Whenyouvolunteer,yougivepartofyourself–yourtime,energy,skillsandfeelings.Yougivetoyourfamilyandfriends,toyourneighbours,toyourcommunity.Sometimes,youaregivingtopeopleyoudon’tknow,topeoplethousandsofkilometersaway.
Givingisoneofthereasonswhypeoplevolunteer.Theircontributionstoothersandtotheircommunitiesbringthemfeelingsofself-fulfillmentandtheknowledgethattheyhavemadeadifference.
Volunteeringisalsoawayofsayingthankyou.It’sawayofrecognizingthecountlessotherswho,inbigwaysandsmall,havemadelifericherandbetterthroughdonationsoftimeandeffort.Butthereismoretovolunteeringthangiving.
Asavolunteer,youalsoreappersonalbenefitsandenhanceyourpersonalgrowth.Youcanincreasesocialawareness,learnthroughservice,enjoybetterhealth,gainself-confidence,discoveryourstrengthsandtalents,buildasenseofindependence,andexpandyoursocialcircle.Volunteeringgetsyoureadyfortheworkforce.Byvolunteeringyouandevelopskills,gainworkexperience,explorecareeroptions,anddevelopajob-findingnetwork.
Withastrongrésuméandnewskills,you’llfinditeasiertostrutyourstufftoprospectiveemployers,filloutuniversityorcollegeapplicationforms,talktoscholarshiporbursaryofficers,ortakeonmorechallengingvolunteerpositionsinthecommunity.
That’sthethingaboutvolunteering.Yougetasmuchoutofitasyouputintoit!Andoften,yougetawholelotmore.
So,rollupyoursleevesandgetinvolved.Startbyreadingthisbooklet.Itwillanswersomeofyourquestionsandgiveyouotherideastothinkabout.Itwillalsoshowyouwaysofgettingthemostoutofvolunteering.
Asayouth,youwillfindvolunteeringagreatexperience.Butitdoesn’tstopnow.Bycatchingthevolunteerbug,youwillbegivingyourselfalifetimeofrewardingexperiences.