There's a regular Glocals event to volunteer at the SOS cat centre, if you search you should find it.

Hi Victoria,

I found this website which has a listing of places who are looking for volunteer work. 

http://www.charity-charities.org/volunteering/Switzerland-volunteers/Geneva.html

Also, there is a seminar on 3 December by ICV entitiled 'Volunteering Opportunities in Geneva'

http://www.icvolunteers.org/index.php?what=projectsshort&id=393

Hope this helps - I will be going to the seminar if anyone would like to join me!

Hmmm...that seminar date is actually for last years session.  I apologize, I'll contact them and see if they will be having another seminar of the same type. 

I apologize, the seminar actually took place last year, that being said, I guess I'm not going!

Hi! I organise groups to go to a cat shelter ( SOS Chats) www.sos-chats.ch every weekend. IF you are interested pls contact me =)

If you want to improve your French, I'd not hangout with cats as the Genevan cat accent is totally different from the cats in Paris or Bordeaux for example.

Also not hard to find charity work if you want to work with people:

Contact the red cross, a hospital, doctor, school, retirementhome.

Im just having one of my rare extremely bright moments. Im going back to posting useless replies again before I turn into a state of shock.

David

I have no idea how one can be so obsessed with pussies.

How about "dogs" David...you ok with them?

What do you have against cats?

So helping at the cat shelter is not the only way but just a suggestion.

They are useless.

working with people in community centres / homes/ schools might request a minimum level of French . You can also help out at a rabbit shelter if you don't like cats, or refuge for horses: http://www.refuge-de-darwyn.org/

There are plenty of places where you can volunteer if you don't like cats.

Well, everyone has the right to their opinions. Cats might seem useless to some people and to others they are adorable companions. Of course, certain people in the world might seem useless & stupid to others whereas they can also be useful at times - reminding us how luck we are to live in a world that accepts different points of view. 

Ofcourse some women here are gonna reply;

Why was that woman in the see in the first place? She should have been in the kitchen!

Maybe she was catching fish for dinner.

Victoria:

I think the Geneva salvation army, which runs a few old-people's-homes in town, is always on the lookout for volunteers.

Nir

In fact a lot of people do voluntary work even they have a decent & important job, and they donate money to different charities every year. So, how much have you donated this year? I donate money to support 3 orphans in China, 3 in Africa, bought 5 cows for 2 villages in China so they can plant their own food and , yes, at the weekend, I like volunteering at a cat shelter. So, is that a problem? Cats are animals and it's their natural instinct to breed, like some people can't keep their big mouths shut. And as most human beings consider themselves as superior, it would be down to us to help them control the ever-growing population by sterilising them.

I dearly hope half of the opinions in this chat are just bullshit of unoccupied people. People do volunteer because this makes them happy and fullfilled in some way. It doesnt matter the subject, but the action.

Some people are happy getting drunk, others cleaning elderly people. Guess we should just accept and stop babbling about.

Thanks Nir & Wanessa for your kind comments. I shouldn't have let certain comments get under my skin ( and maybe I didn't understand  some new-age humour???)

Thanks to glocals, I have met a lot of like-minded members who enjoy the things that I do, and I have had the previlege to receive their generous offers to help doing something that might seem useless and disagreeable to many. These are people working  in different walks of life, NGOs, UN, Banks, retail, education, science, scholars, expatriates & their spouses etc. My gratitude to these kind people can't be sufficiently expressed in words...

One thing which is so true  is that life is short, we all have limited time and energy, we shouldn't feel guilty doing something that we enjoy, let it be downing pints of delicious beer in a pub ( umm... beer.....) or scooping cat shit in a shelter at 8.30 am on  a Saturday morning or just sitting on a bench in a park comtemplating about our lives... so... go and do whatever pleases you but do not disrespect others.

By the way is one of you involved in the "feed the needy" tomorrow in Geneva?

hihihi!

Guess they will be  busy dissing other people... well, I am on my way to scoop cat shit at the shelter using my 'ample' time at hand. Good day ladies and the 'real' gentlemen

Waqas just asked us to delete his glocals account, and we did. I agree with him that he doesn't belong on this community.

Nir

Hi Victoria, 

I've also been looking for volunteer work. Here are some useful links for you (it's a shame some others had to spoil this thread...!)

http://servethecitygeneva.ch/index.html

http://caritasge.web1.bestsite.ch/

And a friend told me you can volunteer through the Youth section of the Swiss Red Cross

Bon chance!

Hello Daniel

Yèp it was a great moment,and I was proud and happy to do it again

see U

Another great organisation in Geneva is AGIS: http://www.agis-ge.ch/content/0/41/  . They assist persons with disabilities and always need volunteers for their various programmes : )

Hi did you manage to get any ideas on Voluntary / charity work...my daughter is doing the international baccaleureat at school and needing to do some voluntary hours for charity and saw your note and wondered if you could give her some ideas.

thanks Jenny 

i love your sense of humor

http://www.agis-ge.ch/content/0/41/  .

Among the local charities looking for voluntary help are :  Centre social protestant, Caritas, the  Geneva Red Cross Society, the Women’s Shelter in Grottes, the Cantonal Hospital, the English-speaking Cancer Association,  etc., etc.  Fluent French is not always a must, basic conversational skill can be enough.  And English is often needed when helping refugees or expats who’ve fallen on hard times -- it does happen!

If you need even more ideas, you can also ask the American International Women’s Club for suggestions.  They have a whole list of organizations and individuals in need of help.

The English-speaking churches – Emmanuel Episcopalian, Holy Trinity, John XXIII Centre, Church of Scotland – are other sources you can contact.

All the best,

Ritchie

Cindy

You are doing a great job and we need more people like you. Some people are just very silly and not even particularly funny so it  is not worth letting them get to you.

Delseta

Yes, there are few groups of people run the project - Feed the needy in Glocals, we have around 15-20 people each time, we go to one restaurant behind train station once a month, we shop, we wash, we chop, we cook and we clean up after. We feed around 200 people each time.

You can search this group in Glocals, called Feed the needy.

Looking for a place near Geneva or France where i can volunteer  at a dog home.

any advice welcome.

Thanks 

Lynn

Hello Elaine,

that is really kind of you and your group, will search the group and try to help :)

Best of luck

Le CARÉ
13 Rue du Grand-Bureau
Case postale 184
1211 Genève 4

022 343 17 17

[email protected]
lecare.ch

Hi V

I saw your post from 2010 on glocals about voluteering in an elderly home not sure you are even still here but if you are could you let me know if you found a place to volunteer? I am looking for a nursing home to volunteer at too :)

thanks!
julie

It depends why you are voluntering.  If its to feed the needy and be a do gooder thats one thing, but if its to keep busy, learn french and use your time productively there are other options.

All the sports events, concerts and festivals all require volunteers.  Many of the web sites have the section to apply (benevoiles, in french).  Look in 20 minutes and at posters around town and drop the organisers an email for events that take your fancy, use google translate for the french and include english text on the lower half of email.

There is also this web site you can register on for such events in Lausanne area

http://www.volontaireslausannois.ch

I understand your point, however I don’t see anything wrong with both having a benefit: The one in need receiving help, the other learning French. It`s far more noble, than making it possible for others to get some live entertainment. There is enough live entertainment that does not need volunteers. Elderly or less able do often not have an alternative to turn to.  Add to this that Switzerland has one of the highest suicide rates with one of the main reasons being loneliness.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Suicide_rate_down_as_people_learn_to_seek_help.html?cid=36581508

I am not poo pooing charitable volunteers, I just havent done it so cant give advice.

Great if thats what you want to do.  I can give advice on doing festivals and sports events as I have done that.  So no offence meant.  Just dont simply consider voluntry work as "feeding the needy", theres other options.

Hi, Id like to volunteer with a kids group?/nursing home/medical center. My french is limited. Im working on building a medicine application and need to increase my volunteering. If anyone has any advise I would really appreciate it. Also I'm limited to Saturdays. Thanks

Have you contacted the glocals

Volunteering Group?

You could also contact the Centre social protestant or Caritas (among other charities), also the Cantonal Hospital which needs volunteersparticularly at the weekends.

Best wishes,

Ritchie

This should help - loads of opportunity

http://www.volontariat-ge.org/

I found this really useful and summarised responses :)

Quick links:
http://www.charity-charities.org/volunteering/Switzerland-volunteers/Geneva.html
http://www.servethecitygeneva.ch/language/en/
http://www.caritasge.ch
http://www.agis-ge.ch/content/0/41/
http://www.armeedusalut.ch

Suggested organisations:
Centre social protestant
Caritas (among other charities)
Cantonal Hospital
Geneva Red Cross Society
Women’s Shelter in Grottes, the Cantonal Hospital
English-speaking Cancer Association,

The English-speaking churches – Emmanuel Episcopalian, Holy Trinity, John XXIII Centre, Church of Scotland

Contact American International Women’s Club for a list.

This souns very familiar!

Have a look at International-Lawyers.Org. We are a volunteer NGO. 

Thank you - I am looking for intergenetaional direct service; ie visiting seniors in residence, reading with students who need some help in primary school.

Caritas and the Centre social protestant can put you in touch with seniors who lack company  in their own homes.  Those in residential care are mostly well provided.

And perhaps these organizations could also help you find pupils in need of reading support.

The Women’s Shelter “Au Coeur des Grottes” would probably also welcome assistance in helping immigrant children to read.