“Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else's help” - Heather French Henry.
Volunteering is when an individual or a group offers and helps others, in a selfless way. Volunteering is a great way to help and be a part of the community. There are many benefits to volunteering that can be both personal and professional. One of the obvious and important aspects of volunteering is making a difference. When you volunteer, you are making an impact on your life and the person/people that you are helping.
An article called, Why Volunteering is Important in Personal and Professional Capacity (2021), written by Indeed Editorial Team. Explained the impacts volunteering can have in both professional and personal life. The personal benefits of volunteering are that; volunteering is a great way for an individual to meet new people (be more involved with the community/neighborhood), volunteering can help build on social interactions and interpersonal skills, and is beneficial for a person both mentally and physically (can lessen stress, anger, and anxiety in individuals who volunteer). When a person volunteers it brings joy (a sense of purpose) and it introduces the individual to new people and experiences. The individual can grow confidence (by building interpersonal skills) and find connections with people. The professional benefit of volunteering is discovering new career paths (individuals can discover career paths they want to pursue), Volunteering would help an individual be up-to-date with technology/skills that can ultimately help when an individual is trying to find a career or profession, The individual can be challenged when volunteering in an industry that they are new in, but those challenges would help the individual stand out on their resume, in some cases, individuals who volunteered at the organization can be hired in that organization.
Anyone can volunteer even people who have limited mobility. Whether a person has a disability, lacks transportation, or other reasons. There’s always a way to volunteer. A person can also volunteer via computer or phone. they can volunteer at home by helping these organizations by managing their website, social media, emails, or calls (Benefits of Community Service,wcsu.edu).
On December 17, 1999, The National and Community Service Act of 1990 amended the term “service-learning” which “is a teaching and learning strategy that connects academic curriculum to community problem-solving” studies have shown when schools participated in service-learning, students were more engaged in community service. Service-learning is beneficial for not only students but also for the community and for organizations. Some areas service-learning benefits students and organizations are by teaching and helping improve a person’s character value and responsible behavior, promoting connections to the community, promoting social-emotional skills, introducing new experiences that would help create new ideas, and increasing public support. (Service-Learning, Youth.gov)
There are many more areas where service-learning can benefit us but overall, it's clear that service-learning helps promote individuals to help their community. When we volunteer not only do the people/community we help benefit but we do too!
References
Benefits of Community Service. Community engagement. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.wcsu.edu/community-engagement/benefits-of-volunteering/.
Reasons why volunteering is important - selecthealth.org. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://selecthealth.org/blog/2018/03/reasons-why-volunteering-is-important.
Robinson, L. (2021, April 19). Volunteering and its surprising benefits. HelpGuide.org. Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm.
Service-learning. Service-Learning | Youth.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://youth.gov/youth-topics/civic-engagement-and-volunteering/service-learning.
What are the benefits of volunteering? top reasons to volunteer. Indeed Career Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-are-benefits-of-volunteering.
Why volunteering is important in a personal and professional capacity. Indeed Career Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-volunteering-is-important.