6 Reasons To Volunteer
1) It’s good for your health
No, we aren’t making this up. Studies have found that when you stop thinking about your own problems and focus on other things, your stress levels start to decrease.
Apart from this, your immune system is also strengthened and your overall sense of life satisfaction increases. This is because doing something for someone else interrupts tension-producing patterns and replaces them with a sense of purpose, positive emotions and higher confidence levels.
2) It improves your employability
Did you know volunteering is an excellent way to boost your career prospects?
It helps you create a positive impression, makes you more innovative and creative, and gives you a range of useful skills.
And we’re not the only ones who are aware of these benefits, recruiters are too!
It’s been said that recruiters rank volunteer participation higher than personal presentation when looking at prospective candidates.
The British Council also released a study centred on how international experience benefits individuals and employers.
3) You’ll learn new skills
So what are the reasons why employers are keen on hiring volunteers?
Employers love a candidate with a range of soft skills and luckily, volunteering gives you plenty of those. How?
On a volunteer program, you’re faced with problems on a daily basis and have to deal with a mix of personalities – all while adjusting to life outside of your comfort zone.
This all adds up and helps to improve your teamwork, leadership, problem-solving and people skills.
All in all, this is another excellent reason to get out there and volunteer.
4) You’ll gain real-world experience
Another motivator for volunteering abroad is the insightful, real-world experiences that volunteers are exposed to in the field.
Get ready to gain hands-on experience while you volunteer. Get stuck in doing wildlife conservation research, leading sports sessions, or conducting underwater surveys.
Not for you?
How about tracking jaguars, cleaning baby turtles, increasing teaching capacity at schools or earning your Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)
Open Water qualification in some of the world’s most sought-after dive sites?
There are so many avenues to choose from when looking to volunteer, that there really is something for everyone.
5) You’ll make an impact
Volunteering, whether at home or abroad, gives you the chance to contribute to the kind of community and world you want to live in every day.
It gives you the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself and use your own skills and knowledge to assist in the empowerment of people all across the globe.
6) You can contribute to a cause you believe in
Not sure how to start off on your volunteering journey? Your reason for volunteering should begin where your passions lie.
Let your love for animals, teaching or public health build on impactful programs.
Allow your actions to be led from a place of passionate intention. That way all the hard work will be worth it and you’ll be more committed to the cause. As a result, your impact will be that much bigger.