Yesterday, 5th December, the world commemorated the International Volunteers Day. In this article, I reflect on some of the lessons and benefits I have reaped from volunteering.
In my seven years of serving with various non-profits, I have discovered that volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills. But how does one benefit from volunteering? Here I share six things you will benefit from being a volunteer.
Volunteering helps you discover yourself
I grew up very reserved and with low self-esteem. Growing up in a family where some of my siblings were top-performers in class, my average academic grades made me feel inferior. This changed when I first volunteered with Environment Africa in 2012. Whenever we went for a field visit, at the end of the day I would scribble a paragraph or two about the day’s experience and share it with friends. It never took long before my friends started noting the developing writer in me. At the time I thought it was a thing that everyone else could do. With time, I noticed that what I regarded as a usual thing, made me stand out from the crowd. I had discovered myself – there was a struggling writer within me. That was the birth of this blog. I started sharing my thoughts with the world. So, if you think you’re worthless, try volunteering, you might find your area of strength.
Volunteering helps you make new friends and contacts
I always share with those in my circles that one of my most treasured assets are friends. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. Volunteering also strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities. When I had just arrived to commence my studies at Chancellor College, one of my biggest fears was that I was in a community where I had no friends. In my first weeks of school, I started attending the CCAP-Students Organisations and on occasions, volunteered to serve on some committees. At the end of the semester, I had made more friends than some people I found on campus. To date, some of the friends I made on campus remain closest to me.
Volunteering increases your social and relational skills
Naturally, some people are outgoing while others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering accords one a chance to exercise and develop one’s social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have momentum, it’s easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts.
Volunteering can advance your career
If you’re in school or just recently graduated and considering what to look forward to in your career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, project planning, task management, and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching your wings at work once you’ve honed these skills in a volunteer position first. When I was studying for my Journalism diploma at the Malawi Polytechnic, I used to volunteer my time to write articles for various organizations among them: Global Aids Inter-faith Alliance (GAIA), Klesis Education Initiative, Cornerstone Ministries Malawi and Student Christian Organisation of Malawi (SCOM). With such a background, it was easy for Cornerstone to give me my first job as their Communications Officer after I graduated because they had trust in my ability.
Volunteering can give you job-satisfaction
One of the biggest challenges facing graduates today is the job-education mismatch. A lot of people go to work defeated because they somehow, don’t love their job. They do it just for the pay, the passion died the moment they got into college. But why? This has somehow been caused by the fact that there is huge strife to get into college, so, we apply for any program that will make us see the corridors, as long as we get a degree. The reality strikes when one goes into the industry, reality crushes expectations. So, how does volunteering solve this?
As a student, when you volunteer you have an opportunity to learn more about what your future career will entail, this might help you when deciding what you want to major in college. For instance, I aspired to be a journalist after being influenced by radio personalities. After my first year in college and doing a three months internship at Maziko Radio Station which largely involved broadcast journalism Lilongwe, and then another internship at the Polytechnic’s Department of Journalism and Media studies where I mostly wrote articles and managed online media platforms, I realized that radio was not my strength. I found my niche in print media and to date, I have thrived in that aspect.
To those who are already working and don’t like their job, volunteering equally solve the challenge. A friend confided in me that she takes her job as a means to get income for survival, but through two organizations where she volunteers, she finds satisfaction. So, if you get burned up on a job you don’t necessarily like, volunteering for a cause you are passionate about can grant you happiness.
Volunteering introduces you to life-long mentors and referees
In referring to his building on the knowledge and ideas of his predecessors, Sir Isaac Newton remarked: “If I have seen further, it is because I stood on the shoulders of Giants.” This teaches each of us that there is so much to learn from those older or more experienced than us. Volunteering gives one a chance to work with experienced technocrats. A volunteer who humbles themselves under the tutelage of senior benefits from their experience and counsel. Lucky few go on to have such superiors as life mentors and referees when applying for jobs and further education as they have god knowledge of you as a volunteer with their organization.
Volunteering is a good way to give back to the community
One of the most interesting and inspiring stories I’ve heard on patriotism and love for one’s community is by one of my mentors, Judge Dr. Chifundo Kachale. Years ago when he was doing post-graduate studies in London, one of his lecturers, a Ghanaian, was Vice President for the World Bank. Noticing his intellect, the lecturer offered him to go to Washington and work for the World Bank. In his response, he said the Bank cannot afford him, when the lecturer, knowing how poor Malawi is, inquired what he meant by saying that the whole World bank cannot afford someone who is working for the Malawi government, he responded; “The Joy I get, the gratification I get from serving my people, cannot be equated to any money you can give me…My people deserve to be served by the best.” And through volunteering, you have an opportunity to give back to your community by using your skills for the common good.
Volunteering is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Volunteering also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that you can carry over into your personal and professional life. Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work as well. For instance, if you have a desk job and long to spend time outdoors, you might consider volunteering to help mentor youths, teach people new skills or counsel someone.
PS: For the past 12 months, through a non-profit, I founded with my friends, Youth Empowerment and Support Initiative, we have been giving opportunities to college-level students to volunteer as mentors to secondary school students in Salima and Blantyre. If you or someone you know might be interested in volunteering, encourage them to get in touch and I can help connect them with an organization within their area where they can volunteer. As you enrich your life, volunteering helps you benefit the community.
samuelmalasabanda 