By: Keerthana Vinod
Volunteer hours are required in many different activities and organizations such as the National Honors Society and mentoring programs. They are also highly recommended when applying for college. Apart from adding volunteering to your resume, what benefits and impact does it have? In this article, we’ll be exploring how volunteering plays a vital role in making connections, improving mental/physical health, advancing careers, and helping bring fulfillment into people’s lives. Additionally, we’ll also be taking a look at how you can get involved with the community and start volunteering.
Networking with others is an essential part of our everyday lives. Volunteering is a convenient and efficient way to make those connections. Simply meeting up with a group of volunteers on a regular basis helps build social skills and provides opportunities to meet new people. It can also be a way to strengthen existing relationships with friends, family, or other loved ones. These collaborative skills can then be translated into school or work, thus making it easier to make friends and communicate with peers/mentors/colleagues.
These newfound connections from volunteering also translate into improving mental and physical health. Interacting with others continually helps provide a strong support system, thus helping combat mental turmoil and disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Additionally, volunteering can help with keeping the body healthy. Volunteering jobs often involve physical labor of some sort, providing physical exercise on a regular basis. This exercise can help prevent developing high blood pressure and heart disease.
Apart from staying physically and mentally healthy, volunteering can help with financial health by helping advance careers. Volunteering provides numerous opportunities to gain important skills and experience. Working with a group and communicating clearly are two major skills that can be gained from volunteering that can be applied to virtually any occupation. Additionally, depending on the type of volunteer work, it can help with gaining valuable work experience with a desired career.
However, volunteer work doesn’t always need to be career-oriented. It is a great way to bring fulfillment and happiness into life. Helping others of one’s own accord is scientifically proven to increase contentment and overall mood. Additionally, volunteering is able to raise self-confidence, as it provides a sense of accomplishment and initiative by allowing one to play a part in a bigger, positive movement. It helps bring purpose into life as well, as many depend on a volunteer’s work and selflessness.
Now that we’ve learned how volunteering can be a huge benefit in numerous areas, the question remains: How do you get involved? There is no “one right way” to get started. Talking to peers, colleagues, teachers, or mentors at school or work is a great way to find local volunteer opportunities. Additionally, reaching out to local libraries or religious organizations is another surefire way to find some places in need of an extra helping hand. Finally, there is also the option of looking online. This is especially helpful when looking for career-specific or interest-specific opportunities. For example, this organization, JuSTEMagine, is a great, welcoming place for young teens to partake in a nonprofit organization that revolves around STEM with their STEM-oriented publishing team, curriculum design team, Esports team, and more!
Volunteer work, apart from looking good on a resume, has several benefits. In this article, we’ve explored just how volunteering plays a vital role in making connections, improving mental/physical health, advancing careers, and helping bring fulfillment into people’s lives. Additionally, we’ve even taken a look at how one can get involved with the volunteering community. Now, only one question remains unanswered: Where will you go volunteer first?
Works Cited:
Robinson, Lawrence, and Jeanne Segal. “Volunteering and Its Surprising Benefits.” HelpGuide.org, 28 Mar. 2019, www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm.
Western Connecticut State University. “Benefits of Community Service – Community Engagement.” Www.wcsu.edu, www.wcsu.edu/community-engagement/benefits-of-volunteering/#:~:text=Unpaid%20volunteers%20are%20often%20the.
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