Volunteering (volunteer from French volontaire) is an activity performed voluntarily for the benefit of society or individual social groups, without reward. In our country, the volunteer movement is extremely developed, and Volunteer Day (December, 5) is also celebrated.
Why help people
Any volunteer movement is based on the principle: if you want to feel like a human being, help another.
Volunteer activities are diverse: assistance to the elderly, disabled, homeless, orphans, cultural volunteering (assistance to museums, cinematographic sites, libraries), animals, voluntary assistance to zoos and nature reserves, environmental care and much more. Fundraising is one of the most common types of volunteering in the world.
Anyone can become a volunteer who wants to make efforts, time, warmth for the benefit of society or a specific person, but not everyone is able to do charity work.
Qualities that a volunteer should have:
- A responsibility. It is important to be able to be responsible for your words and deeds, to fulfill obligations;
- Empathy. Ability to empathize with other people;
- Communicativeness. Ability to communicate with people, find an approach to each person;
- Tolerance. Respect for the people around you, even if their outlook on life seems wrong;
- Altruism. It is important to understand that a volunteer can only count on verbal gratitude for help, that there will be no material payment, and provide support from a pure heart, and not from selfish motives;
- Social activity. Volunteers have to act a lot, communicate, so they should be able to work in a state of multitasking and constant activity.
The main goal of volunteers is to make the world a better place, to help those in need.
Volunteer opportunities
Below are some popular volunteer opportunities in the mental health field: