Volunteering – Giving Back and Why it Matters

Volunteering – Giving Back and Why it Matters

Connecting with the right volunteer opportunities shouldn’t be a hard decision. Any time that you reach out and begin to make a difference in someone else’s life – that is a step in the right direction.

Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, in her article, Community Service Ideas for Youth: Why Giving Back Matters had this to say about how volunteerism. She states:

“When children learn to improve their communities, they develop the capacity to organize others. They acquire problem-solving, planning, time management, and marketing skills. They learn about community agencies and how local governments work. Experiences that involve teamwork, collaboration, and interaction are training grounds for future organized citizens, people who set goals, work within established systems, and motivate others to help. These kinds of citizens coordinate food drives, develop recycling programs, or take part in community-action committees. In the middle years, children can learn the organizational and leadership skills that enable them to take more active roles in their communities as young adults.”

In your volunteering, you are also showing others what it is that is important to you as a person. That is helping one another, growing a community, and giving back.

It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. Tom Brokaw

Often people volunteer for several reasons:

1. Meeting new and interesting people. Stepping out of your comfort zones and learning to help others, and doing it with a variety of different types of people, as well as making new friends.

2. Building confidence. When it comes to feeling a sense of personal achievement, by trying new things, volunteering can help you gain confidence. Discover your hidden talents, and achieve personal goals.

3. The positive outcomes from volunteering are seen in the people you help and the communities you touch.

4. Being part of something bigger than yourself has its own rewards. Enjoying new experiences and gaining new skills for two.

5. Volunteering with like-minded people can be a fun and challenging experience. Volunteering tends to be fun, and self-satisfying.

Research has shown that people who volunteer often live longer. Allen Klein

Think of what it is you want to do gain from volunteering. Then get out there and experience a new challenge. Meet new friends, and help make your community a better place to live.