Why Volunteer At The Royal
Volunteering is about choosing to give your time, energy and skills to something that matters to you. Whether you’re supporting a cause you believe in or helping out your community, when you volunteer you make the choice to make a difference. Even better, by donating your time, energy, and skills you not only improve the lives of others and contribute to your community, you also improve yourself. There are hundreds of reasons to volunteer, but here are just a few:
Learn And Develop New Skills
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Volunteering is the perfect way to discover something you are good at doing or develop new skills in an area you already enjoy. It’s never too late to gain new skills and there is no reason why you should stop learning just because you’ve finished school or are working. For example, planning and implementing a fundraising event can help you develop planning, organizational and budgeting skills. By supervising and teaching other volunteers, you can develop excellent training, management and interpersonal skills. There is no limit to the extraordinary ways you can contribute.
Be Involved With Your Community
No man or woman is an island. It’s easy to take the great community that we live in for granted. People and societies depend on each other for survival. Communities are a beautiful but complex mix of different values, experiences, beliefs, histories, cultures, ideas and identities. Volunteering helps us to forge links among individuals and groups in our communities that overcome differences and enrich our day-to-day life. Volunteering is ultimately about helping others and having a positive impact on the well-being of others.
Motivation and Sense of Achievement
Volunteering is about giving your time, energy and skills for free. While much of your time may be spent doing things you have to—like working—volunteering is something you choose to do! There is something very liberating, empowering and satisfying about making a difference in your community in the way that best suits you! Since volunteers are motivated by a desire to help and fuelled by enthusiasm, they feel a strong sense of achievement. It may be true that no one person can solve all the world’s problems, but what you can do is make your corner of the world a better place.
Diversify Your Life and Develop New Interests
Bored of the same old nine-to-five routine? Volunteering is an excellent way to escape the ordinary and add more balance to your life. Finding new interests and hobbies through volunteering can be fun, relaxing and energizing. The energy and sense of fulfillment you receive from your volunteer work can carry over to a work situation. If you are doing something you enjoy on a regular basis you may find yourself less stressed, more inspired, more motivated to learn new things, and developing new perspectives on old issues.
Experience Life to the Fullest
Volunteering is a brilliant way to gain valuable life experience. Whether you build a library or mail flyers to raise awareness for a local charity, you will experience the real world through hands-on work.
Meet New People and Make Lasting Friendships
Volunteering brings together a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Both the recipients of your volunteer efforts and your co-workers can be a rich source of inspiration and an excellent way to develop your interpersonal skills. Volunteering also offers an incredible networking opportunity. Not only will you develop lasting personal and professional relationships but it is also a great way to learn about people from all walks of life, different environments, and new industries.
Inspire Others
Your friends, family, teachers, colleagues and other important people in your life are interested in who you are and what you do when you’re not with them. For example, your employer would be interested in the activities that give you a good work-life balance, or academic institutions are interested in your extra-curricular activities. Volunteering reflects a complete picture of you, and gives real examples of your commitment, dedication and interests. Show people what you are passionate about and maybe you will inspire them too!