The benefits of volunteering

So, as most of you know, writing for TWE is a volunteering position! None of us are paid, and we all dedicate our free time to writing, taking photos, posting on social media, proofreading and coming up with new ideas, among probably hundreds of other different roles. 

Writing for a blog is just one of many different ways in which you can volunteer. 

You can volunteer at a local homeless or animal shelter, and at a food bank helping others in need. You can volunteer at a charity shop, which is the same role as working in any shop, but you do it usually for free. If there are big events on in your town/city, you can usually volunteer to point people in the right direction or hand out water or other promotional products. 

You can even sometimes volunteer within your school! In my school I volunteered to help low ability year 7’s with their reading skills by reading with them once a week! All I did was give up my lunch once a week and I saw them make amazing progress. 

There are also lots of benefits to volunteering, and most of them centre around your CV. Volunteering at blogs, like TWE can help you with your writing skills, and prove that you can work to deadlines, and work in a team. Working at charity shops can classify as retail experience (which lots of employers tend to look for). Raising money for charity shows an employer who you are as a person, making you look kind-hearted and caring (which for an employer, means you will look after customers and do what you can to make them happy). Other skills, like photography and design, communication and working with different software and programs are all desirable skills that you can obtain through volunteering! 

Looking away from getting a job, volunteering can also give you a personal satisfaction. Knowing that you’re giving up your time to help someone can feel really really good! 

So my advice is - volunteer! Whether it is here with us at TWE or at any of the positions above, volunteering is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and your future. 

​Kaitlyn