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Who are volunteers? Are they special people? How do I join them?
What is their goal? The main rule is that volunteers help free of charge, from the bottom of their hearts. Pensioners, people with disabilities, homeless people, children without parental care, people with serious illnesses, both physical and psychological, need support. Animals, forests, climate, water bodies need protection and care. In this manual we will tell you how to become a volunteer and start taking care of people around you.
Who can become a volunteer
Visiting orphanages and hospices, helping in hospitals, taking care of homeless animals, searching for missing people, saving historical and architectural monuments – that’s what volunteers do.
Anyone, regardless of age, can become a volunteer. Only minors must have permission from their parents, and adolescents under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a relative or official representative.
What qualities a volunteer should have
To help neighbors and nature, a person must have a number of qualities.
- Social engagement. Without this, it will be difficult for you to really get involved in volunteering. Laziness and apathy will pull back, to entertainment, clubs, casinos, friends, a fridge and a couch.
- Altruism. Who are the volunteers? First and foremost, altruists. This means that you are willing to put the interests of others before your own and spend your energy and time helping those in need.
- Tolerance. A volunteer needs to be tolerant of others. He or she should help people regardless of their views, values, or judgments. Restraint, courtesy, and understanding all encompass the concept of tolerance.
- Empathy. Before you volunteer, make sure you are friendly and empathetic toward older people or children and know how to share their concerns and worries. Empathy, or simply put, emotional sensitivity, is a quality a volunteer cannot do without.
- Responsibility. Volunteering means that you make a moral obligation to make the life of another person or your ward a little better and more comfortable. Make this responsibility dear, and then good things will come back a hundredfold.
The Principles of Volunteering
Volunteer work is based on a set of rules:
- Voluntariness. A volunteer never takes money from those in need and helps people in an unselfish way.
- Independence. A volunteer is guided by the needs of others, not the people themselves.
- Humanity. A volunteer is always ready to help any person in need, regardless of circumstances, personal emotions or sympathies.
- Impartiality. A volunteer cares about everyone, guilty or innocent.
- Neutrality. A volunteer doesn’t take sides, he or she is always above the fray, doesn’t go into conflict.
Where do I learn about volunteer projects?
There are many charitable foundations and nonprofit organizations that volunteers can work with. But finding out about them is sometimes not easy. There are millions of different projects, and hundreds of new ones open every day because there are so many requests for help, most of which you can find out about on their respective pages, or already directly from community organizations.
Everyone can find a project of interest – the resource center offers a variety of volunteer activities.
In addition, you can register on one of the many volunteer project sites. There, too, information is published about volunteer events, projects and vacancies, you can sign up for thematic educational courses, become a member of programs of charitable organizations, etc. There is a huge number of applications on the portal – it is easy to find something appropriate, it’s kind of like a game in a slot machine – there are always millions of different options.
To find volunteer jobs and projects near your home or place of work, you can use the map of socially useful services.
Do volunteers have responsibilities
Although volunteering is voluntary, the person who decides to do it has certain responsibilities:
- Not to disclose personal data, state and trade secrets, which are obtained while engaged in volunteering, and if necessary to observe the full regime of anonymity;
- Draw up and sign a civil contract between the charitable foundation and the volunteer;
- To abide by the terms of that contract;
- To help those in need, to be helpful to citizens in difficult situations, and to show compassion.
What volunteer opportunities does volunteering open
Volunteering offers a number of opportunities, from participation in socially significant projects and events to personal growth and exciting business trips.
All kinds of volunteering will be a great addition to your resume when looking for a job, applying to a university, or applying for an educational or project grant. Caring for others speaks to your awareness and social activism, which is valued in our society.
And as a volunteer you will make many useful acquaintances and contacts, improve your communication skills, get experience in non-formal education, immerse yourself in the culture and life of a new place or host country, and maybe even improve your foreign language and broaden your horizons.
To get a better idea of what volunteering is all about, try it out! Remember: there will always be those in the world who need help and support.
Sometimes you want to do something useful, not for the money, but out of your heart. People with this motivation are called volunteers.
