PASSION FOR WORK AND VOLUNTEERING: PART I

WHERE DO YOU VOLUNTEER, AND HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?

MONIKA: I am a member of KitzDrohne Inntal e. V. (KDI), which campaigns for the protection of fawns and other wild animals, including ground-nesting birds, during Mahd, the annual agricultural mowing of meadows from the end of April to the end of June. Thousands of fawns, young hares and ground-nesting birds are at risk of being injured or killed by mowers. This can be prevented through close cooperation among farmers, hunters and animal rights activists. Since my childhood, I have raised, nursed and helped through winter injured or weakened birds and hedgehogs with my family. In addition to my career in the textile and fashion industry, I spent eight years working as an alternative veterinary practitioner and assistant in a veterinary practice. There, we also regularly cared for injured stray and wild animals, free of charge. When I saw a KDI poster by chance at the beginning of this year, I signed up straight away and am very happy about this decision.

FRIEDERIKE: On the one hand, I am committed to helping refugees in my community and, with my project dasselbe in grün (the same in green), I am also committed to ensuring that nature is recognised and protected in inhabited areas. I was already actively involved in helping refugees in 2015, when I had just moved to Munich and found myself in the job application phase. At the time, I had signed up for a volunteer group helping children and teenagers with their homework. A year and a half ago, in addition to my work at Marc O'Polo, I started my own business as a sustainable garden designer to show interested people how to create an aesthetically pleasing garden that could be a habitat for animals at the same time. As a result, the importance of community and the future has become increasingly important to me. When help was needed for a refugee family in my street at the beginning of the year, I immediately got in touch. Furthermore, I encourage individuals who make a positive contribution to society.

WHAT DOES YOUR VOLUNTEER WORK LOOK LIKE?

MONIKA: To ensure that there are no young game in the meadow, we search the area shortly before mowing. With the help of a drone and thermal imaging camera, ’suspicious’ points are noted in our deployment software and the coordinates are transmitted to the recovery team. With the help of GPS trackers, we ‘salvagers’ walk to the heat points and secure any fawns present. These are then carried from the mowing zone to the edge of the forest and carefully secured under baskets. Once the meadow has been cleared, we inform the farmers immediately so that mowing can take place quickly and the fawns do not have to go too long without their mothers and food. Afterwards, they can be released again. The mother then collects the young in a timely manner to take them to another protected meadow.

FRIEDERIKE: I mainly help the refugee family I’m supporting by filling out forms and applications and dealing with the authorities. It's important to me that they have a contact person and can count on me. As the political situation heats up and people lose sight of the community, I am convinced that we must actively support and stand up for each other in order to be an open-minded society. In the philosophy of gardening, it is said that you express your relationship to the world through your garden. And the best possible garden is the one that seeks the common good and embraces all living beings. That is also my vision of community.

HOW CAN WORK AND VOLUNTEERING BE COMBINED? DOES MARC O'POLO SUPPORT YOU, AND HAVE YOU EVER USED THE BENEFIT OF THE TWO DAYS OF SPECIAL LEAVE FOR YOUR COMMITMENT?

MONIKA: In my case, this works very well, as I can choose my starting time flexibly in consultation with my team. This allows me to easily combine my voluntary work with my job. When the weather is nice, our missions take place early in the morning and in the evening, at weekends of course, but also during the week. Depending on my work schedule, I sign up for an early assignment (which is great!) and can then go to work full of energy. The evening shifts are generally unproblematic. I was also able to recruit two new ‘deer whisperers’ through my appeal on the Marc O'Polo intranet. However, we can still use more helpers, especially those with drone experience or who would like to learn. I think it's great that Marc O' Polo appreciates and honours the work of a volunteer in this way, and that more attention is being drawn to it through this beautiful blog.

FRIEDERIKE: The appreciation of each individual person is really great at Marc O'Polo. Many employees study, work or realise other dreams on the side, and the company sees this as a sort of enrichment and symbiosis. This openness, also on the part of my colleagues, has always motivated me. The opportunity to reduce my hours has given me time and space to think about how I want to live in the future and what is important to me. That was a groundbreaking decision. Flexible working hours also allow me to attend appointments for the refugee family during business hours. The two days of special leave given to us are another non-bureaucratic gesture of appreciation from Marc O'Polo.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTARY WORK?

MONIKA: The best moment is when you see ‘your’ fawn, retrieve it safely and release it again at the end. A fawn looks like a real Bambi, which makes your heart race. Knowing that, thanks to our help, lives have been saved and the animals have escaped an agonising death is good for, and unifies, the whole team. But it's also interesting to work with farmers and hunters and get a look into their outside-the-box thinking.

FRIEDERIKE: It's nice to see how you can help people with impulses. For example, one of the girls I helped with her homework later asked me if I could also help her with her studies at a technical college. I was very pleased with her success. It's actually similar to the plants: seeing how they grow and how they can blossom here in Germany in the end. That's the community I want to live in and contribute to.

HAS VOLUNTEERING EVER PRESENTED YOU WITH CHALLENGES?

MONIKA: Fortunately, I haven't gotten into any critical or awkward situations yet. Essentially, as I did in a previous volunteer position, I just have to cut down on my personal time and learn to prioritise what is really important to me. However, this voluntary work is limited to around two to three months a year, which makes it manageable.

FRIEDERIKE: As one is constantly presented with situations that are not easy, it is important to reflect on one’s own privileges and remain open to criticism. Although this is not always easy, it is necessary in order to shed old habits and grow. 

WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR FUTURE INVOLVEMENT?

MONIKA: As we need two new drones, I would like to find more sponsors for our club. I also have a project of my own for the autumn/winter that is close to my heart: I would like to initiate a hedgehog rescue centre with the help of an experienced hedgehog station. Perhaps one of our readers would like to take on a care or hibernation service for an injured or weak hedgehog! Of course, we would offer advice and support. My wish for the future is that we become more aware of how much we humans have restricted the lives of animals and that we treat them and the environment with more respect.

FRIEDERIKE: My commitment to the garden is the basis for everything I do. It doesn't matter whether it's data protection training or earthing after an exhausting week. It's just nice to watch the titmice grow in the garden and celebrate every step forward. I am happy if I can inspire other people with this. The idea of an inclusive community is what drives me.