Volunteering is often said to be a life-changing experience; it can enrich your life and give it meaning. Although the world is far from a perfect place, we should always strive to make it better and alleviate key problems such as poverty: we can be part of the solution that helps make the world a better place. A volunteer can expect to play an important role in contributing to the process of implementing basic infrastructure in developing countries; whether this be education, housing, agriculture, human rights, amongst many others. To help motivate you in giving something back to the world this year, we have come up with 5 key reasons why you should consider volunteering.

Travel

Seeing the world, visiting far-off lands, expanding your horizons; these are dreams for many, but it has the possibility to become a reality through participating in volunteering initiatives. Volunteering gives you the unique chance to discover new cultures and open your mind to different approaches to life. This can provide a renewed perspective of what is important, as well as give you the necessary skills to be able to adapt to new situations.

Help Those Less Fortunate

A key benefit in volunteering is the ability we have to help those in need or those who are less fortunate than ourselves, in a wide range of ways. Perhaps a key contribution we are able to make is education; this can increase the social mobility of underprivileged families and take us one step closer to eradicating poverty. This goes hand in hand with developing key industries in a particular country which can not only provide jobs for the local population, but also give a bright future for future generations.

Develop New Skills

Volunteering often involves hands on projects where you can have the opportunity to hone your skills in various fields, as well as discover new talents that you never knew you had. This can give an unparalleled sense of confidence as well as a skillset which can be used in your future endeavours. This will help will you more effectively contribute to society as a whole.

Meet Interesting People

In your volunteering experience you are bound to meet international, diverse, yet like-minded people who have similar aspirations to you. These are important contacts that you will keep for life, which will help you in your career. You can also expect to expand your social circle and gain long lasting friendships all around the world. By volunteering, we find that we are able to connect with people more easily regardless of whether they come from a totally different background.

Work Experience for your Resume

Potential employers view work experience in your field of choice as paramount to demonstrating you have what it takes to do the job well. Adding work experience to your resume itself is an incredibly advantageous asset to have at your disposal, let alone work experience abroad.

Experience working abroad demonstrates that you have the ability to not only perform well at your job, but also that you have the skill-sets of being highly independent as well as adaptable; both of which are required to live abroad.

Above are just a few benefits to volunteering, and we hope it gives you the motivation to take the plunge and experience the rewards of volunteering for yourself.

To participate in an educational initiative which involves teaching English to underprivileged communities in Vietnam and Japan, on top of providing on-site teacher training and an experience of a lifetime, we urge you to apply for our volunteer program.