Time to Give!

NOTE: The Auction is still on via our website with all new pieces of art: www.greenhousemalta.com

Volunteers and proud!

If you've been following us then you definitely heard about our latest pet project, Project Volunteer Auction, an art auction with a difference! The idea behind it was simple but inspiring. In order to motivate people into trying volunteering we set up an art auction at the trade fair and via our website. BUT there was a catch! Instead of bidding money, people were asked to bid volunteer hours with their choice of voluntary organisation.

Although the most important thing about volunteering is that it is voluntary (duh!) , we felt that this approach may attract people who would not have considered volunteering otherwise. Then once they tried it, they would get hooked by the beautiful spirit of volunteering. A lot of people liked the idea! In fact, 8 artists donated a total of 11 paintings and 9 high quality photo prints. The Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector sponsored our materials and 18 voluntary organisations put projects forward to be bid on.

Simone explaining the concept to some stand visitors

The choice of location, the Malta Trade Fair, was a risky one. We knew that the majority of people that attend are looking for bargain deals on home appliances and the latest technology and are not exactly hunting around for a voluntary organisation to help. That only made the success of the event even sweeter!

Joseph looking serious with Minister Dolores Cristina

Throughout the event a total of 1021 hours were pledged - making this quite a success for the voluntary sector in Malta. These hours will be going to help various animal sanctuaries, environmental groups and to carry out a variety of social work.

Check out our press release on timesofmalta.com

If you would like to get involved with one of the many groups that need volunteers just send an email to green.uom@gmail.com and we'll get you in touch.

Malcolm modelling one of the new Greenhouse Tees - Community, Ecology, Participation and Education.

Project Volunteer Auction - In Numbers

As you should be aware, Greenhouse is currently a running a project with the aim of encouraging people to take on voluntary work. The idea of Project: Volunteer Auction, is that people bid on art pieces, generously donated by local artists, but instead of bidding money, they big volunteer hours with an organisation of their choice.

We ran the auction on the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) stand at the Trade Fair over the last week and it will remain open until next Wednesday 13th July via our website.

The project has been an amazing success so far, MUCH greater than our initial expectations.

Here's a resume of the project so far:

Contributing Artists: 8

Total paintings up for Auction: 11

Total Photo prints up for Auction: 9

Plus 2 full Tango courses

Number of Voluntary Organisations accepting volunteers: 18

Number of volunteer hours raised so far: 717

Total number of hours bidded (including all bids, not just top bids): 1021

Visit www.greenhousemalta.com to take part in the auction and help us reach 1000 hours!

Time to Give - Volunteer Auction

In this year’s National Trade Fair, Greenhouse Malta, with the assistance of the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) will be organising a 'Volunteering Auction' on the 24th, 30th June and 3rd July, 2011. This is a new concept in Malta were participation is encouraged by a silent auction where rather than bidding money, people will be asked to bid ‘volunteer hours’ that is the hours they are willing to dedicate to volunteering with the organisations of their choice.

People will be given the choice to bid ‘volunteering hours’ with up to 14 local organisations including: Arthritis and Rheumatism Association of Malta, Animal Rights Group, Bird Life Malta, fish4tomorrow, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth, Funny Farm, Koperattiva Kummerc Gust, Mid-Dlam Ghad-Dawl, Noah's Ark, St. Joseph Home for boys - Santa Venera, Organisation for Friendship in Diversity, Third World Group, Tomasina Cat Sanctuary and YMCA . The artwork for the auction has been kindly donated by different local artists distributing varied collections. We are grateful to Jeni Caruana, Christine Cutajar, Gabriel Caruana, Gabriella De Gaetano, Joseph Caruana, Stephanie Borg, Trudy Gera, Tango Malta and Clyde Haber who contributed to this volunteering mission.

These organizations have a common goal of promoting volunteer work to aid the community and better the environment, with no reward in mind. For instance, more animal shelters and centres depend on volunteers, to help out in cleaning, feeding and taking them for a walk or even to a vet. They would also need someone that can help with building fences and with computer knowledge. Without these people that update, making others aware and seek others to help out, saving actual animals wouldn’t be possible. So it’s not about the money its about a person’s love and commitment towards an active participation. This also includes in helping the environment, by joining a conservation group to preserve species and even take part in clean ups and educational awareness. None the less, the artists also contributed from their own will with no intention, which makes a positive impact that warm hearted people are reaching out more to be activists. They are not just showing their creative ability but giving a meaningful distribution to the public.

In certain situations, we get inspired to make ourselves worth by spending time with less fortunate people and give money to aid their way of life. Yet although those couple of minutes and hours would not be very beneficial to us, or expressed in an outrageous way, these people would still be thankful that at least someone not just cared to notice but was there to help physically. Donating time changes lives. It doesn’t just helps you on your personal development or adapt to new skills, but it makes you feel needed and understand more what certain people and animals go through and therefore such an experience would be powerful for the future by witnessing and making others aware of the current realities. With a bit of effort, a person would expand a greater cause and this would lead to a satisfactory difference. Voluntary work is also an empowering tool to the individual and not only an expression of solidarity.

Furthermore, to participate and bid on these artworks, people may pre-register online or at the MCVS stand on the days of the auction from 6 pm onwards, but people will be given the opportunity to view and bid on them online. Some artwork will be auctioned over the course of the whole week, while others will be auctioned on one day. For more information on registration and on the organisations which are offering volunteering opportunities is available on Greenhouse’s website – www.greenhousemalta.com. Organisations and artists who would also like to participate in this auction may contact Greenhouse on auction.greenhouse@gmail.com

We encourage the people that want some paintings to think of the benefits of this event that while ‘purchasing’ a personal item, a person would contribute to society in more ways than one by volunteering with particular organization/organizations. And to all those that still want to make a difference, without winning the actual item, you can still contribute in helping out with organizations and making others aware of such causes and aims.