| I've just taken a break from the books, OK, OK, I'm procrastinating, but still, I think this experience is worth an entry! I'm in shock at yesterday's little eye opener. I don't want to work part time at the moment, I'm enjoying focussing on study and my little Egg and its not necessary for me to return to work, so I think I'll just juice it for now! However, I am keen to volunteer some time for some causes that interest me. Unfortunately, some of the most interesting to me don't have any work in my area, so I've contacted a volunteer offce and given them a rundown of things I definitely am interested in and things I'm definitely not interested in. I don't think they've had someone speak so honest before! I don't want to work with animals (smelly and dirty), old people (similiar reasons, but also, old folk are great, and I know I'll get attached and then they'll die and I'll be heartbroken - no time for grief in this camp), children that have something wrong with them (for obvious reasons - I'd rather keep my head in the sand for that), oh, and people with mental problems - too much work! However, high on my list is counselling services, resources for homeless/refugee's etc, Red Cross, some kind of advocacy services as I'm happy to fight in other's people's corners as well as my own. So, to date I've had some great things to chew over. One was a counselling service for pregnant women. OK, I've done it three times successfully, that should make me an expert in the field!! It was important to me though that the service be objective. I want to give impartial advice, not judge. How I feel about somethings aren't for someone else to hear that's going through a difficult time. So I read all this service's info and can't find anything to suggest an ulterior motive. Its all very warm and fuzzy, lots of uses of the word impartial, etc. I rock up there and the first thing that strikes me is that some of the women are pretty old. The meeting starts with...a prayer. What? I feel immediately uncomfortable, but put it down to the fact there's some oldies there, perhaps they're all being polite. As the meeting went on, it was clear where this agency stood. Impartial, non judgemental, objective...You can leave those words at the door. In fact, at some stages I felt like I had walked into a time machine and arrived back in the 40s or something. Unfounded, inaccurate information was being thrown around. Some pretty nasty graphics used to explain terminations AND contraception. Seems in this organisation, emphasis is on sex after marriage. Three kids is nothing compared to this lot who have about eight. Morning after pill? I won't write down here what they're views are on that little pill which is clearly a product of Satan himself. Cripes! They're quite unfront talking about services they intend to infiltrate to get their messages across. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not an advocate of being promiscuous, knocking back the morning after morning pill and reward point schemes at lunchtime abortion clinics. BUT, these women contact this agency for help and advice while they're most vulnerable, thinking they'll get an objective, friendly ear. Instead they're going to get through to someone that's clutching a bible and reciting some pretty awful words of damnation and a lifetime of regrets. Nothing beats someone that looks like a picture perfect Grandma in a her little knitted cardi, sipping tea, talking about the morning after pill basically ripping the stuffing out of your uterus. Switch to an early 30s woman, caked in foundation, tight jeans, smelly perfume laughing which borders precariously close to an evil witch chortle, about what organisations they SHOULD be targeting, schools, universities. This invites a conversation about a well renowned Catholic private school here promoting abortions on the quiet. Outrage fills the room. Angry chatter. Then a quick talk about funding, one quick whip around of the pleasent biscuits and then it's over. I'm left stunned and for once, speechless. I just can't believe that in this day of age, these organisations can so blantly masquerade in sheep's clothing. Very scary. Anyhoo, back to the books... |