Importance of Volunteer Work
Brittney Powers, Content Editor, volunteering at a local school and guiding young students with class studies, 2019.
Creating a Better World for Our Children
Volunteer work is the backbone within our society that helps those who are unable to help themselves. The world today has so many people who need our help and have been sadly cast aside by society. In order to help build a better world, we need to influence our nation’s youth to give back to their community through volunteering. If we start to ingrain the importance of volunteer work into our children now, they will teach their children the same, creating generations of more compassionate and loving children.
Building Compassionate Societies
We as a society should volunteer to show empathy towards others. There are many people in the world who struggle with poverty, lack of education, lack of health care, political oppression and food insecurity. Not only does volunteer work help build a better and safer society, but volunteering helps shape us into being more compassionate. Volunteering is about the positive impacts we can make on the world around us. Even small gestures of kindness can go a long way for those who feel lost, alone, or without hope. Compassion can positively impact the lives of others while also encouraging a sense of fulfillment.
Increasing Social Skills
Volunteering can also be a means of enlightening yourself while bringing fun and fulfillment into your life. Being blessed with the opportunity to help those less fortunate can give you something really positive to focus on. Sometimes we may feel down ourselves, but focusing on helping others can also help build self-confidence because volunteering can establish a stronger purpose. Volunteering also connects you with others that you may not have met under typical circumstances. This can help you increase social skills and learn about those from a variety of backgrounds. Building communities is not simply about spending time to help others, but also about learning about others and engaging with community members.
Challenges with Getting Started
Oftentimes, finding ways to give back to communities can be difficult tasks. We may not know exactly who to help, how to help, or even how to start. Identifying genuine organizations that develop volunteering opportunities can also be challenging. Unfortunately, there are some organizations that may be very unorganized, or may only want donations that may or may not end up being allocated to those in need. The reality is that we have to be smart and learn which charitable organizations and government agencies truly prioritize building sustainable communities in the most productive ways.
A great way to find out how you can give back to your community is through local libraries, community centers, schools and, quite simply, through thorough online searches. Although many websites are neither updated nor legitimate, as there are often online scams merely asking for money, many real organizations publish productive information about who and how they help. Good websites may include contact information, pictures of previous volunteer outings, reviews from previous volunteers and even data on current problems hurting communities.
Taking Initiative and Developing Ideas
Even if there are logistical obstacles, or you simply cannot find a volunteer organization that pushes the type of volunteering you wish to engage in, that is okay! Taking initiative to create your own volunteering project can prove to be truly beneficial. This just requires motivation and problem-solving skills. For example, you can participate in beach cleanups, or simply donate hygiene supplies or food to homeless people in your local area. However, creating new volunteer projects requires us all to be smarter in terms of personal safety. When we deal with the homeless on the street, our priority must be to ensure the personal safety of all volunteers. Students should always go with bigger groups mixed with responsible, experienced adults.
Want to Create a Volunteer Project?
Please review our Presidio Impact Projects to learn more about how we develop projects for local and international communities. Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) section also provides information and pictures on our volunteer projects with students. If you would like to create a volunteer project with Presidio Education®, please contact our Sustainability Team. Thank you!
