Gauri Nagpal
Today careers come with their distant cousin- volunteers. For success in any career, a parallel road of volunteer always helps. It gives you an insight into the subtle nuances of life which a routine career might not provide you. Owing to this, almost everyone is going the volunteer route. And the image of a volunteer has also escalated. It is no more the mundane tasks but brings about a canvas of creativity from learning to manage responsibility by caring for wounded wildlife or an executive sharing management skills with a community group.
You may choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. You may just be a helping hand or do this to beef up your resume and improve your chances of being hired and leapfrog your career.
Benefits of Volunteering
Beefs your resume:
If you have to build your resume, volunteering helps. Potential employers want to see you that you’ve been busy, so show them how you took the initiative to volunteer at a local nonprofit and be specific of what you did. For instance, if you have been associated with an organizations dealing with gender issues, be specific about your role. Being the leader or creating a new and helpful tool will prove to the potential employer that you are an asset to their organization.
Adds skills:
Volunteering equips you with skills that are not honed in a formal classroom setting. It equips you with valuable professional skills, such as time management and strategic planning. You also get exposed to core workplace activities, such as: “communication, line management, teamwork and using your initiative. These skills short circuit your chances of getting hired.
Helps you test the waters:
If you are contemplating an entry into a career or a career transit, volunteering in the same field would help you test the waters before you take the plunge. In volunteer work, it often happens that you start by doing something you know you are very good at and eventually branch out, frequently into things you never thought you could do. It provides you with valuable experiences that can make you more competitive in your new work field. Also, gives you good insight on what working in it will be like. That way you can be doubly sure of a profession without putting much of your money and effort into it.
Boosts confidence:
Volunteering can boost your self-confidence, self-esteem and life satisfaction. One of the benefits of volunteering is that it gives you a very close look on how your actions are impacting those around you.
Gives a sense of direction:
We all have a sob story to tell- a story that has left a vacuum in us. Volunteering helps fill it up. Helping others may help you overcome personal struggles and give your life new meaning and a sense of purpose. It takes your mind off of your worries and the new experiences and people you meet may even make you arrive at new solutions for them. It tells you that people have tread the path you are treading and you are not in it alone.
Some programs that have a global outreach are:
UNITED NATION (UN) VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
If you are inspired to take concrete action for global peace and development, take a look at the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program. These UN Volunteers work in some 130 countries promoting peace, responding to disasters, empowering communities and helping to build sustainable livelihoods and lasting development.
Being a UN Volunteer is not a career; it is also not an entry route to the United Nations (you can apply to UN positions as an external candidate, but are expected to complete your UNV assignment). It is however rich with opportunities and experience and offers huge personal rewards.
How to Volunteer in UN?
If you have free will, commitment, and want to engage and express solidarity for peace and development, you can join as a UN Volunteer.
There are 3 types of UN Volunteer programs:
*National UN Volunteers
These posts are open to Indian nationals only. UN Volunteer assignments are not salaried, but include a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA). The VLA is supposed to cover the cost of living and varies depending on the duty station. UN Volunteers are also provided with health & life insurance.
The minimum requirements to become a National UNV volunteer are as follows:
*At least 22 years of age
*Academic Credentials – at least a Bachelor’s degree
*Well-qualified and suitable older candidates can serve as National UN Volunteers up to an age covered by the life insurance carrier
*International UN Volunteers
International UN Volunteer serves in a country other than their own and they are recruited for specialized inputs to development or humanitarian programmes.
Requirements:
The requirements to become an International UN Volunteer vary depending on the specific assignment. In general, however, one could list the following as minimum requirements:
*Bachelor or Masters degree, or technical/vocational diploma
*At least 2 years of relevant working experience
*At least age 25 when taking up an assignment
*Complementary mix of professional expertise, volunteer spirit, dedication and motivation to share technical knowledge and skills. If you have free will, commitment, and want to engage and express solidarity for peace and development, you are welcome to join us as a UN Volunteer.
UNV maintains a global roster of candidates, which allows UNV to respond quickly to requests for volunteers. If you are interest in becoming an international UN Volunteer please register to the roster. UNV will contact you once you are matched to an open position.
* UN online Volunteers
UN online Volunteers are individuals who commit their time and skills over the internet, freely and without financial considerations, for the benefit of society.
The Online Volunteering service offers a database of online volunteering opportunities submitted by development organizations worldwide. Interested individuals identify opportunities that match their interests, expertise and skills, and submit their applications directly to the organizations, which select the volunteers they would like to engage in their activities.
Students who are 18 or older can become UN online Volunteers. To register, visit https://onlinevolunteering.org/en/org/index.html.
How to pitch?
The majority of assignments are filled from UNV’s talent pool. Based on the description of assignment provided by the host agency, UNV searches its talent pool for profiles that match the requirements listed therein. Identified candidates are contacted and assignment details are shared with them in order to confirm their interest and availability. Candidates are then short-listed for the final selection process which is conducted by the host agency.
Only difficult, highly specialized or high volume assignments are advertised on the UNV website, social media and with professional associations. For posted assignments, you need to be registered in the talent pool and also have a strong resume.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
VOLUNTEERS (ISV)
International Student Volunteers (ISV), based in California, provides educational volunteer and travel adventure programs to university students and youth internationally. It provides hundreds of conservation and community development projects in Australia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Eastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Croatia), and the west coast of North America (USA, Canada and Mexico).It is the world’s highest rated volunteer program. It helps in supporting sustainable development initiatives around the world through life-changing student volunteer and responsible adventure travel programs designed to positively change our world and to educate, inspire and result in more active global citizens. There are many options for volunteers and the task of choosing the right volunteer program provider can be daunting.
*The Ultimate 4 Week Program
It involves a package of 2 week Volunteer Project followed by 2 week Volunteer Project then 2 weeks on an action-packed Adventure Tour in the same host country.
*2 Week Volunteer Program
This program is without the adventure tour. Contribute to sustainable development through carefully managed volunteer programs that focus on local environmental and community development initiatives. Be more than a tourist; become an active global citizen by contributing your energy on projects that truly make a difference.
*High School Program (For Ages 15-18)
ISV’s High School Program is the perfect opportunity for students aged 15-18 to learn about global issues and how they can make a difference. Combining service learning projects, cultural immersion and an educational adventure tour, this program provides an excellent framework for personal growth and development.
RALEIGH INTERNATIONAL
Raleigh International is a sustainable development charity. It focuses on working through, for and with youth to inspire and make positive change in the different programmatic areas like: Water, sanitation and hygiene, Effective use of natural resource, Building the resilience of vulnerable communities and Building a youth leadership culture. They need volunteers from around the world to work side-by-side with communities to create lasting change. They have number of opportunities for people to join them in Tanzania, Malaysian Borneo, Nepal and Nicaragua & Costa Rica.
Volunteer program in Raleigh:
Raleigh runs two impactful volunteering programmes: Expedition and ICS (International Citizen Service). Whether you’re still at school, taking a gap year, finished university or taking a break from work, they’ve got an opportunity that’s right for you.
Raleigh Expeditions
It is a unique opportunity to work on remote community and environmental projects and face adventure challenges in some of the most incredible areas of the world. That’s why they include different people, projects, locations and challenges. There will be people like you and people from different backgrounds and cultures, including local volunteers from the Expedition countries.
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