Student Volunteering Week 2015

To kick start student volunteering week we thought we would begin with a blog about what volunteering can do for you and your local community.

Why volunteer anyway?

Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way. Investing your time in volunteering projects, like ReachOut's mentoring projects, will make a tangible change to the local community. This is why we are in the business; to make a positive impact on people's lives, to improve character and competence as set out in our mission statement, and to make accessible a wider range of opportunities to our young people. We could not do all this without the help of our dedicated volunteers.

What can volunteering do for you?

Anybody who has volunteered before will tell you that it is not just the service users that benefit from the process. Volunteering most often has a palpable positive effect on the volunteer themselves.

Volunteering can improve your well being

There is significant evidence that taking part in a volunteering project improves well being. The act of volunteering itself promotes mental and physical health through the stimulation that comes with leaving a familiar environment and your comfort zone to engage with a worthy cause. The social aspect of volunteering can act as a buffer to depression, and the achievement of volunteering gives volunteers a sense of self worth and the feeling that they are contributing to something positive.

Volunteering will improve your CV

We often hear back from ReachOut alumni how powerful a tool their volunteering experience has been in finding a job. With the job market being as competitive as it is, a great way to stand out form the crowd is to have a history of volunteering on there. Volunteering shows that you are motivated, committed and conscientious, and employers will actively look for this from potential employees.

Volunteering is a good means by which to learn new skills and personally develop

When you start your volunteering experience, you will be faced with new and unfamiliar tasks. To give an example, at ReachOut you might be asked to work with a young person from a completely different background to you and asked to find a way to relate to them and to help them to reach their goals. During tasks like this you will develop lasting interpersonal and listening skills that will stand you in good stead for the working world. 

All this week we will be updating the blog with volunteer accounts of their time at ReachOut so keep an eye out. 

Do you know someone you think would make a great ReachOut volunteer? Why not email them a link to this blog?

Apply to become a Mentor here