11 Stages Of A Suas Volunteer

Interested in volunteering with Suas? There are about 11 stages that almost every Suas Volunteer goes through!

1. LBS (or Life Before Suas)

Suas

The Life Before Suas stage is a natural state of being. Most people in this stage go about their daily business, aware of some inequalities and injustices around the world. Perhaps you’ve signed up to some campaigning sites and have added your signiture to petitions; perhaps you volunteer locally; but is there still an over riding feeling you’re just a small fish in a big pond, and your capacity to affect change is limited?

2. The Awakening.

Suas

This is a short stage and one of transition. It is during this stage that a young person is made aware of Suas. Perhaps a friend told you about Suas; or perhaps you happened upon an information evening; but there’s one thing that’s for sure: You recognise the opportunity to morph your awareness of inequality and injustice into action against inequality and injustice.

3. The Application

Jorge Correa / Via Flickr: jorgecorrea

You log onto the Suas site; watch a video; think about it a little; worry that 10 weeks sounds like a long time; measure up your concerns about fundraising; ponder about not knowing anyone else. But then you realise, that these are all things that every year of Suas Volunteers has overcome since the first Volunteer Programme in 2002. So you do it! You begin the application process! EEK!

4. The Interviews

Suas

First ‘real’ interview? No worries! Super nerve-wracking? Perhaps. Maybe you should just ditch it? Definitely not! Whatever the outcome of the interview, it’s always very worthwhile to get interview experience! And you definitely shouldn’t let nerves or slight inconvenience get in the way of potentially the one of themost amazing experiences of your life.

5. The ‘OMFG I’M GOING TO INDIA’

Suas

*Ring ring* - ‘Hello’; ‘Hello, we’d like to offer you a place with one of our partner schools in Kolkata’; *Forgets to breathe, drops phone*. OMG.OMG.OMG.OMG.OMG. :)

6. The Prep Stage

Suas

The stage where you meet the people you’re going to spend your summer with. In less than 24 hours you’ll go from ‘What was his name again?’ to having a bond that’s difficult to explain to others. There are three of the prep weekends, but lots of opportunities to meet up and get to know each other between being offered a place and boarding that plane. There are also some injections. Ouchy.

7. Show me the cash dollah (AKA Fundraising)

Lionel Allorge / Wiki Commons / Via commons.wikimedia.org

Possibly the 3rd scariest stage. But there’s loads that can be done, and Suas staff and your team mates are going to be a major support. Suas will be sure to share lots of tips, ideas and advice, and while it may seem like a lot, it’s totally doable!

8. 'Prepare doors for departure and cross check’

The.aviation.expert / Wiki Commons / Via commons.wikimedia.org

Back pack: check. Passport: check; Visa: check; Imodium, Motilium, Dioralyte: Check, check, check; Quivering bundle of nerves: check. Then you land. Heat. Sweat. Sweat. Cow. Sweat. Beep. Lots of beeping. Colour. Sound. Rubbish. Wow. How am I going to survive? (This is the second scariest stage).

9. The head bop.

meow2 / Via forum.lowyat.net

What’s a head bop? It’s yes, it’s no, it’s a whole unspoken dialogue. This is the stage where you realise you’re in India, and all these things that you thought you’d never get used to are now second nature. You know your neighbours, you can buy your fruit in the market; and bargain the price down; you know the auto-system; you know your students and their strengths and weaknesses; you know the difference between a paratha and a roti; and most importantly, you’ve mastered the headbop.

10. Leaving.

Suas

This may be a bit of a surpries, but leaving is actually the scariest stage. It’s hard to describe what’s so scary about it. You’re scared for the kids you’ve come to know. You’re scared no-one will understand when you get home. And you’re scared you’ll never feel the same way again. But once you arrive home, everyone gets together, to talk through all of this, to figure it all out, and to realise that pretty much everyone else is going through the same thing.

11. LAS (or Life After Suas)

Máté Holdosi / Via pixabay.com

Well, life after Suas is a little similar to LBS, but actually it’s totally different too. You still go about your daily life, but this time you’re even more about global inequality and injustice. But the biggest difference is you now know that you as an individual can make a difference, and as a group of dedicated people you can almost move mountains. And you also know that you’re part of a movement of nearly 1,000 returned Suas Volunteers, who have a shared experience, and this is a very powerful netwok to be part of.