Volunteer work is essential to the well-being of any developed society. It is a gesture of good will, community building and strengthening bonds among citizens. However, today it has assumed a more obligatory role, particularly for youth.
According to Statistics Canada, 44 per cent of Canadians and 49 per cent of the population of British Columbia was involved in some sort of volunteer work in the year 2013. Research in the area has shown that volunteer work helps build social capital and cohesion. It develops a sense of belonging among the people, and develops a reciprocal connection between the variant segments and groups of society.
For youth, aged 15-24, volunteer work is more important in terms of enhancing a student’s extracurricular experience. Statistics reveal that 66 per cent of youth in this age bracket were involved in volunteer work in 2013. A considerable part of this is due to the mandatory programs across many schools in Canada that require students to commit a certain number of hours to volunteer work.
For many youngsters, mandatory programs at school over time become a passion or a long-term commitment. Initially they get pushed into it as part of the requirement they have to fulfill for graduation, but later on they develop an interest.
Helps you become a better citizen
Young adult volunteers are more likely to be involved in leadership and coaching roles. Volunteering for Summer Day camps is a popular activity among many youth, especially in the Lower Mainland.
Helping and teaching others through volunteer work generates positivity among youngsters, and provides experience as well. “Volunteering makes you feel good. It’s a well-established fact that when you give or help others, there are powerful positive health impacts. You feel fulfilled, connected to your community, and that you are contributing to the betterment of other people’s lives. Besides that, you can gain useful skills and experience from volunteer work,” says Lauryn Oates, program director at Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan.
Many volunteer organizations take in high school students who are looking to complete their 30 mandatory hours. Jeff Scheffel, Community Developer at Volunteer Burnaby, says they look for students of Grade 10-12 to help them out. “We have a Summer Special Events team, and apart from that, we have events in local communities like ‘Canada Day’, ‘Hats off Day’ and Edmonds City Fair; and volunteers help out with games and crafts for kids.”
Scheffel believes that volunteering turns youngsters into better Canadians. “It helps them become better citizens, allows them to open their eyes to other opportunities, shows what they are passionate about to prospective employers, and that they have interests apart from school and athletics.”
Volunteer work not only helps provide human resource for organizations and charities, but also brings in fresh ideas. Younger volunteers particularly add creativity, and can introduce new ways of getting work done. They tend to be more motivated as they see this as a building block to their career. Also, a young volunteer who is exposed to more diversity and is tech-savvy can prove to be a valuable resource to organizations.
Inculcates a sense of responsibility and improves your skills
Perhaps the most significant part of the volunteer experience for youth is that they are given responsibilities. Through their role, they begin to understand what responsibility means and how to work around it. This experience helps them get an insight into how a professional work environment functions – something that cannot be taught in school.
Besides, one of the good things about volunteer work is that it requires no prior experience. “Young volunteers might worry they lack experience to volunteer. My recommendation is to find a volunteer role that you can grow into. The best way to learn how to do something is simply to do it. So even if you’re not quite sure how to go about something, just get started, ask questions, and learn as you go. You’ll get comfortable quickly,” advises Oates.
Participating in volunteer work has now become a global phenomenon, as students see this as a chance to improve their resume. Tanvi Sirari, Ph.D. Candidate of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, says that volunteer work not only helped build her application for graduate school, but also improved other skills.
Sirari was involved in data collection in Ranchi, India, on infant mortality and maternal mortality rates, through qualitative interviews. “I got first-hand experience of research and working as a team with others, and honed my interview and interpersonal skills. I worked with a team of graduate students from three different countries,” she says.
Employers give weightage to volunteer work
Traditionally, volunteer work wasn’t considered as “real” work experience on a resume. However, this view has changed; as a survey carried out by LinkedIn in 2011 showed that employers gave considerable weightage to volunteer work. Following this, LinkedIn developed a section dedicated to volunteer work for its users.
Volunteer work on a resume not only shows employers that the candidate has acquired some skills while managing an event, but also that they are dedicated people who are willing to go the extra mile. In a job market that is competitive, each candidate wants to set themselves apart – putting in varied experience can help paint a more successful and distinct picture in front of the employer. “When I was 19, I landed an amazing paid internship with a well-known organization in New York City, and spent a fabulous summer in the Big Apple at this dream job. I had no previous paid work experience in the non-profit sector, but I had a ton of volunteer hours, and they hired me based solely on my community service record,” shares Oates.
Employers are reported to view volunteer work positively even when it is from a different industry. Some roles and responsibilities, such as co-ordination, communication and planning,
are applicable to all kinds of industries, and so, such acquired skills can be utilized everywhere. Thus, any kind of volunteer work done is recognized and considered relevant when applying for a job. Canada witnessed the highest spirit of volunteerism in 2010.
The rate of volunteer work was almost 47per cent that year. Although it has been fluctuating around the same figure, the significance of volunteer work cannot be overstated. It is one of the most significant aspect in breeding better and more responsible Canadians and citizens of the world.
