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During one session, the team explained why FI doesn\u2019t allow volunteers to work directly with kids unless they have proper training and experience. At first, I thought: isn\u2019t helping children the whole point? But then they broke it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children aren\u2019t just \u201cprojects.\u201d They\u2019re people who need stability, trust, and professional care. When untrained volunteers step in even if they do it with the best intentions, it can still actually be dangerous. Without knowledge of child protection, trauma, or safe interaction, we risk crossing boundaries, creating false attachments, or even exposing kids to harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember sitting there and realizing: if I walked into a classroom tomorrow with no background in child psychology or protection, I could easily do more harm than good. That was a wake\u2011up call.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, FI showed us how volunteers can contribute responsibly. We supported outreach campaigns, helped raise awareness, and worked alongside trained social workers who know how to protect children. It wasn\u2019t about being the \u201chero\u201d in a child\u2019s life but rather it was about strengthening the systems that keep them safe every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This experience taught me that ethical volunteering isn\u2019t about what feels good for me. It\u2019s about what\u2019s safe for the child. Sometimes that means stepping back, even when your heart wants to step in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I share this because many young people dream of volunteering in an organization that works with children to help them but you should consider many additional points regarding your intentions and whether it’s suitable to help the children directly. It\u2019s easy to imagine yourself teaching, playing, or being the person who makes them smile. But if you don\u2019t have the right training, that dream can unintentionally put kids at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So here\u2019s my reminder: before you volunteer, ask yourself this, do I have the skills to do this safely? If not, there are still so many ways to help. Support awareness campaigns. Assist with communications. Work with communities. These roles may not give you the perfect photo, but they protect children in ways that last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the lesson Friends-International gave me, and it\u2019s one I hope more young people will carry with them: volunteering should never put children at risk, no matter how good our intentions are.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about<\/em> responsible volunteering visit thinkchildsafe.org\/volunteers <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" written by Ninbunlinna Touch When I joined an outreach program with Friends International (FI), I expected to learn about how to communicate better with communities. What I didn\u2019t expect was a lesson that completely...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[34,900],"tags":[68,77,626,904],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38966"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38968,"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38966\/revisions\/38968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/friends-international.org\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Support Friends-Internationals work at friends-international.org\/donate<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n