As a part of TREK this year, I volunteered at the Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House. I decided to choose this as my first choice, after navigating thoroughly through their website, because their mission is something that reflected my goal for TREK: Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House plays a leadership role in creating our community together by connecting people and strengthening their capacity to create change. After a few days of waiting, I was offered an interview. During this interview I was told that I would be involved in a placement that would provide working opportunities for disadvantaged people who seek employment. This placement is focused around a project called Luv the Grub. The people who a part of this project make jam and chutneys from bumped or bruised fruits and vegetables that did not make it to be sold in the market. My involvement in this project was the media aspect. I helped manage the Instagram account for Luv the Grub and take photographs of the jams and chutneys. This helped raise awareness to the project and hopefully increase the sales.
At the beginning of term two I was attended one of the neighbourhood houses events to help sell the jams and chutneys. At this event, I not only learned more about the project I was a part of, but I also learned more about the community and the people both living there, and the people helping those who are disadvantaged. It was very interesting to how diverse the projects were. There were some people who were selling soaps, jewelry, paintings, knitted clothes, etc. I really appreciated meeting other people who had the same goals of bettering the community as I did, and learning more about how other people’s projects tackle some of the issues that are prevalent in the community. This also made me appreciate how much time and effort goes into starting this projects and continuing to raise awareness about them.
My personal experience in TREK has helped me learn more about the variety of ways I can help improve the community and help the people around me. Being a part of the Luv the Grub project in particular has been a foundation for inspiring me to do more volunteer work in the future.
I am extremely sad to say goodbye to the people who have made my experience with Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House a memorable time. For those of you who may in interested to learn more about Luv the Grub, I will leave their social media links below! I would also like to thank my mentor, Sylvia, for giving me the opportunity to pursue my interests (social media and photography) and using my skills for a great cause.