After finding herself without a busy job that was keeping herself from doing all the things that she never quite got around to, and after having a bit of wakeup call due friend’s cancer diagnosis, Aisling decided to grab her “if only” list and “jumped into the abyss”. Her passion (she calls it obsession) for reading lead her to spot an opportunity to volunteer at a book festival, which she enjoyed so much that she decided to apply as volunteer events assistant with the International Literature Festival in Dublin. She has been an “event volunteer junky” ever since and volunteered at various events over the last couple of months, including a large coding event for young people, a University festival and the Dublin Fringe Theatre festival.
Aisling wrote a brilliant blog about her volunteer journey, you can read it here: https://notesfromtheabyss.org/
Quote:
“Our wonderfully fabulous volunteer coordinator [at ILFD – International Literature Festival Dublin] had promised several benefits of volunteering at the festival in our induction. The chance to give something back, meeting like-minded people, getting a glimpse of the work behind a festival and access to shows were, of course, all part of the pitch. However, my experience of the week made me reflect on how she had possibly undersold the experience to us. The benefits [of volunteering] are less tangible and so hard to put into words but by the following Sunday night, I felt like I had just finished a great book. Exhilarated, inspired, emotional and lonely to say goodbye to a bunch of great characters, which had become part of my family.”
