Despite the extraordinary industrial developments and lifestyle changes, society still faces inequality, hate, and discrimination. Children are starving, people are homeless with no governmental support, and human rights get neglected in some countries. The environment needs help too. Thankfully, as a response to the urgent matters in our society, we have volunteers. Volunteers give their time and effort to help those who are not related to themselves, and they are essential for a better world. As citizens of the world, we have the responsibility to care for our environment and support the needy. When volunteerism was mentioned for the first time during the 1970s, people who volunteered were often named ‘angels’, ‘special-minded people’, etc. Helping your neighbors was an unusual altruistic behavior that only some did. People often consider themselves as world citizens who feel at home wherever they may go. Based on this mindset volunteering has also become a common behavior that anyone can join. Age, gender, religion, interest, appearance doesn’t matter. The active volunteering trends have changed the world. According to a study at John Hopkins, there are around 970 million volunteers around the world whose work is equivalent to 125 million workers. On the economic aspect, their work is at the US $1.348 trillion or 2.4% of the entire global economy. This is only counting volunteering recorded activities on databases – there are even more volunteering societies in local areas.
How to Volunteer:
1) First volunteer in the local communities. Help your neighbors, your school peers, your friends. Start changing the environment around you.
2) Sign in volunteering organizations, clubs, or official websites related to volunteering.
3) Stay alert on the newspapers – they are one of the best resources to find people in need.
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