Home again, home again! . . but now, the unpacking; laundry; collecting the pets; food shopping; finding homes for the souvenirs; going through the post . . . while fighting jet-lag; arranging to meet up with friends and family; returning to work and  picking up the threads of your everyday life.
 

No mean feat, this coming home after volunteering abroad!

 

Being back home may even make you feel a bit disoriented and deflated – you may even question whether you achieved anything - so take your time with the chores and focus on the all the positives of your volunteer experience: there are probably lots! Gradually you'll appreciate what you've achieved and understand the value of your skills share through your volunteer work.

We'll be eager to hear all about your experience - `the good, the bad and the ugly' - but we'll contain our excitement and leave you in peace for a while . . . not for too long, though, as your feedback is important too! Your report will help future volunteers, and we'll send future reports to you as well. This serves a dual purpose - helping to brief the next volunteers and keeping you up to date with `your' project long after your return home.

 

Gradually, you may start asking yourself questions: Will I go back? Shall I stay longer next time? Perhaps I can do some fund-raising? I wonder if my local (social / university/ college/ dining / Rotary / cycling / Lions / football / Inner Wheel / book / cinema) club would like me to give a talk or a slide show about volunteering abroad?
 

Of course, we'll be pleased to help you spread the word - please just ask.
 

We neither ask for nor expect anything from you, other than your feedback and volunteer networking, but our experience is that many volunteers want to do something more for `their' project, so if you would like to continue your support please talk with us and we can share the ideas we have developed with the project you worked with - sometimes the very thing you believe is needed is the very thing the next volunteer will be doing or buying with their project contribution.

 

Remember you're now part of a team - an all-important multi-layered relationship - you, your project and us here at people and places. We'll update you from time to time, send you newsletters and arrange occasional social events . . . and who knows . . . perhaps like so many of our other volunteers, you may decide you want to go back or continue to support your project through our
e-volunteer programme! Just let us know.

 

Read some thoughts and advice from previous volunteers on returning home.