Besides using summer break as a great time to catch up on good reading, it’s also a great time to do some volunteering. It’s a great way to give back to the community, and volunteering also offers personal benefits as well.
Here are a few reasons why you should volunteer during your high school and college years:
Volunteering is a great way to connect with other people, to learn more about your community and society at large, and to help others around you.
It’s a great way to come into contact with people of all ages and all walks of life, a way to connect with people outside of your social circle who may think differently than you do and live very different lives, helping you to gain new perspective.
Volunteering helps to build social skills, can give you the opportunity to interact in professional settings, and to practice good communications skills.
When volunteering for a cause or an organization you are interested in, you are going to meet people with interests similar to your own, an easy way to find new friends.
Volunteering has several mental health benefits, such as decreasing risk of depression, decreasing loneliness, anxiety, and stress. It can also improve self-confidence, provide a sense of purpose, and improve interpersonal skills.
Volunteering can also improve physical health, including lowering blood pressure, providing opportunities for increased physical activity.
Volunteering can improve future career prospects by expanding your professional network, helping develop transferable skills, and giving you the opportunity to showcase leadership potential and an interest in helping your community.
Volunteering can help you develop new skill sets, whether it’s canvassing people, planting trees or working in a community garden, working with kids or the elderly, doing administrative work, fundraising, caring for animals, or any of the other myriad volunteer opportunities in your area.
Volunteering may help you find a new personal passion by opening you up to new experiences and allowing you to engage in activities that you might not have done otherwise.
And aside from the benefits you are offering to your community, volunteering is fun! If you are feeling a little hesitant about striking out on your own, why not enlist a friend to join you. It’ll benefit them too!
