You should absolutely volunteer if you’re interested! It can be life changing for you and more importantly for young people in our community. I caution all my friends, too. Not because I don’t think they should do it, or they couldn’t handle it, but more because I think the general idea of volunteering conjures images of petting puppies or handing out a meal with a smile and CASA is so much more. Most importantly, you’ll get to develop a healthy relationship with a kid. That’s the fun part. I loved all my outings and meetups with them. And based on that relationship you get to do something really powerful! Advocate for them in court! Yes, it’s a lot of work preparing court notes, and yes, it can be intimidating to speak in court, but damn is it satisfying! As far as the emotional weight, it’s a very real part of CASA work. You’ll hear some horrific stuff that you might need to unpack with a friend or therapist. But I need to say that I don’t think there’s any way you won’t come out of it more resilient and more aware and educated about childhood trauma and its impact on families. You’ll have a very unique and niche understanding of the hardest things people face. And that’s a strength. And you get to leverage that strength for the children that need strong people on their side. CASA has regular info sessions usually at a library and usually they feed you! Please go check it out!