June 23rd 3:20pm.. one of my biggest reliefs every year. My school year finally concludes, and so does most of my worries, stresses, and anxieties (at least for the summer). But now what? I go out with friends, prepare for next year courses… but there’s only so much of that you can do. Therefore, I spend countless hours at home doing absolutely nothing. Dreadful, isn’t it? I realized that I couldn’t keep wasting my time, and needed to do something productive and impactful. That’s where volunteering comes into the picture. It’s something that I’ve engaged myself in for the past 3 summers, and it’s truly some of the best experiences I have ever had.
Did you know that nearly 75.7 million people in the United States have had experience with volunteering (reported by AmeriCorps)? That’s nearly a quarter of the population, and pretty shocking if you think about it!
Okay, but what exactly is volunteering? Well.. to give you a basic definition: Volunteering is an act of free service to give back to the community. What’s great is that there are so many different ways you can do so!
These organizations are typically non-profit, which can include..
Specialized Hospitals - Providing those in-need of medical assistance (mental and physical), or those with disabilities
Food Banks - Providing low-income individuals and families with food to appease their hunger
Homeless Shelters - Providing shelter and a home to homeless people who can’t afford housing
These are just ones that are mostly commonly seen. However, the scope of non-profit organizations out there for is endless; In which the majority are actively seeking volunteers.
What kind of things do volunteers do though? Well, depending on the type of organizations or business you’re volunteering for, you will be offered different types of tasks. For example, when I volunteered at a kids STEM summer camp, the type of things I had to do were watching over the kids, encouraging them, giving them innovative ideas, etc. Therefore, different places offer tasks that are tailored to the type of organization they are. Some organizations offer roles that can be as simple as cleaning-up, while other organizations offer roles may require more skill, such as educating.
One thing to keep in mind is that as a volunteer, you are never obligated to execute tasks. If it’s explicitly stated in the description of your volunteer role, technically you don’t have to execute it, but it would be indecent to sign up for the role and not do it. Nevertheless, this isn’t a job, this is voluntary free service; If you aren’t comfortable with a certain component in the role, you absolutely can say no. For instance, I currently volunteer at Hopelink’s Food Markets, and there was a task where we needed to get something out of the walk-in freezer and restock it on the shelves. I didn’t feel comfortable going into the freezer because I was afraid after hearing all the crazy stories of people getting trapped inside them. Although the task that I signed up for required me to grab and restock food, the organization didn’t obligate me to go inside if I wasn't comfortable. So keep that in mind when volunteering.
I’d like to reiterate that all of this service is done for free. So why do people do it? So many different reasons…
Health Benefits
Social Interactions
Building Skills
Reflects Positively
Good Morality
There’s likely other reasons, but these are the main reasons that I have seen others pursue volunteering, including myself.
All of these tie into each other. Health benefits may not be the main reason people choose to volunteer, however, it does occur. Whenever I go out for volunteering, I can just feel extra years being added to my body and mind. Mayo Clinic Health System reports that volunteering has caused lower rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. This is definitely true because volunteering typically requires physical task, which is good exercise for your body. If you aren’t already physically active in your day-to-day life, then volunteering can make up for it. And perhaps your role doesn’t require any physical activity… it likely still requires brain activity, which is great for enhancing your mind and keeping your psychological well-being in touch.
This leads us into social interactions. Volunteering generally requires collaborative work, which means people who volunteer must interact with other volunteers or people that they are servicing. Communicating with new people is always a great thing, because you get to build new connections and understand newer perspectives. At my volunteering place, I’ve talked to so many different people with different backgrounds, and it’s really interesting to hear all the different kinds of stories people have to share. People can also free themself from loneliness or boredom, and possibly make new friends that they can hangout with outside of the volunteering atmosphere.
Ultimately, you are building skills by immersing yourself in this experience. Volunteero claims that volunteering equips you with skills in effective communication, time management, adaptability and flexibility, problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration, empathy and compassion, organizational skills, continuous learning, emotional resilience, positive attitude. All of these things are important to have in the long-run. They come in handy when raising a family, working for a job, etc.
Your efforts also reflects positively among you and bring you higher opportunities. Many people spend their time volunteering so that they can reflect their efforts in applications for colleges or jobs. Many colleges or jobs acknowledge the impact volunteering has on the community and the types of skills being utilized; Therefore, people choose to immerse themself in volunteering so they can show off their skills in their portfolios. So, during the summer time especially, this is a great way to boost your application. To point out, its totally okay to showcase your volunteer efforts in your applications, but don’t make it the primary purpose you choose to volunteer. You should be thinking about the genuine impacts you’re creating, rather than solely thinking about yourself. If you do good, good will come. Which brings us to….
Lastly… people simply do it because they feel good helping and are genuinely passionate in making a positive contribution to the community or world. All the 4 things above seem great, but the inner feeling of knowing you’re serving good for the community is the best part (at least for me and plenty other volunteers!). Some people are passionate about different things.. for example, some have the want to help wildlife, which is why they would choose to volunteer at an organization that provides support for them.
To wrap it up, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and so many benefits in doing so. Share your experiences in volunteering and what good it has served you!
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