A Few Ideas for Positive Community and Work Related Activities....

I really want to get into doing more collective, ideally community focused voluntary work.

Note that the formal labour market is so depressing that I'm ruling out any possibility of finding paid work that is unalienating and suited to my personality and skills, I've had a look and various kinds of care work are available, and that is something I regard as positive work - I mean it's an obvious vessel for working towards developing loving kindness - but it is also highly likely that one would end up working under alienating working conditions given the under funding, under staffing and bureaucracy in the social care sector.

NB - I'd never considered getting a job in care before writing the above paragraph, but thinking it through maybe it's something I should consider... the sector does deliver an inherently social good, after all, so that's something for me to mull over as it would be a challenge for me, but maybe that would be a good thing to develop my loving kindness.

NB that's the whole point of this post - to consider work I can do that's inherently (according to my standards) good and can help me just develop kindness towards others, by caring for others either directly or indirectly (by, for example, caring for the environment).

Furthermore I want this to involve working either directly or indirectly, either IRL or online with other people in which we are all working in solidarity towards a shared goal for the collective good - I'm looking for positive work and positive conditions surrounding that work.

So long story short (I think I'm labouring the point, pun entirely intended) I want good work that is fun and involves being nice to people and the planet!

Basically I think this would be good for my soul and spirit, that's the general idea, a kind of extra life-boost on top of my main work which is all me on my lonesome and all online. I am in control of my own self-employment, but it is still not social, it is very isolating, albeit ameliorated by my working in a co-working environment so I have people to talk to, but at the end of the day the work is just me and the blog, hence I maybe need more!

Some ideas for positive collective IRL work.

These are some of the things I am almost entirely uncynical about...

• Some sort of local DIY SOS scheme. If yo haven't seen the BBC's DIY SOS, it's just about the ultimate feel-good programme - take one family going through some kind of trauma in a house in need of renovating - then dozens of people descend for a weekend while their away and do it up. Now the T.V. version is extreme, but imagine a local downscaled version of this - decorating a couple of rooms for people who are recently bereaved or for working-poor families who are just too busy to get on top of this for themselves. I'd love to help out on something like this, even I can manage a bit of lugging and painting!
• Community food growing schemes
• Beach or even street litter picking
• Bit contentious in terms of it's 'inherent' goodness - guerrilla gardening or street art (including adbusting).
• Variations around collective boat building.
• Tree planting - a bit heavy for me, maybe.
• British Trust for Conservation Volunteers work.
• Helping out at 'fix-it' workshops.

DIY SOS: A serious feel-good factor!

NB the above is just a starting point of possible things I could be getting involved with to help others while working with others.

With the exception of the rather contentious guerrilla art and street gardening, I think they are really universally good things to be doing that should serve to foster solidarity, community and loving kindness. In short they are ways to get me off my ass and make myself feel better while helping others!

A post inspired by these dark days of January which I must say I MOST ENJOYED writing, I'm going to look out for more ideas, I'm sure there are dozens more, just much less obvious!!!