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Today is the day of the volunteer. So first of all a BIG THANK YOU to all volunteers. Experts agree that volunteers play a role in our society that should not be underestimated!
We are all very busy.
So am I. Certainly no time left for volunteer work. Until early 2020. I finally realised that as a person who had a lot of possibilities and privileges in life , I can make a difference to someone who is not. I joined a volunteering project. What and how this went, you can read below.
As a volunteer you will be able to have an impact. And that alone makes the world a bit better.
But – and I did not expect this – you will experience some benefits yourself. Research from several prestigious universities has shown that volunteering can be beneficial for both body and mind. Volunteers have less stress, higher life satisfaction and live longer. And in my story below, you will read what I gained.
Tip for today
Do once in a while some volunteer work. There are so many possibilities!
My story
I wanted to do volunteer work since I was a child. My dream job was slightly different from that of my friends’. I wanted to become a missionary nun in an underdeveloped country.
This turned out differently ;-).
The intention to volunteer remained though, but I always came up with excuses: ‘First I will make money’, ‘I’ll do it when my to-do list is done’, ‘I don’t have time for my friends and family’…So my volunteer work was limited to helping at the school events and now and then transferring an amount of money to a charity.
At the beginning of 2020, the same excuses stand. But I started to realize that as a privileged person I might be able to make a difference in the life of someone who has been given far fewer opportunities in life.
And you don’t have to be rich or have a lot of time for that!
I joined the volunteer organisation ‘ArmenTekort’. They match underprivileged people with a buddy. A buddy is not a service provider. A buddy is just a ‘friend’, being there, listening, acknowledging, and supporting.
I received great training to prepare myself for buddyhood and they searched for me a suitable match.
And then it was up to us, my buddy and me. We got all the freedom to decide together what and how we do this.
I am so glad that I did not wait until I was ‘rich’ or had a lot of time. This volunteer work has made me better, ‘richer’, more tolerant, and calmer!
Some of the other benefits I encountered:
My buddy Peter and his wife Kim, are great people I would never have known otherwise. They let me into their lives and their minds and give me a much broader vision of society.
I have learned to set aside my – so quickly made – prejudices.
I have learned that sometimes one is helped more by a listening ear, support, a belief in someone than just ‘assistance’ or ‘money’. I have learned that there are people who NEVER had this listening ear or words of support in their lives.
I have learned skills that I put to good use in all my relationships.
I am so proud of what they achieved since the start. They had never worked, lived on social security in a squat without bathroom nor kitchen and seldom left their home. Now they have a job and live in a nice house. A couple of months ago they even got a baby.
Amasing what some kindness can do!
More about ArmenTekort on www.armentekort.be.