by Paul Gregg, a Doxa contributor
Much research has been conducted and shown that volunteering improves one’s quality of life, both physically and mentally, and similar research has shown that a creative outlet does the same. The question arises: does combining the two create the perfect method of healing? Volunteering establishes a strong connection to your community and provides you with a more extensive social network. It offers individuals a non-clinical way of addressing their own needs while simultaneously helping others.
To improve mental health, acts of service can be analyzed from multiple perspectives. The viewpoints of administrators, volunteers, and recipients, along with specific cultural considerations, contribute to a complex array of factors affecting the mental health of those involved.
How Recipients React
While assisting at HeARTWorks, an art-making program for homeless people in Jackson hosted by Stewpot, I became familiar with various community members sustaining a program of very noble work. At this program, it is evident that the joy experienced by the participants is, in no small part, brought about by helping hands. I watch tired, hot, overwhelmed people in the Jackson area file into a room with art supplies and witness their transition into joyful, enthusiastic artists once they put pen to paper. This one-eighty attitude switch could not be achieved without the help of those giving up their time to make sure that these artists feel like they are loved and valued in the community.
The Volunteer’s Side of Things
Volunteers at HeARTWorks typically have different experiences than those they assist. However, sharing a space and working on the same project creates a shared space and common goal, bringing them closer to an even playing field that allows for companionship, even if it only lasts for three hours.
Depending on the audience the volunteer is serving, some considerations are important to consider. Am I being invasive? Am I allowing the person enough space to act for themselves? Is what I say or the manner in which I am saying it condescending? Oftentimes when community members volunteer, they are offering their services to a group of less well-off individuals. There seems to be a slippery slope from offering the right amount of help, to being overtly patronizing and making it obvious to the less well-off that there is a divide, whether it be economical, racial, or intellectual. In a city like Jackson, it is very possible to be all three wrapped up together.
Administrative Views on Volunteering
During my summer at the Mississippi Museum of Art, I worked closely with administrative staff who organize events and direct volunteers. I inquired about an administrative view on volunteering and the subsequent mental health of organizers after events the museum provides regarding attendance and feedback from the community it serves. I wondered this: how does one in an administrative position bounce back after an event that required weeks of planning, budgeting, and other efforts only attracted a small handful of community members? Their answer surprised me as shockingly healthy. A common response met my question with a definition of the success of an event. The attendance, profit, or number of memberships increased might be what one would expect, but after years of working at the museum they have learned that events serve as metrics for how they can better prepare for future events, and if the scant number of people who did show up had a meaningful time, it was worth putting on.
While briefing volunteers, it is crucial that the museum instructs volunteers in such a manner that their efforts enhance rather than detract from the service being provided. According to those I spoke with at the museum, there have been occasional issues in this area, but generally, the briefing is extensive enough to prevent recurrence. At HeARTWorks, briefing typically focuses on assisting with the project, and avoids delving into participants’ personal lives. Effective briefing is essential not only to maintain a program or organization’s reputation, but also to avoid negative impacts on the aimed goal of improving both parties’ mental health.
Cultural Considerations
Non-profit organizations in inner-city Jackson, Mississippi, will look drastically different from similar programs in other regions. Cultural stigmas and issues require unique examinations. My work at an art museum in Jackson provided insight into a predominantly white institution’s efforts to provide services for a predominantly black city. Some local organizations turn away services provided by the museum simply because of its racial composition. Building trust within Jackson and similar communities must be handled delicately, with a consideration of mental health. This is why HeARTWorks and other programs that put wildly different people hailing from the same city at the same table completing the same project is crucial.
The Role that Art-Making Plays
Art is a commonality between my experiences that led to these observations. Volunteering services at the museum center around spaces that promote art, and HeARTWorks is all about getting people off the streets and a paintbrush in their hands.
Though the practice of art therapy requires a relationship with an trained professional, art making can still serve as a powerful therapeutic outlet. The principles can be applied through engaging in creative activities and discussing the results with others. I have seen these healing processes at work both in the museum and at HeARTWorks, benefitting both volunteers and recipients.
In Summary
If you are looking to improve your mental health and the health of others while becoming a more substantial player in your community, volunteering is a good place to start!