Working for a communications company like Ideas Shop which actively practises social responsibility through pro bono work for not-for-profit organisations has seeped into my personal sense of responsibility.

It’s one of the reasons why I am now in the midst of an incredibly hectic – and rewarding – time, as a volunteer service worker (VSW) for Refugee Services New Zealand.

It’s not just that I’ve done a lot of work with pro bono clients; writing articles and columns on the great benefits of volunteer work, charitable giving and philanthropy… It’s also because Ideas Shop has a very effective way of encouraging a culture of social responsibility in the workplace. Each staff member can give up to five hours a month of paid time to work on communications projects for a charity of our choice. Go Ideas Shop.

Obviously, it is fantastic to be able to do charity work - and get paid for it. But, what about my personal life? It’s also motivated me to look at how pleasantly self-focused life can become and so I decided to give some of it up to help others – without getting a penny. 

Thus, two months ago I signed up for the 6-month contract as a VSW for Refugee Services NZ – the task, to help settle a new intake of Burmese refugees.

After an intensive – and extremely well-designed – training programme and a commitment to complete a series of journals for a final NZQA certificate; I’m now three weeks into helping settle a family of Burmese refugees in Porirua.

It’s been busy. I’ve become a taxi service and a guide for my family of three from the province of Kachin. I’ve got a baby seat installed in my car, my smile muscles have grown and I’ve become adept at sign language. I’ve taken them shopping and signed them up with their health clinic, Telecom and power, worked with Work and Income NZ on accessing their resettlement  grant so they can buy a washing machine…the tasks are many and ongoing.

But, it’s a thrill and sometimes when I drop them off at their house in Cannons Creek, I have to pinch myself because it’s all so new. And, I’m not even slightly interested in self-praise because it’s all so humbling.

One of the biggest realisations has been how very, very lucky we are to live in New Zealand; freedom of thought and speech and a democratic system with social support services. 

So I was downright angry when I discovered that the voting turn out for Porirua’s local body elections was around 35%. Why do so few of us get it?

Burma is a military dictatorship with limited electricity infrastructure, poorly maintained roads and no social support. People generally live through bribery. Or they flee the country for Singapore of Malaysia, apply for refugee status and wait, and wait and wait… 

To be a refugee, under the United Nations definition, they must have a "well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion." 

So, while I have no idea what the family I am helping has been through to get here – that is confidential, they may tell me one day if the want – it must have been traumatic.

There is still so much to do and to learn; and I am looking forward to getting to know these people better and them knowing me. It’s a truly symbiotic relationship.

So, after all that PR work, writing and pitching around how great personal benefits result from of volunteering - I know now it is not just spin!