Why should we encourage volunteering opportunities?
By : SAIDI Sanaa
We live in a world where advocacy is taking the lead. Raising awareness and moving to action requires the participation of all the actors in our community. The catalyst of the change is volunteers, who not only contribute to a cause ,but more importantly work on their abilities to become changemakers. So, what are the benefits of volunteering for both the participants and the community?
Volunteering stands for working for an organization or a cause without remuneration. While this concept is quite popular in advanced countries, the less developed ones are still attempting to introduce it to their communities and boost their engagement. Acknowledging that we live in an era where cash is king makes ignoring these initiatives and opportunities come almost organically. However, volunteering carries enormous benefits and advantages for the volunteer participants and their communities. It is crucial to highlight that one can volunteer locally, as they can offer their services to the international community through various programs thanks to international non-profit organizations.
To grow, learn new skills, and achieve tangible results, one should challenge themselves daily. Volunteering enables individuals to get out of their comfort zone and explore unfamiliar territories and areas of expertise. Thanks to the different challenges those opportunities offer, volunteers learn to adapt quickly to any given environment, and turn obstacles into learning opportunities. They are a great tool to push the limitations and help fulfill one’s full potential. Additionally, volunteering provides an environment where one can learn through practical experience and develop hard and soft skills. Volunteers learn boldness, assertiveness, and initiative-taking. We couldn’t stress enough how such opportunities improve interpersonal and extrapersonal skills. Self-empowerment is at the center of this exceptional experience.This is what makes volunteering as the perfect chance to develop a network and meet people from all walks of life.
One of the most important advantages of volunteering is its ability to fuel individuals’ eagerness to impact the local and global community. Connecting to a cause through practical experiences is the most effective and efficient way to broaden knowledge about an issue the world is facing. Therefore, make a difference in people’s lives. In addition, fulfilling civic responsibilities creates reliable individuals. Those citizens are ready to serve their communities and put others’ needs before their own. One of the most famous quotes about impact is ‘be the change you want to see in the world’. Besides, volunteering enables people to meet with individuals from all classes, hear their stories, and understand their realities. This practice helps volunteers adopt an open mindset. Moreover, those connections dismiss the different consumed stereotypes, which accommodate the community with non-judgmental citizens and close the gap between the different layers of society. We can say that volunteering creates a more compact and homogeneous community.
In conclusion, the essence of volunteering comes from this will to help the community, and be part of the blessing the universe offers to the ones in need. Thus, it gives more to the volunteers than one can believe. Enhancing general knowledge, learning problem-solving, overcoming challenges, and dealing with different personality types are only a few examples of the numerous benefits one can get out of this life-changing opportunity.
