This week’s blog post is from Tramshed member and volunteer Tiagan Christie.
As a volunteer you have to adapt to the changes that can happen in a session, and this year has been the biggest change of all. Going from seeing people face-to-face to seeing people through a screen. As a volunteer the way you support the member is a complete 180 from how you support them face-to-face.
In face-to-face you would be able to hug a member if they’re feeling upset, whereas online you can’t do that. All you can do is ask if they are alright. In face-to-face you could talk to the members about how there week has been and talk to them without anyone butting in, whereas online everyone can hear you and everyone talks over each other. In face-to-face you could guide the member as a way to help them learn something, but online all you can do is show them and explain it the best you can. Even though there’s a lot of differences from face-face session and online session it’s still our job to make sure the members have a great time, even if it means getting a visit from a cat once in a while or giving them a bit of competition in a game.
As a member it’s still the same, you’re not able to hug anyone, you’re not able to have a private chat with anyone, you can’t help your friends if they’re stuck on how to do something. Yet, what we lose in face-to-face is made up for in ‘bloopers’ and technical mishaps. There are cameras falling off computers, animals saying hello, people being on mute when they try to speak. One time, in a session, one person was acting out a nursery rhyme and we had to guess what it was. Clearly, the nursery rhyme was ‘Little miss Muffet’ but instead I blurted out “Mary had a little lamb!”. What made it even more funny, was the fact that there was a giant silent pause before I said it. Another time my cat, Logan, sat on my desk and stared at the camera for a good 5 minutes, like he was listening to what was being said!
There has been so many heartwarming and hilarious moments over this course of the year, just on Zoom alone, that you forget all the changes that have happened. I’m personally looking forward to future projects that Zac and the rest of the Art Practitioner team bring to TramShed! Even Covid can’t stop TramShed from doing what they do best, bringing everyone together!
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