Change the world in your pyjamas
223. Mike Bright
A Cardiff man helping people ‘change the world in their pyjamas’ by getting involved in quick and easy volunteering opportunities.
Mike Bright set up the ‘‘Help from Home’ microvolunteering website in 2008. It lists over 800 ideas for giving up a ‘bite sized’ amount of time that will make a big difference.
Participants can volunteer from their own home and on their own terms, getting involved in everything from donating to a Plastic Bank that turns waste into funding for entrepreneurship programmes and knitting hats for people undergoing cancer treatment, to updating databases for charities and blogging about mental health issues.
Would-be volunteers can log on to helpfromhome.org and search for a way to do good by the amount of time they have to give up – with options starting at one minute; by lifestyle – with options for working people, students and those who are retired and even those looking for a volunteering opportunity on holiday. Each suggested action is given a ‘pyjama rating’ indicating just how easy it is to get involved.
So far over 10,000 people have volunteered through the site. This year Mike is encouraging people to give up 2015 seconds (just over half an hour) to volunteering for the Help from Home #Challenge2015.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
“Mike’s Help from Home website is pioneering a new approach to volunteering that lets people get involved when it suits them. The 10,000 ‘microvolunteers’ Mike has inspired have given up small amounts of time to make a big difference in their communities. I’m pleased to name Mike a Point of Light today”
Jonathan Evans MP said:
“I would like to congratulate Mike Bright on winning a Point of Light award. His ‘Help from Home’ volunteering website has inspired and enabled thousands of people to make a difference by giving what time they have and in a location that is convenient to them. This initiative has played a huge part in broadening involvement in volunteering and the award is wholly deserved.”
Mike Bright said:
“I’ve been promoting the microvolunteering concept since 2008, and to say that I’m a tad surprised at being acknowledged for such an award would be an under statement. Microvolunteering has a huge potential to empower people to fit volunteering within their busy lives, so for me this award is not just about recognising the impact I’ve achieved, but also about recognising the concept of microvolunteering itself. I’m very humbled to have received it, and honoured to be included within so many other truly inspiring recipients of the award”.