The Volunteering Experience

Volunteering can give you the chance to really make a difference and see some of the most beautiful sights the world has to offer, and that’s just the beginning...

In one word, it’s amazing. We can tell you until the cows come home just how amazing and worthwhile it is but it’s hard to understand just what a great experience you’ll have until you’re there…but we’ll try and give you an idea!

Making your mark

One of the reasons it’s such a good experience is just how much difference you can make. We know it’s been said countless times before, the end result may not be immediately visible and some of the projects are pretty hard work, but you can be safe in the knowledge that what you’re doing is really helping. However trivial it might seem--

And there are so many ways to help. Be it building homes in Costa Rica, nature conservation in New Zealand, working with wildlife in South Africa, sports coaching in Africa, community work in Nepal, teaching English in China or health work in Honduras there’s no end to what you can do, where you can do it…or when!

So if you’re planning on travelling then volunteering is the perfect addition to your itinerary as you can not only gain a deeper insight into the beautiful homelands and lives of fascinating people, it will also give you the sense of really giving something back. It doesn’t matter which side of university you’re on, if you’re working or even if you’re retired there will be a project out there that would definitely benefit from your contribution.

Doing something that matters to you

Volunteering also gives people the chance to do something that really matters to them. It’s better for you and it’s better for the project as the more passionate you are, the better you’ll be at what you’re doing! Best of all most volunteering projects don’t require any formal qualifications and TEFL qualifications are easily accessible. All you really need is a whole lot of enthusiasm so if you’re great with kids, working in the community will give obviously visible results but, equally, if you’re passionate about nature there are so many areas in dire need of a little tender care.

Different types of projects

Wherever you want to go, there are volunteer projects worth doing. If what you really want is a unique project, then working on a challenge will give you the satisfaction of knowing that you’re working on a one off that will directly benefit the area or people you’re working with in a way that no other project has before...because there hasn’t been one! It’s also a good idea if you’re on a bit of a time limit, and want to fit a couple of weeks of volunteering in with your travelling! You could stop off for a little community work in India or some nature conservation in Ecuador and add a really worthwhile element to your time away.

What the volunteers say

But it’s hard to give you a really god idea by talking about what you could do, so here are a few words from those who have been there and done it!“Gandoca was such a small community; it felt you were almost cut off from civilisation. A month without mobile phone, TV, hot showers and other luxuries made you appreciate life a lot more. Also seeing how dedicated people are towards the conservation of sea turtles made you feel like you were part of something special”

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Christopher Parker, Costa Rica, Conservation
“The experience of living and working within the project was extremely powerful. The students were amazing, and seeing how another culture worked definitely made me consider my own life, and evaluate what I did and did not want.”

Laura Newton, Indonesia teaching
“Yes the whole time being there I learnt something new about myself and the world that i live in, which I hadn't noticed or realised was the case before!! I was able to gain a lot of appreciation for what I had back home and the way my life is …From the positive happy attitudes that the boys had, I was able to take from that and be part of that vibe!! I have come back so motivated and have become more optimistic about everything in life!”

Rebecca Roy, Philippines, Community development

“It was refreshing to meet people who live a very simple life, who enjoy what they do, do not complain and find everything rewarding. If something breaks then they fix it, if something breaks here and in other "western" countries we would buy a new one and disregard the broken object. This was a very humbling experience for me and has made me realise what I have and to appreciate everything and what I could potentially live without. These people do not have "things" so are not at all materialistic. This is how I would like to be, materialistic objects only satisfy you for a short period until the next materialistic item is on the shopping list. Objects do not make you who you are, it's the experiences you get that shape your outlook. My eyes are definitely not wide shut anymore!”

 

• http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/features/news/volunteering/whyvolunteer/
• http://www.i-to-i.com/volunteer/

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