« Volunteering has changed my life. It is funny to realise that, the more you give to the community, the more you actually receive back, whether it is in a direct or an indirect manner ».
So was saying a friend of mine in a discussion we had about being an active volunteer.
You might picture the volunteer as someone who dedicates a year helping a local NGO in a far away country…But actually, you don’t have to go that far to meet volunteers. They are all around us, sharing their time, presence, ideas and creativity with the communities they live with.
There are so many ways to be a volunteer that you might be surprised! Whether it is by giving support to a specific group, by defending their rights, by organising short movies in order to raise awareness on an important issue, running an associative bar, or organising a conference on climate change…they have all one thing in common. Their willingness to make a change in their society. It may be in their local community, in their group of friends, or in the whole world…volunteers believe that change shouldn’t wait, and that it must come from them.
In AEGEE, volunteers are a handful of motivated people willing to contribute to the creation of a united, respectful and tolerant society in Europe by promoting cultural exchange, encouraging the dialogue between young people from different cultures, and by giving them the opportunity to develop themselves as active citizens.
Through volunteering, people become more tolerant, respectful and socially conscious. Those values are needed in order to build a strong and integrated Europe, where their citizens are active and participative people. This is why the European Commission has decided to spend 2011 celebrating volunteering through the “European year of volunteering”. Light has been shed on those thousands of actions, smile shared and experience lived. Moreover, one of the objectives of this year was to improve the recognition of voluntary work in the society and in the business world. Mission accomplished?
Recognition of volunteering
Efforts have indeed been strengthened in order to reach a better recognition and structure of volunteer work. The European Youth Forum, the Platform which defends youth’s rights is, for instance, currently working on a « Charter of the rights of the volunteers » defining the basic rights and responsibilities of volunteers. Yet, recognition of volunteering by the society and the labour market is still a battle to win. The Youth Pass has indeed been implemented by the European Commission, but it only concerns those activities taking place within the Youth In Action program.
We still have to fight for a real recognition of the numerous skills and know-how that volunteers acquire through their involvement as well as for an academic recognition of non-formal education.
« But, if you are not being paid, why do you work ?»
Many times people innocently ask why we spend time, energy, often money, by working without being paid.
So why do people volunteer ?
It must be a magical world for so many people deciding to freely give their energy and idea, right? There are many explanations why people actually volunteer ! From the idealist hope to change the world for better, to improve the situation around us, to the more personal needs of being a part of a group, finding people who share the same interests, everyone finds what they want ! If you start volunteering, you will also realise that you actually learn a lot from the people you are going to be in contact with, about situations you were unaware of, about projects you never thought you could be leading…but above all, you will learn about yourself. About who you really are, and what really matters.
In a society sometimes too individualistic, where money has become the new salvation, we tend to forget that we are all connected and that generosity among one and another is both free and priceless.
Try it out, you will be surprised.
05. December – International Day of Volunteering.
Written by Lucille Rieux, AEGEE-Toulouse