Called to serve! Volunteerism...........

Volunteering was not something I engaged in until during my National Service. During the first few months of my service, I was burdened by some challenges my students were facing concerning their academics, career aspirations, personal development and relationships, and the role I could play to ease them. I discussed with the headmistress and we organized what I called 'CARREL' meaning Career and Relationship guidance with an invitation of some external speakers.

After National Service, I met a friend whom I shared my passion for the youth with and he introduced me to what being a volunteer was. Since 2019, I have been volunteering and the impact has been massive. I vividly recall my first field activity with the National Commission on Civic Education(NCCE) on Climate Justice: Use of plastics and its effects on the climate.

So then, what is volunteering?..............

It is a selfless act of giving one's time, skills, resources, and energy to help others or promote a particular cause without expecting anything in return. It can take various forms, such as helping out at a charity event, in a community cause, coaching a team, mentoring a group of people, or responding to emergencies.

Volunteering not only helps the community but also offers numerous benefits to the volunteer.

Here are some benefits of volunteering:

• Personal Growth: I cannot quantify the vast opportunities I have been exposed to through volunteering. I have been exposed to new experiences, challenges, and perspectives. It helped build my self-confidence, improved my communication, and leadership skills, and increased my cultural awareness. We get into communities and you tend to appreciate the situations they were in and how you could be of help.
• Career Development: Volunteering demonstrates a commitment to a particular cause. Having come from a background in commerce, it was through volunteering that I got to understand my purpose better. I got my first job as a Project Assistant in the NGO sector with ActionAid Ghana on the Project, "Building the Agency of Adolescent Girls and Young Women for Inclusive Leadership" which harnessed my capabilities and challenged me. It provided a platform for my skills development, and building experience in this new field. Volunteering demonstrates initiative, commitment, and dedication. It helped me gain insight into what it's like to work in this field professionally.
• Social Connections: It provides the space for networking with others in the community who share similar interests and values. Working on a common goal can deepen connections and create lasting memories. It allows one to contribute to the greater good and feel a sense of pride in serving. Volunteerism requires teamwork and communication, allowing individuals to develop and refine their skills.
• Leadership Opportunities: Being in this field has provided me with opportunities to take up leadership roles and responsibilities. I have developed leadership skills that have helped and still help me execute tasks career-wise, personally, and in other fields. My first role in this field was as the Regional Communications Representative and later the Regional Coordinator. Through these roles, I have acquired transferable skills such as communication, decision-making, problem-solving, report writing, and mentoring which have been very helpful.

• Other benefits include making a positive impact on the lives of the people we meet, a sense of purpose and fulfillment by allowing one to contribute to a worthy cause that brings a lasting change.

Volunteering is an excellent way to give back to the community and in return offers benefits to the volunteer. With all these benefits and more, it can have a significant impact on both personal and professional success and happiness. It is rewarding for those who choose to give their time, skills, and energy to causes they care about.

Little did I know all these and more were in stock!!

To volunteer is to serve and we've all been called for that.

Thank you.