Volunteering can be one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable experiences in your life. It takes you to places you may never otherwise get the opportunity to visit, meet people from different cultures, make friends for a lifetime, and learn things about yourself that will help you in later life.
The attitude of the volunteer when applying, researching and attending the programme is paramount to how much can be achieved. It is essential to come with an open mind, flexibility, and the understanding that you are here to help others... as well as being an invited guest in another culture. This puts a degree of responsibility and self-awareness on the individual that not everyone can handle.
The information in the website helps you to come to terms with the lifestyle and culture at Mirror, and how volunteers need to act in order to maintain the standards and friendly atmosphere that this organisation strives so hard to keep. Working with the local staff, many of whom have been recruited from the hilltribe community, is a rewarding and unforgettable experience, and joining with other volunteers will guarantee you new friends to share this great adventure.
There are variety of programmes for individuals, and we also welcome back the best of the old volunteers who have proved their dedication and enthusiasm first time round. As well as individual programmes, we run a programme for groups, who come to do specific projects - raising their own funds for materials. After spending a short time at the foundation for orientation, the rest of their stay is wherever the project takes them, normally a hilltribe village. Programmes also include rest and relaxation periods, and sometimes organised sightseeing trips.
Whichever the programme, we give volunteers a half day orientation, running through things necessary to make your stay, and the work we do, as fruitful and enjoyable as possible. Cultural differences, code of conduct, and our rules, are all important parts of your learning curve, as well as gaining an understanding of the issues, and obstacles, we run into every day. The main point we try to get across to volunteers is that you are here to work, to help us achieve our aims, learn about new cultures, and also use the opportunity to re-evaluate your life. Many volunteers leave with an entirely new perspective.
To make your stay at Mirror as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible, there are a few things to be aware of. A stay at Mirror can be a cultureshock, sometimes a huge cultureshock. It is not something that all volunteers can handle, so we try to make you as aware of everything as we can. Unfortunately, it is not until you arrive and experience for yourself, that you realise whether it is for you or not. If you expect 5-star hotel accommodation and treatment, then you will be disappointed. Staff here are incredibly friendly and helpful, but most have a job to do which has nothing to do with looking after volunteers, so try to be self-sufficient and proactive.