If you’re on this blog post, chances are you have already asked yourself this question. The good news is, you aren’t alone. The bad news? Like with many experiences in life, volunteering is and can be different for everyone, and also varies depending on what you choose to get involved in; this sadly means that whatever my answer to this question, your own personal interpretation of this may be different, but I’ll do my best to answer it as honestly and generally as possible in the hope it helps on your journey into helping yourself and helping others.
Top 5 things to know about volunteering:
1) It can be scary
Chances are if you’ve never volunteered in any way before, the idea of signing your name up to something you’ve never done, likely with a lot of people you’ve never met and for FREE in your spare time- heck just reading the sentence in that way can make a person run a mile. Even for the more seasoned volunteer, the jitters can still creep up on you; for me they definitely were still present before I went on my last volunteer internship, but the excitement of the experience I would be having out on the ocean for 8 weeks watching dolphins and helping with conservation outweighed it and it’s a good thing to, because was more than worth it. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone in this feeling, and probably, all the other volunteers are wondering the same things as you and thinking the same thoughts. This has been clear when meeting other volunteers for the first time, as we all make our shy and often awkard intreoductions, or if like me, you’re a talker when nervous, will talk everybody’s ears off until everyone can’t help but get involved.
Top advice: Focus on all the positives of the volunteer work you are signing up for; will you get to do something you love every day? Does it give you much needed skills for a job you really want?
Remember: Do something every day that scares you, and if it gets too much, there’s always the age old trick of picturing everyone in their underwear!
2)There are a LOT of options
One of the things most people say when talking about volunteering is that there are too many to choose from! The best tip I can give you is to not rule anything out unless you know already you really don’t like it; i.e; you are NOT an outdoors person so don’t volunteeer for gardening (as an example). Other than that start with whatever interests you the most, or if there’s a group of you, pick something that majority rules. The worst that can happen is you realise you don’t like it and know not to try that again. Best case scenario? You love it and already start planning your next outing.
Top advice: Don’t put pressure on yourself by trying too much at once or feeling like you HAve to do certain things. The trick to successful volunteering is remembering its you giving up your free time. Yes it is of great benefit to others, but you do not need to feel obliged in the same way as you might in a job role or society; Many volunteer places will much prefer happy and willing volunteers than those who would rather be anywhere else!
Remember: Sometimes starting by going through what you DON’T like is easier than choosing what you do.
3) You will LOVE it (at least 9 times out of 10!)
Volunteering, at least for me, has been a huge mix of experiences and memories, none of which have been truly awful, but there is a definite clarity of certain adventures being better loved than others. My first ever “real world” volunteering memory was from ages around 15, when a group of friends and I decided to help out with the British Heart Foundation which involved going around our local town centre with a charity box, taking it in turns to dress as a heart mascot. It was not the most interesting of my experiences but it sticks out as we had such a laugh that day, and although I learned then that this was not the kind of volunteer work I wanted to do often, it was a valuable insight for me and helped me make future decisions.
Top advice: If you can, get a group of friends or family involved the first time you get involved in volunteering. Perhaps your school or community are running schemes you could get involved in, or maybe you could begin your own
Remember: You may not love your first choice, and that’s ok. If you don’t love the second that’s fine too. The important thing is to keep going. That’s the beauty of having so many options!
4) You will learn a ton of new skills and make friends– often for life!
With this can come stress, depending on the nature of your volunteer work. Internships, which are unpaid, and usually longer bouts of volunteer work in more direct fields of knowledge, are examples of those which can provide exposure to more stressful situations as you may be away from home for long periods of time, have a lot to learn quickly, or worry about the time off work and funding. However, in these situations, although initially the new load of information and knowledge may seem a lot to handle, it is all part of building a strong skill set and learning what you love. The upside again is that 9 times out of 10, other volunteers feel the same, and by working closely together to help each other, friendships are quickly formed. This is often the easiest bit, as usually volunteers for specific activities share similar interests and passions.
Top advice: Take breaks from volunteering if you can, and need to in addition to using the time of learning new information as a way to get to know your fellow volunteers better; why not help eachh other learn what you need to ??
Remember: volunteering should be fun and enjoyable! If it isn’t, perhaps try a different experience
5) It can open doors you didn’t even know existed
The final thing about volunteering, is the doors it can open. In work aspirations, friendships, within your own life interests and abilities. It can help you discover passions you did not know you had, try experiences you never thought you would, such as my own crazy experiences of shaving my hair for charity, skydiving, bungee jumping, moving to wales for 8 weeks and seeing dolphins up close every day; the list goes on. I’ve enjoyed all experiences thoroughly, and they have led to new friendships, more experiences such as becoming an alumni fellow for my university and even writing this blog to help others.
There’s a lot more to be said about volunteering and charity work, but I hope that this helps point some of you in the direction you and offers an insight into some of the questions you may be asking. If you do think of anything else, please feel free to ask in the comments and I will get back to you as soon as!
Thanks again for reading!
Chan-xo
Chan Tells... 