I WAS fixing a bulletin board when somebody asked me what I was doing. I told him the bulletin board needed some decorations so the kids in the Sunday school would stop to read and parents would be drawn to the announcements. He then asked me how much I was paid to decorate the board. I was taken aback but I told him I was a volunteer and I enjoyed doing it. He stared at me incredulously and told me that where he went, somebody is paid to do that. I told him it was part of what I signed up for and I was happy to do it for free.
One of the ways I de-stressed even back when I was in college was to help in our local community church. I guess it was my Catholic upbringing and the yearly outreach programs we went to which made me realize that helping others helped me feel better about myself. When I transferred to Manila for my studies, that same volunteerism pushed me to become a Sunday school teacher and later to help in other organizations. Helping others and other organizations has helped me enhance my skills, knowledge, attitude to do not only my work, but how I relate to others, as well.
Volunteering has helped me discover more about myself and how I interact with people. Joining and training to be a Sunday school teacher and teaching kids three to 12 years old helped me decide to pursue becoming a college and high school teacher. I would not have had that self-realization that I was good at teaching if not for the time spent singing and laughing with those kids.
It also gave me a sense of purpose. It was the first time I was handling kids of different backgrounds and personalities but it gave me a safe environment where I could try different things just so they would listen to me. Kids are the worst critics. If they do not like you, they will have no hesitations saying it to your face. But I have also had several kids who came up to me and thanked me or gave me a gift just because they wanted to. Those learnings now help me when I facilitate group discussions with people of different personalities. I guess Robert Fulghum was right in his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
Being a volunteer also relieved my anxiety, stress, and even my anger. I wanted to join as a teacher primarily because I liked interacting with kids and as a training for me when I had my own kids. My purpose for joining was something close to my heart so it became easier for me to participate in the activities and training workshops. The kids and the people I worked with helped me take my mind off things I could not control, and instead find fulfillment in doing what I love.
Volunteering also helps you upskill yourself.
When I graduated from college, I joined a group
which facilitated workshops on fire safety and evacuation. I signed up and we were sent to Batangas to be trained in facilitating and conducting focus group discussions and workshops. I was one of the youngest volunteers and I belonged to a group which saw it fit to volunteer their youngest member to demonstrate how to facilitate. One of the best comments I received was when somebody said that I did the facilitation smoothly and I was not easily rattled even if they had a lot of questions and comments. A bonus treat for the volunteers was a free lesson in scuba diving, which I would not have had the opportunity to do on my own.
You also enrich your experience with other’s experiences when you volunteer. Volunteers come in all shapes, sizes and different life experiences. You get to meet people from all walks of life, but you all share the same passion. It also makes you realize that just because somebody is different does not mean they are wrong. By exposing yourself to different personalities, it also becomes easier for you to handle different personalities at work, in your community, or even in your own family.
A significant benefit of volunteering is the way your work entrenches you to the group you join and the community you serve. As you get to meet new people, you will also develop friendships with the people you work with and the people in the community. Like our neighbor veterinarian who did not charge us for professional fees when we consulted her on our rescue dog. She said that we were already helping them out by taking in the stray dog. Even in future consultations, she always waived her professional fees and continues to provide free consultation for stray dogs or cats we bring to her clinic.
Volunteering keeps you fit, especially for groups requiring you to do physical activity. One of the activities I volunteered in was the Pasig river clean up. We only cleaned a portion of the river by pulling garbage and putting them in sacks. We also threw bokashi balls into the water to clean the polluted water and hopefully encourage marine life to thrive. It was tiring and time-consuming, but it was also a good way to exercise while having fun.
With all these benefits, how do you find a volunteer opportunity? Do a self-inventory of what you are good at and what you are passionate about. This will help narrow down which organizations you would like to join for volunteer work. Since this is volunteer work, make sure you only allot available time in your schedule for it. Remember, it is volunteer work so it should only take the time you are willing to put aside. Of course, you can go as a full-time volunteer where you raise your own funds for being in the organization, but if not, make sure you clear expectations with the organizers.
Altruistic pursuits help you discover that there are so many things money cannot buy. People significantly value volunteering that they have even coined a term for it—volunesia, a moment when you forget that you are volunteering to help change lives, because it’s changing yours. So, when you feel down or just plain bored, why not volunteer? It just might change your life.