Send and Receive

Right, so yet another brief.........

But I guess it's one of those briefs that need advance planning rather than copious amounts of work done now. As we were given the briefing, I started to think of organisations or issues that I'm interested in. I've been looking forward to this brief and I can't wait to sort out my voluntary work and 'get out there'.

Brief ideas so far:

1. Working with my Mum at the LGI paediatrics liver unit. I rang her to see if they have any form of volunteering at the hospital that I would be suitable for. She said they do hold fun days on a Saturday with the poorly children and their siblings doing face paints and crafts etc. They find these fun days are beneficial to the families of ill children as sometimes the siblings can miss out on fun activities as Mum or Dad is always looking after a sick child. I think this is a brilliant idea and I hope my Mum gets back to me soon so that I can sort out my CRB check.
2. Looking at the issue of teenage suicide. I lost a friend a few years back that just decided she didn't want to carry on with life, suffering with depression and took her own life. It's an issue that is close to my heart and has affected me recently as a friend of my brothers recently committed suicide at the age of only 16. It has brought back some upsetting memories and feelings. I would perhaps like to look at organisations that try to deal with this issue or that help the families after such a tragedy.
3. Helping out the Irish community. My ancestry is Irish. My grandparents came over to England in the 50's (separately), met, got married and settled down in Leeds, as did many Irish families at that time. I've always been extremely proud of my heritage, however, now that my grandparents have passed away, I feel a bit cut off from that society. I would be interested to see if there is a way of me interacting with Irish community, perhaps through the Irish Centre. 
4. Working with Feminist Archive North. I'm a feminist and I think it's important to address the issue of sexism. I mean it isn't a charity as such, but it is a cause. I would like to offer my services. Maybe to help market F.A.N. as I only know about it because I actively searched for feminist activity in Leeds. I doubt many people know about it or would even consider that such a resource would be right on our doorsteps.