There are multiple benefits of volunteering, and it is essential to recognize them and realize that without it the world would be a very different place. There is more to volunteering than just thinking of it as an unpaid job. Both you and the community you are helping can benefit from volunteering.
Volunteering can connect you to your community. Life is always better with connections rather than living in solitude. When volunteering you can make a difference in your community and make life a little more enjoyable for people. You never know how people are feeling that day or what they were missing from their lives. Doing something nice or helping out in your community could make someone’s day so much better.
Another way you can benefit from volunteering is it can have a major effect on your mental health. Participating in community service can really improve your self-confidence, and as someone that really struggles with that, I find volunteering is helpful to my mental well-being. It gives you a natural sense of accomplishment because of the feeling of pride and happiness that comes with completing something. Volunteering can also help with depression, one of the contributing factors of depression is social isolation. Volunteers keep in regular contact with others, and this keeps them social and helps you develop a support system. Though with COVID-19 there isn’t much in-person volunteering going on.
Finally, taking part in community service can really help you with your career and your ability to get jobs. It is a great way to gain experience for jobs, you need the experience to get a job but you can’t get experience unless you have a job. Volunteering is a great way to gain experience from a young age and to be able to get a job when you get older. It also can give experience in s specific area of study that you are hoping to pursue. If you were wanting to be a teacher, you could volunteer at a library to help with the kids or at the programs if your library runs them. It can give you the experience to succeed.
Volunteering has a wide variety of benefits not just for your community but also for yourself. There are also many different ways to volunteer. Most people think of volunteering as working at a food bank but there is more to it than that. It gives you experience, and your mental health can benefit from it and your community too. Helping your community can also help you.
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Resources
Benefits of Community Service. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://www.wcsu.edu/community-engagement/benefits-of-volunteering/#:~:text=Volunteering%20is%20a%20great%20way,and%20fun%20and%20fulfilling%20activities.