What is a volunteerism ?
A volunteer can be defined as “a person who expresses a willingness to undertake a service.” What does it mean to be willing? Being a volunteer means that you are offering something – something that is neither required nor an obligation.
You do not volunteer for the pursuit of a monetary prize or recognition. You understand that you are helping. You see that your time is worth it. You believe that you are capable of inciting change and making progress. In some way, large or small, you are capable of doing good. Social responsibility is often a driving force when it comes to volunteerism. Empathy and awareness simply come along with the territory.
Most of the time, being a volunteer means that you are working side by side with others. This connects you to other human beings as you are working toward a common goal.
What you can do ?
Take a minute to think about using some time to volunteer for an organization in your country. Think about what you would like to do and create your own definition for volunteerism. If you are helping people in crisis or walking dogs at the local animal shelter, be sure to be involved with an organization or activity that is meaningful to you. And above all, think about the values you want to convey and and how they could enrich yourself.
There are so many ways to become volunteer. You can find missions in your city if you want to stay in your country but you can also apply for volunteering abroad ! If you are interested in traveling, meeting people from another countries and learning from them, that you are also ready to share your experience and improve your skills, maybe you can start thinking about being a volunteer with the European Solidarity Corps !
Why did I decide to be a volunteer ?
For me, becoming a volunteer through the European Solidarity Corps is a chance to accomplish challenges and to have a new vision about social interactions. I had a lot of concerns, to be honest. Because for some of us, it is not easy to leave our own country, our landmarks and our habits but that could be a motivation to experience something different, much like starting a new life. Personally, I decided to go on a volunteering mission over a year, so I had to be ready for all eventualities !
With my volunteering abroad, I also wanted to improve my english as best as I can, because I was not very good at having a full conversation in a language other than my mother tongue ! And of course, I wanted to have the opportunity to learn the language of the country in which I was going to volunteer, in order to understand a few words !
After all, I think the best we can remember from this kind of experience are the meetings that we can make and all the things we can share or create together. And of course, in your free time, take advantage to discover the country in which you decided to volunteer because there are always places to visit and new activities to do ! On many aspects, the experience abroad on a short or long term volunteering can be very different compared to your own country (traditions, food, religion...) but remember to be curious and don't be afraid to take it as a challenge ! Because you will inevitably be enriched by this adventure !