B. What I know from this field Although this idea sounds idealistic as I am asking old people to work for free for a for-profit business, I believe this concept can work because I know it from experience and international best practices. 1. My own experience Last year, I interned at an Oxfam Charity Shop in North London as a volunteer manager assistant. At this shop, products are donated, and the staff mostly consists of volunteers. The profits are given to a charity, Oxfam, which aims to end poverty around the world. During the three months of my internship, I learned about non-profit organizations, secondhand businesses and multiple value creation. This experience also allowed me to meet wonderful people who I have been excited to talk with. I do not think I would have met these kinds of people if I had not volunteered here. I identified three types of volunteers: 1. Elderly people who volunteered mostly to combat loneliness, to feel useful and to share their knowledge 2. Unemployed people who volunteered to continue working, to prevent loneliness, to feel useful, to meet new people, to help a cause, and to obtain references for their resumes 3. Young people who were often sent by their school to enter university, and shy young people who wanted to make friends. Although these people were not paid, most worked their shifts every time they were scheduled, especially the elderly people since they did not have school, homework or appointments for their kids. The charity shop was the only place they felt valued and were able to talk with someone. As a result, even when some volunteers where not scheduled to work, they often came by to have a cup of tea and chat with the staff. Likewise, some customers visited the shop a few times a week and spent more time chatting with the volunteers than trying on clothes. Thus, this charity shop created a community in addition to selling secondhand clothes. 111
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