In the last few years, the number of young people who volunteer regularly has shot up to over 1 million. It is great to see many people, no matter their personal circumstances, going out and making a difference, even if it is in small steps. The usual argument is that volunteering looks good on your CV, however, charities especially are appealing to the younger generation through calling for those who want to change something in the world to volunteer.
This is something that, despite being used as a way to appeal to young people to volunteer, is largely true. There is one thing that even by just wanting to volunteer, we are changing. For too long the media perception of young people has been that we are all thugs, criminals or couch potatoes. This is something that cannot be said to be true, especially when young people, together, commit thousands of hours of volunteering a week.
The very act of volunteering means that in your own small way, you are making a big impact. This may seem contradictory, however, take the example of a charity shop. In these charities, much of the money which they get is restricted and can only be used to help in certain areas, however, all income from shops of this kind is not. This, in a nutshell, means that the money raised through these can be used wherever it is most needed.
In the places that charities carry out their work, volunteers are able to see the situation first hand, enabling them to get stuck in to give the effort that they have to make peoples’ lives better. Additionally, the nature of volunteering means that there is an opportunity for every field of work, every interest and every hobby. This, in turn, means that the youth of today have no “it’s boring” excuse anymore.
Volunteering is also a form of education. It may not seem it but that’s the wonderful thing about it. Through volunteering you automatically have the chance to develop new skills, sometimes without even realising it. Even in the situations where you consciously know you are learning new skills, this often allows you to work on them more and be proud of what you have achieved. Read more
