by Marshaun L. Quinniey
October 24, 2018
“ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
– John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 (source)
Often upon considering community service one may consider such an undertaking as an act to reciprocate the love from another person or efforts to pay a penalty for a crime. However, the act of helping others in a manner encouraged by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address is not merely a way of helping others, but it is a way of fostering self-development that Urban League President, Marc Morial emphasized by stressing the importance of economic empowerment through “preparing young people for college, work, and life” in a video by the Lumina Foundation, titled National Urban League’s Marc Morial on preparing students for success (source) Some of the benefits of community service include:
1. Volunteering offers incredible networking opportunities. Volunteering in your community allows you to meet new people (including community leaders), hear about job openings, gather insider employment information and develop great references.
2. Volunteering helps you retain and sharpen old skills. Volunteering is a perfect venue for sharpening old skills and keeping in touch with current trends.
3. Volunteering is the perfect place to develop new skills. Volunteering can cultivate new skills that are useful for a career. An example is volunteering in committee or board is serving as a means to learn group dynamics and teamwork.
4. Volunteering offers opportunities to practice skills in a relatively risk-free environment. Volunteering supplies practical experience for theories learned in a classroom. In addition, volunteering provides you opportunities to learn from other people.
5. Volunteering can help you expand your horizons and explore new career options. Demographics are changing rapidly in our society and volunteering is a great way to enhance cultural awareness through learning about different perspectives and considering unthought of opportunities. Also, a personal and professional mission or vision may be evolved by exploring opportunities and expanding one’s horizons.
6. Volunteering give you the satisfaction from community Volunteering in professional association, neighborhood organizations, arts and historic organizations and social service organizations may fulfill personal passions related to event in a community. Additionally, bonds may for with others that foster new solutions to community problems.
7. Volunteering gives you visibility. Volunteer work can supply opportunities to work with role models or important people such as community leaders and establish an identity in a community.
8. Volunteering can be energizing/renewing. Volunteering in personal interest or hobby can be fun, relaxing and energizing in a manner that energy and sense of fulfillment is fostered that can carry over to a work situation. In addition, the experience may relieve work tensions and foster new perspectives for old situations.
9. Volunteering can create leaders. Experiences as a volunteer may develop leadership qualities because volunteer groups are often groups of peers and they respond more to leadership than management. The experience can cultivate abilities of persuasion, innovation and ideals. Also volunteer work is helpful for learning strategic thinking, change management, conflict resolution skills, trends and issues, about people and about resources, hence enhancing leadership potential.
10. Volunteering demonstrates skills. Volunteering can provide evidence of abilities to balance work experience, character, and skills in a useful manner for a resume. Work experience is work experience, with or without a paycheck.
As stated, the benefits of volunteering are numerous. This translates into constructive outcomes for the volunteer organization, the community of the volunteer, and the volunteer. Such outcomes can include expanding the skills of a workforce, building a cohesive community and more productive businesses and organizations. Although every situation may not manifest the benefits of community teamwork, an infrastructure supported with a strong group of volunteers functions to promote community oriented advancement in a manner that drives home the proverb, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -An African Proverb (source).