how are you going to help out?

Volunteering is the act of aiding the community and is a useful experience to have on your CV. Of course, volunteering is beneficial for charities as it allows them to have free help in executing their greater missions to reduce poverty or misogyny in third world countries. It is also beneficial to local people who again have free labour that is helping on account of their own ethics in order to improve the neighbourhood. However, volunteering is also beneficial to you as an individual both academically and mentally. 

Many programs require volunteering, such as the Duke of Edinburgh award which requires up to 6 months of volunteering to attend the expedition and earn the UCAS points associated with it. Universities also appreciate it on your CV and will often use these experiences to differentiate you from other candidates with similar grades - just make sure to volunteer in an area that is related to what you might get a degree in.

Other than academics, volunteering is also a great way to meet like minded people of all ages and possibly make friends. It opens your mind to the lives of others and you begin to understand how other people may live; this may be the homeless man who regularly attends the soup kitchen or the elderly woman who works with you in a cancer research store because she lost her husband to the disease. 

So, how do you get started? There are many types of places that you can volunteer at and if you’re over 14 it will be surprisingly easy to find one that will accept you. 

Types of Volunteering:

• Working at a place of work such as a law firm or hospital; recommended for older teens who are aware of what area they may want to work in when they’re older
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• Charity shops; easy to locate on any high street and usually hungry for workers. If you’re an avid reader then it is recommended you work in a book shop as may find some incredibly rare books that you may want to purchase yourself (personally, I found a poetry book that compiles poems written by famous middle eastern poets about the civil wars or occupations of their countries that they have faced). Examples of shops you could work at are Mind and Oxfam.
  
  
  
• Soup kitchens; recommended for those who like to help more directly and are able to cook or at least advertise. Soup kitchens are a hectic environment but a great way to meet people.
  
  
  

Of course, there are many more types of places that you may want to volunteer at but these are the more basic choices. Volunteering may seem exhaustive but once it becomes part of your routine you get a certain type of satisfaction from knowing that you are giving up some of your time just to help people. Albeit a cliché, I advise that you try to volunteer at least once in your life, if not just for the experience. 


Good Luck, 
Leanne