Top 8 Reasons to Become a Volunteer Today
“You have nothing else to do?” – this is heard by people who are called volunteers every day. The main goal of volunteering is to make the world around us better. But if a person does not receive money for his/her help, then he/she has nothing at all from this, except for the embodiment of good intentions? In this article, we will tell you what else volunteering can give and to whom exactly.
Why should you become a volunteer?
Reason 1: Experience
Sometimes volunteering can brighten up your resume and add real skills, especially if the field of volunteering is related to your field of activity. Very often, doctors travel to disadvantaged countries to treat children, teachers travel the world with the goal of global education, builders help build houses for the homeless, and there can be an endless number of such examples. So volunteering = new, invaluable experience.
Reason 2: Travel
Volunteers are required not only in the neighboring city, volunteers are required all over the world. So if you have long wanted to go somewhere, then do not miss the opportunity to come to this or that country as a volunteer. Sometimes organizations that hire volunteers pay for travel and housing. But in some cases, people want to become a volunteer so much that they even take out loans. For example, this year 6 consumers took out online payday loans Mississippi to cover expenses needed to become a volunteer. People choose this product because payday loans are the easiest to obtain. Borrower eligibility criteria vary by state and lender. Sometimes even lenders from the same state have minor differences in lending terms. You can find all the necessary information about payday lending in your city online. Thus, Brookhaven residents should search for information about payday loans Brookhaven MS, and people living in Oxford will need to study the data about payday loans Oxford MS. These pages also contain information about lenders that are licensed to issue loans in each particular city, these lenders’ ratings and reviews.
The list of countries is extensive, you can even be brought to some remote islands in the Bay of Bengal. Volunteering = travel you’ve dreamed of for a long time.
Reason 3: Practice the language
Are you endlessly learning English / French / Italian / Korean / Swahili but don’t have the opportunity to practice? Welcome to volunteers! Choose a suitable program and country and go to do good and communicate freely with native speakers of the language, which has already become your second native language. For example, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was held in France, many people from all over the world came to volunteer to improve their French, and volunteers with French citizenship, in turn, practiced in almost all languages of the world. Volunteering = learning languages effectively.
Reason 4: New acquaintances
It is no secret that often good relations between people arise, including during the work process, in our case, the process of improving the world. There are a huge number of examples and stories when volunteers from different countries became friends for life, someone found love, someone found new partnerships, and someone, thanks to their sociability, received many new chances in life, for example, found a job in another country. Volunteering = new friends, strong relationships, unique networking opportunities.
Reason 5: Increased life expectancy
Yes, we are not making this up: according to a study published in Psychology and Aging, people who volunteer at least 2 hours a week have 40% less risk of high blood pressure than others. Another study found that people who volunteer and give charity live a little longer: caring for others also implies a better attitude towards themselves. Volunteering = health and longevity.
Reason 6: Contribution to the economy
The paradox: free labor brings a huge amount of money… to the economy. The global contribution from volunteer work is already comparable to that of major industries. In the USA, the global contribution of volunteers to the country’s GDP was about $297.5 billion/year in 2018. This happens for the reason that the work is being carried out, the results of this work are visible, and there were no expenses for salaries because the work was voluntary. Volunteering = positive economic performance.
Reason 7: Impact on society
As a volunteer, you can really change something and, moreover, help other people change by inspiring them with your example. Everyone knows the well-known saying “Start with yourself, and the world around you will change” – in the case of volunteering, this is true. Sometimes charity is about inspiring other people to do charity. Volunteering = social change.
Reason 8: Self-realization
All of us, sooner or later, face a personal and professional crisis. And someone, having received several diplomas and worked in several jobs, did not understand their purpose in life. Often, volunteering can become such a reset button; it is such an activity that can help you find yourself or find a completely new use for yourself. Volunteering = new opportunities.
Who can I help?
We conclude by presenting a selection of some of the most trending volunteering opportunities in the USA.