At the very mention of volunteering, many young people instantly turn their heads and direct their attention to something else. However, those who have been curious enough to explore it have certainly grown to appreciate its numerous benefits and realized that you can educate yourself and learn a lot outside the walls of a classroom as well. Here are a few great things about volunteer work which prove exactly that.
The joy of helping others
This advantage may be the most obvious one of all. A huge reason why so many people decide to engage in volunteer work is that feeling of fulfillment which comes from an honest desire and effort to make someone else’s life better and happier. It helps you become more aware of those around you, more sympathetic towards them and allows you to see how multifaceted life actually is. All that makes you grow immensely as a person.
Establishing connections and building friendships
It goes without saying that investing your time and energy into this kind of work where you are often surrounded by other people is a perfect opportunity for making friends. Volunteering frequently involves working with others in order to achieve a common goal, for example, if you have joined a group of people who want to preserve nature and take care of their environment. What is more, that common goal of yours is more likely to create a strong bond among you and can allow you to find other people who share many of your opinions and values.
Strengthening the sense of belonging
Fighting and working hard with others in order to achieve the same goal and make your community nicer, more pleasant, and advanced often gives volunteers a strong sense of belonging. A bond is established among people, therefore one has the feeling of having a place within a specific group or community and having a positive impact on it.
Connecting with other cultures
Volunteering can also be quite attractive to young people because it often implies meeting people from different cultures and learning about them, especially if one volunteers somewhere outside their country. Certain projects exist where people from around the globe are encouraged to join their forces, knowledge, time, and skills and do good deeds that will help make the world a better place—a truly enriching experience.
Leadership, teamwork, self-initiative, and reliability
If you’ve ever wondered if you are a good leader, if you could function well in a team, if you are independent in decision-making and others can rely on you, volunteer work is a chance to find out the answers to all those questions. It will put you in the situations where those aspects of your personality will be tested, and you’ll have the opportunity to learn where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
Applying your skills and learning new ones
Let’s say that you are in the middle of an important project and things need to be done on schedule. The time management skills you already have in that case will certainly come in handy. In case you don’t have them, you will get a chance to learn how to develop them. Naturally, the skills you learn while volunteering can be applied later and can be of incredible use to you at some point in your future.
There’s no doubt that the best way to find out what you can get from volunteering is to experience it yourself and truly enjoy its benefits.
