I must join in the debate about the potential good to come from the way volunteers have “made the Games”. Here are some of the things that are being said:
The Guardian Best bits-olympic-legacy-volunteering Panellist debate how to maintain an Olympic legacy for the voluntary sector.
“The Olympic volunteers’ great attitude is doing wonders for our national brand.” The Telegraph-The-Olympics-have-shown-Britain-is-a-can-do-nation
The Observer headline “How the spirit of the volunteers could be London’s greatest legacy”
Whilst I don’t think the volunteer selection process worked entirely smoothly, I do think the Games Maker volunteering programme is a huge success. From my view as a Team Leader in the Technology team, here’s why:
- We are excited and proud to be associated with the ultimate sporting event
- There is no distinction between volunteers and employees – we are all called Games Makers and we all wear the same uniform
- We are well kitted out and well looked after on our shifts
- We were trained effectively and know what we have to do
- We get lots of chocolate!
When I stop spending 14 hour days travelling and working my shifts I look forward to continuing this discussion. In the meantime, please leave a comment and let me know what you think about the idea of a volunteering legacy.
“But right up there is the role of the Games Makers: Mr and Mrs Britain …. and they are the antithesis of the negativity of those newspapers which claim to be the voice of the British people.”
http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog/2012/08/09/the-volunteers-are-70000-reasons-why-these-games-are-great-and-they-are-changing-britain-for-the-better/