, yeah, you know, that kind of thing. And me, I guess, to me, knowing that now there's probably a lot of groups, you know, being that conduit of information, especially when I don't read Catalan. I'm okay about Castellano, but I'm still learning, going like, "Okay, was that the past tense or the future tense?" So, you know, it's getting there, but I'm not, you know, I'm not going to pick up the phone and say, "Hey, tell me more."

Tessa: And also having somebody else to go with. So it makes life easy, doesn't it? Particularly if your language skills are not so great, then it's kind of like you don't feel so much. I remember going to a meeting once of the friends of the art gallery, because there was something they were talking about, I thought it'd be interesting. And I've never felt more out of place. So it was sort of like groups who all knew each other, had known each other for 5,000 years. And me, and I can speak Catalan, but my Catalan's not great. And with a group of 20 people, it's like, and so I, and I never went back. And I don't think it was intentional on theri part, but it was sort of, you know, but had I possibly gone with somebody I knew, I would have felt, okay, maybe I could do something, or maybe I don't know, it would have been an easier experience.

Ruth Do you have a brigade of activists from Salvador?

Tessa Yes, yes.

Pablo These guys. They clean the rivers, okay.

Ruth So you can follow, well, I could send you the link to the WhatsApp group or follow them on socials.

Pablo Oh, yes, yes, yes. Here there are not different levels, because the rivers...

Pablo Our language, this last week, from Sunday, well, from Monday to Saturday, we have here a group from a worker European of telecommunication. It's another organization, but I am there. And I teach to a group of six women, but they are level seven, but four hours every day from nine until 1 p.m., 1.30. And finally, in five classes, they finish speaking and talking and asking for me for the conditional conjugation. And they are very happy, me too, as a teacher. I am not a teacher, I am an engineer, a telecommunication engineer, but I usually teach Spanish to Moroccan or South African people. Yeah, as a volunteer, but not because I oblige them to participate in the community, helping in other areas. For example, a woman who only knows how to cook, well, cook, but it's obligatory, but my students pay for working at the same level as me. So, well, this is only a thing about the language, about the Castellano. It's a possibility. For example, now, in the kitchen, there are a group of young people in the kitchen doing a class. It's a group of African young people, but it's good when they are here in the community, better than on the street. So, perhaps speaking English with them could be.

Ruth That would be something I would be interested in, to offer time, I used to teach English, and to offer time to maybe help or to translate. Like, I helped some women in difficult situations here when they needed translators, you know, where they've had problems with maybe abusive partners or custody issues with their children and they weren't able to translate, they weren't able to speak, so I would be interested in translations or the homelessness as well.

Yvonne Well, and even, you know, to that point, even, again, knowledge and resource of, you see someone on the street, you know, what should we do? You know, in the U.S., there are kind of rules on what you do and don't do, but what is the best thing? Do we hand them a card of where to go, or do we give them money, or do we just give food?

You know, the recommendations of what to do when someone is on the street with their cup, you know? You know, I'm good at doing any of those, but what will help, rather than perpetuate the situation? So, again, back to that information is knowledge.

Tessa And you were talking about a similar thing, about really this group being more about information gathering and disseminating.

[Speaker 3] Yeah, like taking the friction out of the process of, like, all these people that want to help, how do we make it easy for them to do that? How do we find and connect them with projects and connect them?

Yvonne Yeah, and I don't know if you, you know, every time there is an interest, then we get this, people going back and forth on it. Okay, well, where did they go? You know, and how do you get them to speak to each other or DM here if you're interested, rather than...

[Speaker 3] Have it all try to happen on WhatsApp.

Yvonne Yeah, and then you get all the information confused, right?

[Speaker 3] Yeah. Right.

Yvonne And then there's people who don't quite know how to reply at all or not reply. Right. Yeah, so that, again, I know that's an administrative task, but it's important.

Yeah. And, you know, to promote, you'll bring up, you know, come by twos, you know, just because it creates one bond and it creates some just, you know, partnerships and such. So, you know, saying we need two people at this time if you're interested in DM here, that type of thing, and then, you know, can help them get to that.

[Speaker 3] Yeah.

[Speaker 1] It is possible to participate in the bank of food. We collaborate with them when the people came to the shops. If the people are not from the time bank, they can pay with food for the bank of food.

And we have a good relation with the bank of food.

Ruth And do they need volunteers?

[Speaker 1] No. Well, no. It's not voluntary because it's only for the people who can pay.

For example, we have a class of dance and there are one person, but only one to come here only to dance. Well, perhaps it's not a social person, it's a normal person, but only one, the time bank, only for this. Well, this person can be here and they pay with food, but not for us.

Ruth But I mean, do the bank of food, do they need volunteers?

[Speaker 1] If anybody is interested in helping with the food bank? Yes, yes, yes. The time bank needs volunteers.

It's also a group that... If some of you are interested to participate, I can introduce them. Not you.

Tessa But there is also a group that never does it. No, they don't give it to you. Once a week, they go to two places in the city, I think one by the station and one not far from Vista Alegre, I think.

And it's a group of about, let's say, 10 people. And they cook, they take it in turns to make a meal. And people come to eat and they basically give out food, but it's actually home-cooked food that they take some time to share and then one other person takes responsibility for making sure there's bowls and plates and things.

And it's been going for a number of years now. And so now people know that they're there on, let's call it Thursday, at six o'clock, go to here and you can get a nice meal. And it's become quite a...

It's been going for a while. And I know that they could use some more people.

[Speaker 6] I was talking to somebody yesterday about it. To cook for poor people.

Tessa Right.

[Speaker 6] Well, this is people actually cooking in their homes and taking the food.

[Speaker 1] Here in the kitchen here, last year was a group about this. Every Monday, I thought, well, it's... Every Monday, there are a group of poor people.

They cook here with... Coordinated for one association. And it was interesting.

[Speaker 6] And then people came here to eat or they took the food? They cook here.

Yvonne It's a cooking class, yeah?

[Speaker 1] Well, it's a little cooking class because they are sociability. They are not only my take it, my signal. They are in a relationship.

Ruth Can you think of any activities that could be useful for the timeline? You know, that maybe us as foreigners could do or bring to the group? You suggested English classes, but...

[Speaker 1] For the timeline, as this kind of volunteering... No, but... Yes, it's possible for other organizations.

For example, we help to... Cancer Association, no? Cancer or...

Contra el cancer, el anti-cancer. So we help them. For example, in the day, what they are, they ask money for the association.

Other day, they ask for voluntary for... To cut the streets when the race... In Girona, in the Girona center.

So, for example, my student, my African student, I send them to cut the streets or to help the organization to put the chair, the table, all of this. It's a way to help to the Cancer Association.

Tessa So that would be one way.

[Speaker 1] They must, the Cancer Association, pay it when the people want to go there, receive the time when they are working there. And the time bank... Sorry, the Cancer Association pay this hour, helping us and doing a class of, I don't know, of musicotherapy, for example, one day.

So doing some activities, no? For example, you are... We are other organization, no?

And the hour of all and the four people what came here yesterday, as paying with the room for the Costa Brava on Sunday. I was on Sunday at the Costa Brava race. And so there is what activity for activities.

So similar with the with the Association for the Cancer and with the Civic Center, for example, the Civic Center has, for example, for next Wednesday, there are big activities, big activity about time, test the floors.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

[Speaker 1] So they are a party here and they ask we for help.

Tessa That's something that people have asked of us. Have asked how to participate in terms of the floors.

[Speaker 1] We must prepare paella for 20 people. Just when it finishes, we have an activity from Japanese people, other paella. So it's a cooking class, but will be not on Monday, but next week will be on Wednesday because they are Japanese group that is coming here for visiting us and to see how we work.

Oh, so we have fun.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

[Speaker 1] But later the party of the Civic Center, they finish at eight. We must prepare paella. And later we have other two paellas because we are 30 people.

Tessa So it sounds like one of the ways that because if Shona Buddies is as we're kind of looking for places that we could be supportive of and most outside of the immigrant, English speaking immigrant community, there's you're not very well known. So one of the ways would be really helpful is when people say, for example, people ask help from the time bank, like the cancer people to be able to say, yes, we can help you. And if we knew that that's going on, then we could put it out to people.

And that's another way that it filters through.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

Tessa Other than because you're much more connected to the community than we are.

[Speaker 1] Obviously. Yeah. Yeah.

Yvonne Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Exactly.

[Speaker 1] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[Speaker 7] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

[Speaker 1] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I think this revolution is good for the people of Tainan, who know you, and the other side too, because I think what you are doing is very interesting and powerful.

Tessa There's now 750 people. It's a big group.

Ruth Yeah, it is a big group. 750 people. Oh, is it really?

Yvonne Oh my gosh. I thought you said 100.

Ruth It does span from Jirunui to the coast.

Tessa Oh yeah, I was surprised there. I think the vast majority, I think it's...

Yvonne Yeah. Yeah, it's good to know people. Yeah.

I certainly don't want to rein it in. I just want to help organize it. Yeah.

We're good.

Tessa I'm glad you do.

[Speaker 3] What's interesting, what you mentioned too about, because it sounds like your interests align a lot, actually with the survey.

[Speaker 7] That's fascinating.

[Speaker 3] Because we did a little survey with people in the group and community beautification, which included litter pickup.

Yvonne And the river pickup.

[Speaker 3] Yeah, litter, like community art projects, community garden projects all fell into that kind of community beautification. I guess part of it too is that it doesn't require a lot of skill and maybe it feels very accessible to people. And you get to, I think with a lot of those projects, you get to be outside.

But it was sort of interesting to see what popped up to the top. It was community beautification and kind of cultural events and institutions, which I think... What did that mean?

I think it means, I mean, it didn't, there wasn't, I don't think necessarily like a descriptor. But I mean, I think it could mean anything from like people that want to get involved with one of the museums to Tempstah Floors.

Yvonne Right, right. Yeah, certainly as in needing people when big things happen. To assist in that.

[Speaker 3] Because it feels like if we focus on things where it feels like very accessible to people, like it doesn't necessarily require a lot of skill. We'll probably get the most takers. But even like things like kind of helping working with seniors.

I mean, there was a pretty broad set of interests. I mean, this is based on I think 21 people in the group. But I think it's probably pretty representative.

I think you're probably right. And I thought it was interesting. So the next question sort of was about like the amount of time.

I mean, I think people aren't, the majority of people probably aren't looking to do, you know, many, many hours a month. But it felt like we could probably have people that want to do something each month.

Tessa I mean, a lot of people in the three to fives.

[Speaker 3] Yeah.

Yvonne Oh my gosh.

Tessa You've got 50% in the...

Yvonne Qualified tree surgeon. Builder mechanic. Construction general.

Home maintenance. Subcycling.

[Speaker 3] So there was a question in there about language and whether that would be a barrier. And it felt like most people didn't think that it would. They weren't necessarily concerned about that.

And the other thing I thought was really exciting was the one about would people be willing to lead an effort. So I also think we can have it be fairly distributed in terms of like maybe people identifying and bringing ideas of places where, like, hey, I'm going to go volunteer. I'm going to go do this.

Does anybody want to join me? And kind of taking responsibility for maybe getting a few other people in the group to participate possibly. It was just exciting.

I mean, this was really a way to just engage the group and see kind of where people's interests lie.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

Tessa I think maybe another way of leading the initiative question, because that was between the maybes and the yeses, we've got 75%. Yeah. That, for example, just making this up, that if you were the beautification person, you know, you're beautiful.

You get to be the homeless person. But, you know, if we've kind of, as people maybe in this group, well, not as far as I think. But just that if as we're learning more about what's available, instead of sort of doing, I tend to do a sort of a shotgun approach to things.

I look at this and I look at that and I look at this and I'm a blimper. But being able to sort of like really dig into, OK, so what are the opportunities here? And if there's like, for example, Mary, who's really kind of invested in gardening.

[Speaker 3] Yeah.

Tessa To use that knowledge and then be able to share that, be able to make it more easy to give detailed information to people.

[Speaker 3] Because I feel like another important thing is that we have kind of, there's some consistency. And that if we, as a kind of community, agree to support certain, like work with certain organizations, that we do it in a consistent way. Because I feel like it will be counterproductive to sort of be like, OK, let's dabble, but not be reliable as a partner to the different organizations in Girona that we would seek to help.

I mean, I feel like that would end up being kind of counterproductive. So it's almost better to choose fewer.

Yvonne To start.

[Speaker 3] To start. And know that we can consistently provide at least a few volunteers when things come up and that they need our help.

Yvonne You know, beautification. Just knowing that there was that group, knowing that there's this group. To be able to, one person to be in the conduit saying we need two people on Saturday at 10 o'clock to do X.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

Yvonne And really specific. Yeah. And just be that back to the conduit.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

Yvonne Yeah. But, you know, I never knew about that group. Of course, I'm just, you know, I'm pretty new here.

[Speaker 3] I remember hearing about the Time Bank for the first time from James and Irina. And I was like, wow, this sounds so great. This is, but I would have never, I don't think I would have heard of it if it weren't from talking to them, like somebody I know.

Ruth So I've lived in Girona for 15 years, 16, and I found out about the Time Bank through Girona Buddies, which was two months ago. Yeah.

[Speaker 1] 15 years old.

Ruth I know. So I wonder, is there a way to make it more? Yeah.

[Speaker 3] I think, yeah, it feels like there's more that we can do to talk about the relationship, even kind of an early stage relationship between the Time Bank and Girona Buddies. And come up with like, as we're thinking about like meetups or activities, the hikes that we do. Like, how do we also let people from other members of the Time Bank come and participate in that?

Good.

Tessa Yeah. So that would mean giving you every couple of weeks, these are the activities coming up.

Ruth For example, when they go on hikes. Yeah. I think the predominant language is English.

Yeah. So maybe there are people who are into exercise and walking, but could like to practice English while walking. It's a different dynamics instead of doing it in a classroom.

[Speaker 1] Yeah. Yes, I did this kind of change with an Azerbaijani woman. She came here only for learning Spanish.

All the day free, only one class in the day. And they are searching for, looking for a person who can teach them. I participate in reciprocal exchanges.

We go to La Debesa speaking in Spanish, the teacher. And back, I was the student speaking in Spanish. We did this a long time.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

[Speaker 1] Because both need this activity, no? The linguistic couples are interesting in this case.

[Speaker 3] But I feel like that's another place where there's, we're seeing real traction within is doing kind of different like language exchange. Yeah.

[Speaker 1] Yeah. But not only language for someone, say if you are a mathematical teacher or other thing.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

[Speaker 1] It would be interesting to prepare a group. The problem that happens every Thursday or every day.

[Speaker 7] Yeah, to make a regular group. Yeah.

[Speaker 1] That is too much.

Ruth Like a workshop or one-off workshop or once a month or once a term or.

[Speaker 3] Maybe a fun thing to kind of get people in the group thinking about is sort of, because it's like kind of a different way to think about kind of volunteering is, what skills, what knowledge do you have? Like this guy, this person here.

Ruth So like upcycling, for example, this person. Maybe they want to organize a workshop with upcycling. Then we could do it alongside the time bank and join the communities together.

Or carpentry, like this guy. He's quite fast. He or she, I don't know.

Tessa I think it's Stuart. I think it's Stuart. But I think that could be really cool because also the Indooruna Buddies, there's the sustainability group and that's really active.

That sort of has kicked off a lot, as I can see. And that would obviously, so it doesn't have to be just people who fall into the, I don't want to get siloed. It's like just the volunteers.

Yvonne Yeah, or too siloed, you know what I mean?

Tessa Yeah, exactly.

Yvonne Yeah.

[Speaker 7] Yeah.

Yvonne I wonder, do you have any questions?

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