by !Baha, 23 August 2011

Talk about expanding horizons, there isn’t much out there as full of quiet surprises as doing volunteer work ... Why?

Because, signing up to do a volunteer stint (of six months or more) is a wonderful way to engage yourself with the work that your chosen organization does, whether it’s in service to the elderly, some aspect of nature or wildlife conservation, animal rights, disabled, ... there's just too many fields to name.

USE YOUR SKILLS and TIME to MAKE A DIFFERENCE
It's important to say that a longer engagement over a period of months benefits YOU, the organization, and those who receive the services being offered, because we all know how it takes time to “get to know” people, and understand situations, so it’s the same here, the effort and time you put in, determines how effective you'll be.

As a young person, you'll likely have been taken care of by your family and probably been TOLD WHAT TO DO, and WHEN TO DO IT. In volunteer work, there's a chance for you to learn how to be of service to others, or to help in a collective effort, AND to connect with something or someone that needs you more than you need them! You'll learn how to make yourself useful in the real world and learn something about yourself in the process.

IT's NOT ABOUT THE MONEY STUPID :)
It's about WHAT you LEARN!
Surprising or not, taking in volunteers costs an organization time and effort, which translates to money - especially for non-profit organizations who have to spend significant effort to raise their annual budgets. Organizations with a policy of not using volunteers say that volunteers are too unpredictable, and so it is of utmost importance for YOU to approach a volunteer position with the same commitment as a promise made. Don't let those organizations depending on you down ... just because you aren’t being paid. Volunteering doesn't means you don’t need to show up for work if you don’t feel like it. Give yourself the respect to know that the work you're doing is important, even if it is just stapling papers. Obviously, those papers need stapling, and if you don't do it, who will? And, without those papers stapled completely and in the right order, the organization's mission might be jeopardized!

GOOD HABITS BENEFIT YOU A LIFETIME
Think of volunteer work as a habit to develop, it's a habit of acknowledging how much we have to be thankful for, by making it a habit to give back in the form of doing regular volunteer work -- you’ll be surprised how much you learn about yourself, the deep connections you form while being useful to others, and the genuine delight you feel at making a difference in the world, just because you can.

Be Creative! Do more than expected.
Take the opportunity to fulfill the requirement for your graduating credits in Community Service, Moral and Civic Education as an up-close chance to learn about the wider world outside school and home. It's a unique opportunity for you to learn about what it's like to work rather than go to school, a chance to learn about yourself -- what you like, what you're good at, and it will help you to know yourself better, and thus to make better conscious choices for your future. And all this while being helpful to organizations that provide services to the public.

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April Fool's, Urban Legends and Some Wisdom Shared and things Bill Gates never said... HOLIDAY SEASON: Time to Get Some Life Experiences, Time to Get a JOB! . . . "Get UR GOOD on!" says Miley Cyrus and Youth Service America INTERVIEW WITH UNHCR HONG KONG – HELPING THE DISPLACED OF THE WORLD ...iCUBED.us: Can young people volunteer at their local branch of UNHCR? What type of work experience will they gain? UNHCR: Young people are welcome to contact local UNHCR offices and register as volunteers... CAREERS TRIPLEtalk with writer/editor Andrew Sun of South China Morning Post AS: I started at radio station as a student, as a volunteer. MC: So because you started as a volunteer that how you got your job at the radio station in the end?