Reasons Why Do People Volunteer Abroad
Have you ever pondered the question: why do people volunteer abroad? Well, ponder no more because we’ll answer this for you during this article. Click here to find out more information on this!
Close to two million people volunteer internationally every year.
While many of us live in communities that we could volunteer in on a regular basis [and are encouraged to do as such]: volunteering overseas provides someone with a different life experience than one that can be provided on a local basis.
For starters, it allows you to travel to one of the 195 countries filled with almost eight billion people who live on this planet.
Why do people volunteer? Well, that varies from person to person. But here are four sound reasons why people should take the leap and volunteer abroad.
Why Do People Volunteer? To Help Their Careers
This may seem counterintuitive. How does giving your time away help you move forward in your career?
Well, according to national surveys, recruiters look at your volunteer participation and rank it higher than almost all other things: from your political associations, personal presentation, and even your typos!
The British Council seems to agree with this notion. And showed that potential employees with international experience rank much higher when compared to their peers.
Giving Back to a Cause You Love
We all have our personal passions. Maybe you are a nature lover and want to share that experience with others. Perchance there is nothing in your life you prioritize higher than education.
Whatever your cause is, there is a niche to fill in volunteering.
The joy of volunteering is you do not have to make sacrifices that take away from your passions. You can let the things you love guide you into making the world a better place for all those around you.
You can take your enthusiasm and use it for a good cause.
And how can you beat that?
Gain a New Perspective
Whether you live in New York City or Montana: the world is much larger than the experiences you can gain from the percentile of a population you live around.
It may sound cheesy, but the larger the world becomes in your day-to-day life, the more humble you become.
Meeting people on a daily basis who come from different backgrounds and have different ideologies makes you see and feel things with fresh eyes. You can volunteer somewhere close to home and gain this experience, i.e, Mexico. Or travel thousands of miles to a distant place and volunteer in India.
It also allows you to see that all those things that seem like grandiose problems in your everyday life, i.e., the barista forgetting your extra foam, are really no big deal at all.
Learn New Skills and Learn New Things About Yourself
Do you know how to build a well? Built a roof or a solar panel? Have you ever had to mathematically figure out how to evenly disperse school supplies or fresh water?
Yeah, most of us haven’t been in that situation. But putting yourself in the present and being pushed to think outside yourself really ends with some amazing results.
Not only will you learn real-life skills, but in the process of doing these things, you will learn more about yourself. You will be surprised at how creative you truly are.
Volunteer for the World: Volunteer for Yourself
Making any big decision is tough. But choosing whether or not you volunteer overseas should not be a tough one to make.
Why do people volunteer? Because they want to better themselves.
Because they want to leave the world a better place than when they got here.
Have questions about traveling or volunteering abroad? Please feel free to contact us!
