Thank You to All Our Community Volunteers
10 Jun 2019
Working for free sounds counter-intuitive but each year in June, National Volunteer Week celebrates the 1.2 million generous Kiwis who volunteer their time and expertise to worthy causes that enrich Aotearoa.
Emergency services, animal shelters, hospitals, schools, sports clubs, social agencies, youth helplines and many more vital services rely heavily on an army of dedicated volunteers.
If you are a volunteer, thank you. Your contributions often go unacknowledged but your generosity unquestionably makes New Zealand a better place to live.
If you’ve thought about volunteering but haven’t yet taken the plunge, do you know there are many surprising benefits to helping others through unpaid work?
The old adage, “It’s better to give than receive,” is actually true; research shows volunteering can improve our mental health and make us happier. Why?
Besides being a wonderful way to connect with others and make new friends, “paying it forward” provides a sense of purpose beyond our own needs. It makes us feel better about ourselves, enhances self-confidence and can give us a new perspective on life, particularly when we see others with needs greater than our own.
Giving back to the community can also improve your career prospects— professional development and experience as a volunteer may give you an edge in the job market as employers seek out qualities like initiative, service to others and motivation.
You’ll also learn valuable skills like collaboration, team work, decision making, communication, advocating for others, project management and budgeting.
So what’s to lose? Figure out your passion and give volunteering a go.
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