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V O L U N T E E R S |
The Tobias Community
Dear prospective Volunteer,
Tobias Community offers volunteer positions for the duration of eleven to twelve months, also short-term positions only for July and August. In service, you will be a companion who participates in all aspects of the cared-for people's life. If you seek experience in the different areas of social therapy, we offer you orientation in:
- General care and guidance of persons with developmental disabilities, epilepsy and other handicaps.
- Handling of epileptic seizures. Therapeutic vocational activities including making wooden toy trains, weaving and meal preparation
- The weekly house meetings for the review of individual needs and planning of activities.
- Trips to the local community, such as shopping, excursions, attending social events.
We encourage your initiative in participating in the following:
- Activities listed above and household tasks as laundry care and room cleaning.
- Household community life, daily meals, social interaction, leisure activities in the house and outdoors.
- Hygiene needs of the residents (bathing, toileting, brushing teeth).
- Residents' getting up in the morning and settling for sleep in the evening.
Tobias coworkers will give you support and direction in the areas described above. You will be able to discuss on a regular basis any questions you may have concerning the illnesses and disorders of our residents. You and the other volunteers will meet every other week with me to introduce you to the different aspects of caring for people with physical, emotional and intellectual disabilities.
A typical weekly schedule for your participation would be 45 hours of service and allow for two days of free time. You will be provided with an individual room on the Tobias premises, meals and pocket money ($75 weekly). You will accumulate up to four weeks vacation per year.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Bertram von Zabern
Dear prospective Volunteer,
Tobias Community offers volunteer positions for the duration of eleven to twelve months, also short-term positions only for July and August. In service, you will be a companion who participates in all aspects of the cared-for people's life. If you seek experience in the different areas of social therapy, we offer you orientation in:
- General care and guidance of persons with developmental disabilities, epilepsy and other handicaps.
- Handling of epileptic seizures. Therapeutic vocational activities including making wooden toy trains, weaving and meal preparation
- The weekly house meetings for the review of individual needs and planning of activities.
- Trips to the local community, such as shopping, excursions, attending social events.
We encourage your initiative in participating in the following:
- Activities listed above and household tasks as laundry care and room cleaning.
- Household community life, daily meals, social interaction, leisure activities in the house and outdoors.
- Hygiene needs of the residents (bathing, toileting, brushing teeth).
- Residents' getting up in the morning and settling for sleep in the evening.
Tobias coworkers will give you support and direction in the areas described above. You will be able to discuss on a regular basis any questions you may have concerning the illnesses and disorders of our residents. You and the other volunteers will meet every other week with me to introduce you to the different aspects of caring for people with physical, emotional and intellectual disabilities.
A typical weekly schedule for your participation would be 45 hours of service and allow for two days of free time. You will be provided with an individual room on the Tobias premises, meals and pocket money ($75 weekly). You will accumulate up to four weeks vacation per year.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Bertram von Zabern
From a report and letters of our volunteers
.... The actual service can be described as "direct care", because the residents have to be accompanied all day. We take them to swimming, to the wood workshop, shopping or excursions. They have different courses of music, water color painting and therapeutic eurythmy. They are supported with social integration in the Tobias Community as well as in the wider community, e.g. through restaurant visits or shopping.
The volunteer service is very interesting because one learns a lot about the illnesses and what it means to live under such a condition. One learns to be part of a community and to participate in its life day by day. The older residents have been living together for many years and it is a wonderful experience how one is accepted! One feels directly that Tobias is a distinguished community, as is makes no difference from where you are. You can be who you are and the residents know how to appreciate it. One learns from the beginning what it means to have to depend day by day on the help of others and not be able to move around without it! As different the residents are, they resemble one another in their behavior. They have their upset moments, but in the end the house is peaceful so one can realize the differences of characters!
At Tobias Community there is enough off time. Four weeks vacation you can take flexibly, and two off days weekly. In the nearby social therapy homes a number of volunteers, so one can meet very well with other young people
.... The actual service can be described as "direct care", because the residents have to be accompanied all day. We take them to swimming, to the wood workshop, shopping or excursions. They have different courses of music, water color painting and therapeutic eurythmy. They are supported with social integration in the Tobias Community as well as in the wider community, e.g. through restaurant visits or shopping.
The volunteer service is very interesting because one learns a lot about the illnesses and what it means to live under such a condition. One learns to be part of a community and to participate in its life day by day. The older residents have been living together for many years and it is a wonderful experience how one is accepted! One feels directly that Tobias is a distinguished community, as is makes no difference from where you are. You can be who you are and the residents know how to appreciate it. One learns from the beginning what it means to have to depend day by day on the help of others and not be able to move around without it! As different the residents are, they resemble one another in their behavior. They have their upset moments, but in the end the house is peaceful so one can realize the differences of characters!
At Tobias Community there is enough off time. Four weeks vacation you can take flexibly, and two off days weekly. In the nearby social therapy homes a number of volunteers, so one can meet very well with other young people