5 Reasons To Volunteer In 2016

Whether you want to build homes in Cambodia, teach in the Amazon, help communities in Brazil, or get hands-on with wildlife in South Africa, get stuck in and volunteer abroad. Tempted? Below are just a handful of reasons why you should think about delegating some time to volunteering in 2016.

Give Something Back

Volunteering is for obvious reasons a fantastic way to give something back to a community. Your efforts really are focused towards a meaningful project, which benefits the individuals, environment, and animals directly affected by an initiative. What’s more motivating than working towards something which directly enhances other people’s lives and the planet’s welfare?!

A constant motivator is progress – with volunteering you’ll have bags of chances to see your input paying off. Each day or even each hour you can step back and see a direct impact, whether this is building new homes for deprived families, caring for endangered animals, teaching underprivileged children or planting trees to develop eco-systems – you’ll know it’s worthwhile! You’ll also have plenty of recognition and admiration from all those that you help – what a feeling that is!

Develop New Skills

You have a choice to make when volunteering: do you want to do something you are familiar with in terms of skillset, location and cultures or do you want to experience something completely new? Neither choice is wrong or right it just depends on what your goal is: what do you want to take away from the experience?

Are you looking to learn something new? If so volunteering can be a brilliant way to develop new skills or develop those which you already have. You can opt to use your current expertise to make a significant contribution or make a valued contribution whilst picking up a skillset you’ve always wanted to learn! How does sport coaching in Africa sound or perhaps you’d like to qualify as a TEFL approved teacher in China?

Personal Growth and Fulfilment

With every ambition there has to be some self-interest to take away from it, and rightly so. It can’t all be give, give, give without a little take! Volunteering is no different (no matter what people say) – essentially you give a lot to others and take back a lot yourself, mostly in terms of self-satisfaction and the experience itself.

From consulting with Real Gap Experience, it’s obvious their volunteers get a huge amount from the trips. In terms of personal growth and development, one of the most obvious is confidence. From working with new people of different backgrounds and spending time in new situations and often different cultures, your self-belief grows and grows. Most volunteers also comment on how volunteering adds a focus to what you want to achieve in later life; you’ll reflect on what really matters to you and what’s next (it’s a good thing)! Also worth mentioning is how employers these days love to see some volunteering on a CV (what a great day and age we live in!).

Unique Opportunities

Looking to tick some destinations off your bucket list, experience particular cultures, or get up close and personal with some wildlife? Volunteering is the way to do it! At the end of the day, life is about pushing yourself, experiencing different things and breaking away from that comfort zone! Why not do just that this year?

How many can say they’ve worked on an African wildlife conservation? Rescued baby sea turtles in Costa-Rica? Helped families in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro? Or taught children across Asia? By volunteering you’re not just a tourist or a passer-by, you become part of the community!

It’s Great Fun

Another important part of any ambition is the ability to make it fun! If it’s not you’ll be asking yourself why you’re spending valuable time doing it! Sure, with volunteering there will be tough moments, but the results, great people, amazing locations and new activities make it worth every second!

There are multiple ways of supporting a community through volunteering. Why not head over to a local volunteer group near you to get an insight? Alternatively if you’re looking to make a difference and push yourself even further, why not volunteer in a fascinating country abroad?

Check out Real Gap Experience’s top 10 volunteering projects at www.realgap.co.uk/top-10-volunteering-trips