By Pratik Bhattarai, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Keara Higgins says more young people need to be involved in volunteering in their local organizations.
Higgins, who is serving as the secretary at Garden of the Gulf Museum in Montague, PEI, said the position has helped her find a community and learn skills which have helped her in her professional career. She is the archivist at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.
“When I moved to Toronto, I didn’t know anybody at all, but I volunteered at a fashion museum and I met some really great friends,” she said. “I wanted to work in the arts and so I would always find a volunteer opportunity in that new city. “
Higgins went to UPEI and studied history and arts history. She also has a master’s in arts administration from Queen’s University.
When she moved to Montague a few years ago, she started volunteering for the museum.
“The museum doesn’t have any full-time staff. So, a lot of what they do in the off-season is kind of looking for funding, planning new exhibits, planning staff, working with the town to see what kind of funding options they have,” she added.
During the off-season the day-to-day operations are managed by the board, which entirely consists of volunteers.
She said in recent years, the number of people volunteering in local organizations is going down.
“We do have a vacant vice president position. We’d love to get more young people on the board,”
She said there are two high school students that come to board meetings and she wishes more young people were involved in nonprofits.
“You do feel really good, even if you really don’t feel like going that day. At the end of it, you do feel like you really accomplished something, and you feel great after doing something for a nonprofit organization,” she said.
Volunteering is a great way for networking and gaining experience in any industry, since it allows people to be hands on with whatever they’re doing, she said.
“I always wanted to work in the arts, in an arts organization, and I struggled to break into that industry, but I think my volunteer work really kind of prepared me for it and gave me a lot of skills that have come in handy,” she added.
A lot of people are nervous about getting involved in local organizations, especially younger people. They might feel they don’t have anything to offer, but people are welcoming, and they will guide them and show them how things work, she said.
“You’re not going to know things when you first start, but you will learn because again, a lot of boards are working boards, they’re not advisory. They are doing day-to-day management,” she added.
By Pratik Bhattarai, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Graphic
