A Commitment to Make the World a Better Place Through Volunteering | Olivia Evelin Sundari, Swire Trust Go-Givers of 2023
Together with Time Auction, the Swire Trust Go-Givers Program encourages skilled volunteers for Swire Trust NGO partners in education, marine conservation, and arts. From now to 2025. 10 outstanding volunteers will be selected annually as the “Swire Trust Go-Givers of the Year” with special rewards & recognition. Meet our 10 Go-Givers of 2023!
Meet Olivia
While Olivia Evelin Sundari was in Jakarta, she volunteered for various music and educational projects. As a professional music lecturer in her hometown, Olivia not only taught music to ethnic minority groups, but also participated in village cleaning, music therapy, community music projects, and interpretation.
When she moved to Hong Kong, it was difficult for her to meet new people due to COVID-19 and the quarantine period. However, she’s the type who finds joy in connecting with others and believes in giving back to the community. She decided to begin her volunteering journey in Hong Kong and she found a perfect opportunity with the nonprofit organization, Be Priceless.
A Journey of Volunteerism
Having volunteered for years, Olivia discovered her interest in helping ethnic minority communities. Eager to meet people and contribute to her new home, Olivia researched Time Auction, an online skilled-volunteering matching platform, which allowed her to easily find volunteer opportunities to get involved in. She spotted a bilingual Indonesian-English educator at Be Priceless, an educational NGO that aligns with her teaching background, languages, skills, missions, and values. She applied immediately without hesitation as this educator role was an ideal fit for her skills, which seemed like a position designed specifically for her.
Be Priceless is a education nonprofit that empowers the well-being and relationships of children, families, and communities with S.E.E.D. course in mind, which stands for Self-Value, Empower, Educate, and Protect from Dangers.
Olivia teaching caregivers' SEED course
A Self-Discovery Process
For Olivia, volunteering is a collective life-long project. It’s not a personal project but a team effort of people with goodwill working to give back to society. She lives and breathes her commitment to community service, and this is reflected through her actions. Olivia believes that “small change can make a big difference”. She feels that contributing to the community allows her to gain more, seeing it as an important step in her journey of self-discovery.
Volunteering not only allows Olivia to become part of a team that makes the world a better place, but it also helps her develop transferable skills like communication, leadership, and teamwork.
Olivia volunteering at Be Priceless
The Power of Volunteering
With the aim of giving back to society, Olivia is willing to contribute and assist in any possible way even if it is not included in the volunteer project description. For Olivia, volunteering is not merely about “giving”, but also about “empowering”. Through this volunteer opportunity, Olivia became the lead teacher and has been teaching hundreds of children and caregivers of all ages. In addition, she also provides translation between English and Bahasa Indonesia while supporting the team during periods of low manpower. Despite the challenges, they work very closely together to make things happen.
In fact, Olivia has received positive feedback from parents and caregivers. One child has become more confident in standing up for himself against bullying, and caregivers have improved their communication with their children in long-distance family relationships. Some of them have even developed deeper friendships too.
Making an Impact
Olivia was unaware of the reward scheme offered by Time Auction prior to joining Be Priceless as a volunteer. She is committed to volunteering simply because she enjoys serving the community. “If we stop doing anything, there will be no impact.” Olivia added. When she realized she could redeem an experience reward, she felt touched and fortunate to have found a place that aligns with her vision and mission. The feeling of appreciation is not to be underestimated, motivating her to continue contributing her skills and time to causes that are close to her heart.
For Olivia, receiving the Swire Trust Go-Givers of the Year award is undoubtedly an encouraging recognition. Being nominated for the Swire Trust Go-Givers of the Year award, Olivia is delighted and grateful to know that her volunteer work is valued by the NGO.
Thank you so much to Olivia for contributing 560 volunteer hours & beyond at Be Priceless!
To see details of the Swire Trust Go-Givers Program and support their NGO partners, head over to Time Auction website.
Written by Kamie Lam, Volunteer Copywriter
