Although volunteering can be frustrating, it can have a meaningful and positive impact on your community. Fundamentally, volunteering is about giving your time, energy and skills freely. Unlike many things in life, there IS a choice involved with volunteering. As a volunteer you have made a decision to help on your terms, free from pressue to act from others. My belief is that volunteers should be treated with the uptmost of respect and any time and /or resources someone is willing to give, is a gift to be valued. Above all, volunteering should be fun and rewarding. If it's not... why would anyone give their valuable time??
Here are a few benefits of volunteering:
(i) Volunteering Connects you to others
One of the better-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteers are often the glue that holds a community together. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. However, volunteering can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills. It will expose you to people with common interests, neighbourhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.
Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.
Reducing the risk of depression is another important benefit of volunteering. A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against stress and depression when you’re going through challenging times.
Volunteering is good for your health at any age, but it’s especially beneficial in older adults. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not, even when considering factors like the health of the participants. Volunteering has also been shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.
If you’re considering a new career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. Even if you’re not planning on changing careers, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization.
Volunteering offers you the chance to try out a new career without making a long-term commitment. It is also a great way to gain experience in a new field. In some fields, you can volunteer directly at an organization that does the kind of work you’re interested in. Your volunteer work might also expose you to professional organizations or internships that could be of benefit to your career.
(iv) Volunteering can teach you valuable job skills
Just because volunteer work is unpaid does not mean the skills you learn are basic. Many volunteering opportunities provide extensive training. Volunteering can also help you build upon skills you already have and use them to benefit the greater community. For instance, if you hold a successful sales position, you raise awareness for your favorite cause as a volunteer advocate, while further developing and improving your public speaking, communication, and marketing skills.
(v) Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life
Information in this post extracted from http://helpguide.org/life/volunteer_opportunities_benefits_volunteering.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment