Environmental protection holds a special place in Edinburgh’s community life. People strive to do their utmost to improve the state of nature, or at least prevent its decline. After all, humanity poses a significant threat to our environment today. Find out more at edinburghname.
That’s why the role of a volunteer is incredibly popular in Edinburgh. It allows individuals to contribute ideas for nature conservation through various initiatives, the adoption of less harmful production methods, and new trends in eco-consciousness.
A Vital Volunteer Mission
Ultimately, volunteers play an enormous role in helping people connect with and better understand nature. Helen is one such volunteer. She began volunteering in July 2022, and this activity has allowed her to truly flourish. Even autism hasn’t proven to be a significant barrier for her.
Working, Despite Illness
Delving deeper into Helen’s volunteering experience, it’s fair to say she’s an official volunteer for The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), specifically at Edinburgh Zoo. Helen herself notes that due to her autism, she suffers from some inattentiveness, meaning she does face additional personal challenges. However, she absolutely loves her volunteer work, and for its sake, she’s learned to overcome these issues. Among her most cherished work moments, Helen highlights observing the growth and development of two koala joeys.
Experience and Knowledge That Shaped a Career Path
As for the beginning of Helen’s volunteering journey, it seems almost fated. Her incredible love for animals and her unique experience interacting with them in their natural habitats played a pivotal role. Helen admits that looking back on her life, she can confidently say not many people can boast such experience and knowledge. For instance, she was fortunate enough to observe a “super-pod” of killer whales—an astonishing phenomenon where 82 individuals travel a long distance together to reach a specific location. As is well known, killer whales are endangered. But Helen has studied them extensively. Despite the challenges of learning due to her autistic processing, she loves to learn. This has allowed her to absorb countless useful facts, not only about killer whales but about the animal kingdom in general. Her volunteer work now allows Helen to share her knowledge with others. She pays particular attention to the threats animals face in their natural environments, and visitors to Edinburgh Zoo can learn a great deal from speaking with Helen.
Overcoming Numerous Difficulties for a Beloved Job
However, as mentioned, the volunteer in this article faces certain health challenges. Therefore, Helen’s very act of working can, to some extent, be seen as heroic. Day after day, for the sake of her beloved cause, she has to overcome various obstacles.
When Helen first became a volunteer, it was crucial for her to clearly define how much time she could dedicate to the work each week without completely exhausting herself. This proved challenging for her, as she has a tendency to overload herself. The consequence of this often leads to fatigue for her and those interacting with her. But she found a solution. She decided that the workload needed to be gradually increased. So, she started with two hours a week and slowly built up to six.
Communication for any autistic person is also another challenge. Helen is no exception. So, for her volunteer work, she constantly has to work on herself in this regard. Specifically, during conversation, she finds it difficult to maintain eye contact. She also frequently encounters problems with verbal communication. Helen’s speech tempo can vary from too fast to slow, often accompanied by difficulties in finding the right words. For such cases, she has installed a special app on her phone, and she also finds great help in using cards containing information she wants to convey to people.
Bright light also demands Helen’s attention. To counter this, she has to wear glasses with tinted lenses that block out bright light. This allows her to easily interact with zoo visitors and see them.
However, despite all of the above, it’s fair to say that Helen quite successfully manages her volunteer work. She participates in most of The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s projects. Every day, overcoming numerous difficulties, she continues to pursue her passion. And of course, she shares valuable facts with Edinburgh Zoo visitors about how to love animals, not harm them, and take care of their safety.
Overall, Helen’s story is very instructive. It can be seen as a powerful example of human strength. What’s more, she notes that volunteering has brought her a wealth of positives. Thanks to this work, she has become more confident. She also enjoys being useful and needed by those around her, which is surely important and plays a key role for every individual.