It seems to me that the confusing words that often get used with
volunteering are "working for free".  Volunteers, in my experience, are
life-long learners, educated, and do not want to be tied down to a super
strict schedule. Sometimes volunteers are retired, they want to be able to
travel, but they want to continue to give back to the community, and have a
rewarding experience as well. Sometimes they are stay at home moms, and
often people in search of another activity to round out their lives. If we
continue to see it as "working for free", then it does look like jobs are
being taken away. If we look at these wonderful allies as aides to doing a
job well, extra pairs of skilled and interested hands simply helping because
they are interested and keeping an institution viable, then we all benefit.

I am grateful for the fact that I have talents to bring to a museum, but can
take time, if I choose, to relax and soak up the experience and decide if
grad school indeed the next right step, by volunteering.  I was equally
grateful, as a museum professional, to have intelligent, dedicated
individuals who were selfless enough to give of their time.

I also find it interesting that volunteering in Europe and the UK is
difficult. When I lived and went to school there in the 80's , I was unable
to work for pay, being a foreigner, but had no trouble getting a theatre to
let me work in their costume shop as a volunteer for the experience.

Janna

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