Volunteer Selection Project: Week 1, April 2019

The third Volunteer Selection Project commenced on the 8th April 2019.

Background information

The Volunteer Selection Programme was the idea & design of Jesus (Alan John Miller) and Mary Magdalene (Mary Luck) (the mentors of the programme). Jesus and Mary created the structure of the programme and have worked closely with the facilitators, Tristan Miller and Eloisa Lytton-Hitchins to come up with a variety of activities to rapidly assess the attitudes, desires, intentions and motivations of individuals who desire to volunteer for Divine Truth and God’s Way Ltd organisations.

The programme is a trial or a test period designed to identify permanent, passionate and desirous individuals who specifically desire to give to Divine Truth and/or God’s Way organisations. The duration of the programme is 14 contact days over five weeks.

The programme is like a job interview (with practical activities) to assess participants desire to give gifts to the world and bring their lives into harmony with God’s Way. It is also an opportunity for participants to experience what volunteering for Diving Truth and God’s Way organisations is actually like. The end goal of the programme is to find individuals who desire to join a team of dedicated people who are:

Working towards a common goal
Living God’s Way
Sharing God’s Truth with the world
Creating love-based change in the world through example
Engaging, creating and sharing many different God’s Way Ltd projects with the world
Create opportunities for true education for themselves and others

Participants who are found to not be suitable to become volunteers during the programme are given specific feedback as to why this is the case and are encouraged to work through the soul based issues that prevent them becoming a volunteer. They are welcome to attend a future selection programme once they work through the issues exposed in the programme.

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Volunteer Selection Project 3.0, April 2019

25 Participants arrived to attend the third Volunteer Selection Project from various locations including the local area, interstate and overseas (UK, USA, Sweden, Germany).

With over half the participants arriving from outside the local area God’s Way Ltd members and volunteers offered accommodation to participants for the duration of their attendance in the project. Private individuals gifted their properties and donated funds (over $30,000AUD) time and resources, to set up God’s Way Ltd accommodation facilities for the duration of the programme.

Months of preparation has taken place to organise the project and set up accommodation for participants including: design & planning of the project and accommodation facilities, renovating, cleaning and setting up accommodation in anticipation of the participants arrival and organising logistics and activities so the project runs smoothly.

God’s Way Ltd Hostel accommodation renovation in progress

God’s Way Ltd Hostel accommodation kitchen under construction

God’s Way Ltd Hostel accommodation kitchen setup after cleaning

members and volunteers take a lunch break from cleaning the eco-tents

Preparing for the project has been a team effort with special thanks to Jesus & Mary and the God’s Way Ltd members and volunteers who have contributed to creating the project, contributed time, effort, accommodation, resources including finances to set up the project and accommodation facilities, and to those who are gifting their time during the project in various roles.

VSP Participants load their gear to take down to the eco-tent accommodation

Week one activities

Day 1: Introduction & safety review

The week began with an introduction and safety review & briefing, this is an information packed day and includes everything the participants need to know for the duration of the project.

Participants don their PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) during the safety review

Day 2: Environmental activity

Day 2 was an environmental activity of weeding a plant known as mother of millions, more information can be found at this link.

Opportunities for participants during the mother of millions activity include but are not limited to: contributing to a God’s Way Ltd project on invasive species removal, feeling emotions about the futility of a seeming never ending task, to reflect on the damage individuals have created to the environment and feel how much time, effort and energy it will take to correct the damage done to the environment as well as participants personal feelings towards the environment in general.

Elo & Tris explain how to remove mother of millions plants

Participants weed the mother of millions plot

New activities

Two new activities were introduced to the project in the first week, A tour of God’s Way Ltd projects and Divine Truth facilities & the reporting and information sharing activity.

2. God’s Way Ltd project tour. A tour was created for the participants to see God’s Way Ltd projects that are underway. The tour schedule consisted of:

visiting the Divine Truth office & studio
viewing terraces & trenches on Jesus & Mary’s property
viewing the Construction Branch Experimental Building Materials experiments
visiting the God’s Way Ltd Environment Learning Centre swale project and shed rehabilitation terrace site
visiting the God’s Way Ltd Function Learning Centre terrace project and information on the vision of the Function Learning Centre

Catherine (tour leader) shares information about the Construction Branch’s experimental building materials project

Construction Branch’s Experimental Building Materials Project brick samples

Participants view the swale project on the God’s Way Ltd Environment Learning Centre

Function Learning Centre Terrace with seed sprouted and growing

2. Reporting and information sharing activity. One of God’s Way Ltd’s main objectives is to document and share information with the world about the projects that it is conducting.

During the Volunteer Selection Project participants are given the experience of documenting the activity day. There is a data collection team, consisting of a note taker and photographer who document the day’s activities, find out information about God’s Principles involved in the activities and note down points of interest. They write up their findings and give the information to the report writing team who takes the information and creates a report for the day. The intention is that every participant experiences documentation and sharing information.

Note: The photographs in this blog post were taken by the participant data collection teams, thank you.

Anna & Cathy write up an activity report at the Environment Learning Centre house

Day 3 & 4: Cleaning activity

The participants cleaned 3 containers at the Environment Learning Center. The contents of the containers were emptied, sorted and a stocktake conducted. One container had mould covering the inside and all the items that were stored in it, everything in the container was contaminated. By the end of the second day three containers and the items that could be salvaged were clean, tidy and the contents sorted and a stocktake recorded.

The cleaning activity exposes participants attitudes and feelings which makes it an effective way to rapidly assess participants in the first week of the project.

Container & cleaning station

Day 5: Mother of millions activity part 2 and feedback, exclusion, and Q&A with Jesus & Mary.

On Friday morning mother of millions weeding part 2 took place. Most participants were more focused and productive during the activity the second time around.

Weeding mother of millions

Participants clean the tools and equipment after the activity

During the project the facilitators & mentors gift feedback to participant’s about their current attitudes and any issues that will prevent them volunteering for the organisations. The feedback is given verbally as the attitudes and issues are exposed in the activities (feedback is given in the moment as close to the time it happens). Participants then have a choice to change their attitude and emotionally deal with issues out of harmony with love and truth outside the project activity hours.

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Eloisa & Tristan give feedback to participants

On Friday’s of the activity week facilitators exclude participants whose attitudes prevent them becoming volunteers for the organisations at this time. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and receive more feedback about the issues that came up during the first week if they desired it from the facilitators (Eloisa & Tristan) and mentors of the programme (Jesus & Mary). Jesus and Mary also spoke with participants about qualities of being volunteers and the benefits of living God’s Way.

Jesus & Mary give feedback and speak with participants about being volunteers and living God’s Way

The mentors and facilitators wish the participants who were excluded all the best and encouraged them to work through the issues exposed during the project and return for a future selection project if they still desire to volunteer.

Facilitator reflections

The facilitators love running the Volunteer Selection Programme, meeting and spending time with participants and observing the group dynamics and interactions. We learn so much about ourselves, others and what God’s Way is all about. We are grateful that each participant has the desire to sign up and attend the project, thank you for your participation and we are looking forward the second week of the project!