Please enjoy my short speech on the important subject of volunteering or to ‘freely offer to do something,’ as many dictionaries define ‘volunteering’.
Volunteering takes many shapes and forms. Most of us lead extremely busy lives so we sometimes have any time left for anything else but volunteering our services to help others in need is a worthwhile cause. Angelina Jolie struck a chord when she said:
That’s the reason we kind of exist. It’s like our Job. To give to each other. And learn from each other. To capture moments of people. So it’s really strange to have somebody ignore the obvious human being right in front of them.
~ Angelina Jolie.
Making time for others should prove beneficial for our health as well, in the long run.
The fact remains that we can do so much more than just donate money, though donating money should not be belittled in any way. We can donate part of our time, our skills, and talent to help others. This is what my talk centers on.
The actor Ben Affleck who is well known by the young adults for his role as Batman and other starring roles is also remembered for helping victims of sexual abuse, including many children. He has volunteered his services through an institution he founded called the “Eastern Congo Initiative”.
He is not alone as a superstar who has set a good example for his volunteering. Angelina Jolie is another:
I don’t understand why some things are talked about and others are not. I don’t know why I think I can make any kind of difference. All I know is that I want to,” said Angelina Jolie after volunteering.
Médecins Sans Frontières, one of the largest medical volunteer organizations is the perfect example of an organization that depends on volunteering. This organization provides medical services to those in conflict zones and areas of natural disasters, helping the local population often combat severe health outbreaks by providing them with essential medical services.
if you don’t have medical skills don’t worry, you can start doing helping those in need by volunteering your time and services to a local charity. Then decide if you want to enroll in a larger volunteer organization. As mentioned earlier, volunteering can provide us with benefits, not just those we’re working for.
- Networking: volunteering can help us connect with others; in the course of volunteering you are bound to interact with people from various walks of life. Essentially, you will be forming new relationships, and these can prove to be of use, later on. Volunteering enables you to meet new people and to be educated through new relationships. Taking part in volunteering activity together only serves to forge or strengthen bonds.
- Psychological benefit: The very act of helping others is bound to cause your brain to release more Dopamine. This, in turn, can help you combat stress, depression and generally make you feel good about yourself. As hard as it may be to believe, it seems that human beings are hardwired to volunteer their services to help those in need. Have you ever heard the saying: ‘It’s the giving that counts?” The feeling of giving is why you get the dopamine release. Dedicating long periods to volunteering activities can not only help others but helps you feel a sense of well-being. This should also help to make you more confident about tackling new challenges in the future.
- Pick up new skills: One of the benefits of volunteering your services is that we have an opportunity to pick up new skills that can help advance our careers or education. For example, our stint of volunteering should certainly look good on our resumes but apart from this, you have the opportunity to meet new people whom might help you with employment opportunities in the future. Most volunteer organizations provide extensive training which you can utilize and pick up or advance some essential key skills.
- Fulfillment: Donating part of our services, time, and even money to a worthy cause can prove to be fulfilling. There are various ways that you can volunteer your time to help others, so you just need to spend some time working out how you want to help before finally enjoying the happiness you will bring others by your endeavors.
Volunteering can indeed prove to be beneficial for us and it can even help you become a better person in the process and we will always be able to remember the support we brought others when they were at a time of need.
You can choose from over 50 destinations across Africa, Asia, South America, Central America, North America, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Pacific with volunteer organizations such as: https://www.helpx.net/
From healthcare and economic development to assisting after natural disasters, the UN offers positions for those who are dedicated to making a difference abroad. You may visit their website at: https://www.unv.org/