Project Management students volunteer for good cause

Friday 17th July was national pyjama day, organised by the Pyjama Foundation. The Foundation matches volunteers with children in foster care and implements a weekly program of reading aloud, playing educational games and work in numeracy. The annual pyjama day raises funds and awareness of the needs of foster children.
Five project management undergraduate students volunteered to coordinate PJ Day in Melbourne. They spent 12 weeks planning, sourcing sponsors, permits and getting in touch with media, and for their efforts they got to stand in the rain at 6.30am in their onesies, handing out tea and cupcakes to the early morning business population.
I asked David Wong about his role on the project.
What made you decide to volunteer for the PJ day work?

“I decided to volunteer because I felt it was for an important and genuine cause. I also did it to improve my skills in project management. And also to prove to myself and others that I was up for the task.”
What did you get out of it?

“I gained a ton of experience. I learnt a lot more about myself: mentally and emotionally. I learnt particularly more about managing tasks and deliverables. I also learnt more about communication; both internally with the project team and externally with the suppliers. But the most important lesson that I gained from this experience was the importance of emotional intelligence. It helped in my own emotional regulation as well as in managing my project team.”
Would you do it again?

“I would do it again. It was one of those things where the more you put into it, the more you gain out of it, though I was not prepared for the role when I accepted it, I grew into it as I progressed. It shows that we are always learning and that there is no straight road to project success.”
Shannon O’Brien, Regional Victorian Coordinator, recognises that “the learning (opportunity) especially with a NFP is absolutely huge and it makes you think outside of the box because there is no money to spend”.

Email: employerofchoicepcpm@rmit.edu.au if you are interested in signing up to the Employer of Choice Program Non-For-Profit Register to advertise your Volunteer opportunities to our student group.