By Kerrie Glad Arapoc
Volunteering has so many advantages. It can help you boost your self-esteem, improve your personal skills, make new friends, and give yourself a great sense of satisfaction for helping other people. However, I believe that volunteering is also more than that.
To be a volunteer means you want to make a change in your environment and in your society. Being out there and giving out your precious time and effort means that you want to see meaningful change happening in your community. You want people to know that there are people like you who are ready to help them when they need information, direction, and support. These small acts can go a long way especially for someone who is unsure on how they go about their day or with the current information that they have.
To be a volunteer means you are grateful, and you want to give back to the community. Giving back is usually the result of being nationalistic, loyal and dedicated to the land and to a certain organisation that has provided you with so many opportunities for growth and living.
To be a volunteer means you want to dive deeper and learn more about your community and your advocacy. Being able to have a small talk with the locals and with like-minded people will give you some insights about what really matters to them, what they really enjoy and cherish and as well what issues that truly bothers them. You will be able to learn about their passions and their concerns and as well as their dreams for the community.
In volunteering, you will receive help and support from your peers whenever you need advice, whenever you need to look for a job and other similar situations. Volunteering will also teach you leadership, communication, delegation, problem-solving skills and time management.
For this year’s National Volunteer week, all volunteers worldwide are called as the “Change Makers” for they are the ones who are leading a meaningful change to this world.
For more information about volunteering in the City of Melbourne and Victoria, visit https://www.volunteer.vic.gov.au/ and https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/careers/volunteer-with-us/Pages/volunteering-overview.aspx.
Kerrie Glad Arapoc is a City of Melbourne Tourism Ambassador from 2018 to present.
