Volunteerism

Volunteerism

Why do people volunteer? Is it because it brings about a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction – that someone has benefited from their act of service?   It is because it has enriched their lives? For some, it is a way of life and for others it may bring some form of recognition and help in their career or life.  There are many intrinsic and extrinsic benefits to volunteering. Why then are more people not volunteering?

Many people may have the intrinsic desire to volunteer but don't quite know how to start or what to do. How does one go about this process? Do they have the time to do it? Is it a lot of work? Would they have to travel great distances?  Then there are factors such as whether it will be in line with their personal beliefs. There may even be skepticism on whether the needs of the target population (the recipients of the volunteerism) been identified properly. Volunteerism should also be done in a way, that the target population does not feel beholden or under some sort of obligation.

Therefore for volunteer participation to increase, there needs to be dissemination of information that answer some, if not all these questions. These questions need to be answered in layman's terms, so it is not just the “educated” who can understand it. In today's world, there are many ways to disseminate this information – through the media, social networking sites, the Internet etc. And there is actually a lot of information available on volunteer activities online that one can take part in. 

However the overriding factor that limits volunteering, is the lack of concrete examples to follow in one’s own local community. Volunteering is an abstract concept for many. One sees examples on TV of people in places like Africa handing out supplies. Such scenarios make volunteerism seem impossible for the common person. Many don't realize that volunteering can start in one’s own community.  All is takes is but one local example for others to follow. 

An example of a program that can greatly benefit by increased volunteer participation is the Special Olympics. Most associate it with the Para Olympics held every four years. It’s a very abstract event for most.  But Special Olympics in fact offers free sports training camps throughout the year in most areas, for all ages. Each training period, which runs for around 3 months, covers a specific sport. This way they can offer access to many different sports. Some of these are basketball, baseball, bowling, running, bocce etc. It also serves as a supportive environment and opportunities for the differently-abled to socialize and make friends. These camps are run in most part by volunteers. It stands to follow that the number of volunteers will determine the number and frequency of camps and the variety of sports that can be offered. 

This is actually a wonderful volunteer opportunity for high-schoolers and college goers, especially those who are sports inclined.  In essence, a program designed to encourage volunteer participation in this would involve for instance, presentations at local high schools. These would cover the issues discussed earlier.

• Information about the hows, whats and whys of the program 
• Tangible benefits (increased physical ability, access to sport programs) and intangible benefits (socialization, self-confidence) to the differently-abled.
• The specific tasks involved during the course of volunteering, including training for the volunteers.  
• Skills sets that high schoolers as volunteers, can bring to the program eg: fresh ideas, energy
• Time commitment (once a week for 3-4 months of a year is a short enough time commitment for most students)
• Distances involved for volunteers (usually within the same county or area)
• Tangible benefits to volunteers (volunteer credit hours, looks good on college apps and on resumes) Intangible benefits to volunteers. Existing volunteers can talk about what they felt about doing this activity. If there are existing high school volunteers, they too can talk about their experiences; thus lead by example. 
• The benefit for the school administrators is that such opportunities offer positive influences and experiences for their students.  

The youth of our country is primed to take part in volunteerism. Incentives such as volunteer credit hours in high school help instill such values in young adolescent minds. There is even presidential recognition for outstanding volunteerism by high school students. These impressions will carry over in their adult lives.  If one high-school student participates in a volunteer activity, and talks or texts about it to his friends, his friends will follow and then their friends etc. That is human mentality. 

Volunteering in effect is a win-win scenario for humans as a race. Its spread will greatly increase positive thinking and increase our level of consciousness, which in turn will reduce the negatives of human thought and behaviors such as crime and violence.