Bipolar Dream : Characteristics of Volunteers at Bipolar Dream?

Characteristics of Volunteers at Bipolar Dream

Some characteristics that our volunteers have are general, while others vary according to which kind of jobs a volunteer applies for.

General characteristics:

• aspiration toward awareness of your thought patterns
• desire to improve
• straightness, honesty, sincerity
• responsibility for actions and duties
• accept regular constructive criticism
• willingness to face anger avoidance
• willingness to face conflict avoidance
• interest for online communication and group dynamics
• willingness to search the net for learning materials from accredited associations and/or links of interest

We have two main types of jobs available, frontline and administrative. Frontline jobs encompass moderator, senior moderator, volunteer manager assistant, chat operator, message board leader and all those jobs that require any kind of interaction with a number of served people. Administrative jobs encompass fundraiser, accountant, web designer, webmaster, research assistant, publishing editor, translator and all those jobs that require only occasional interactions with few people. There also is the possibility of holding both kinds of jobs.

Characteristics of a frontline volunteer:

• in-depth awareness and education of your own illness, or willingness to acquire it
• education of other major psychiatric disorders, or willingness to acquire it
• basic knowledge of:
  a) substance and alcohol abuse
  b) child abuse/neglect
  c) emotional/physical/sexual abuse
• attention and care to communication details
• facilitating skills
• multicultural competence or willingness to achieve it

Characteristics of an administrative volunteer:

• competency in at least one field of choice, or willingness to acquire it
• predisposition to more complex net searches
• accuracy
• punctuality
• knowledge of basic computer howtos or willingness to achieve it

Characteristics of a volunteer wanting to hold both kinds of job:

• all of the above plus
• eclecticism
• multitasking
• ease to jump from one kind of assignment to another
• broad field of interests

If you want to volunteer here, you have 3 choices:

Visit the posted job section (not active yet) : you'll find a list of jobs you can browse and apply for.

Go to the wish list section (not active yet) : you'll find a list of hot problems we would like to solve as soon as possible. Then if you think to be able to help us with your expertise, get in contact with our Volunteer Program Manager at volunteer@bipolardream.com

Email with your ideas on a problem and how you'd like to help: as soon as the job position you like is available, our Volunteer Program Manager will contact you.

In order to volunteer online at Dream, you will need a pc with a firewall, an anti-virus and an anti-spyware software. For each of them, free versions are available. Our Volunteer Program Manager will assist you in choosing, downloading and setting up this software. You will also need 2 to 5 hours a week to devote to online volunteering.

If you are interested in volunteering at Dream, send an email to volunteer@bipolardream.com You'll get an automated message right away with a form to fill in. After you send it back, our Volunteer Program Manager will arrange an online interview with you. If you sound like fitting for volunteering at Dream, orientation will also be discussed and everything will be set up for you to have a 3 months probationary volunteering period after which you'll be evaluated and given a final say on your fitness.

Thank you.