Voluntary work Benefits of voluntary work Personal satisfaction

Voluntary work

• • Benefits of voluntary work Personal satisfaction is a common motive for people of all ages to volunteer. Retired people often volunteer to give back and to stay active in their communities. Along with the personal satisfaction of giving to society, volunteering provides other benefits. In lieu of work experience, many young people point to volunteer experiences and skills acquired during interviews. Hard work, teamwork, leadership, coordination and listening are just a handful of skills you may develop through volunteer work. People sometimes make personal and professional connections by volunteering that add to their network of contacts.

Volunteering in schools • • • Resource poor schools around the world rely on government support or on efforts from volunteers and private donations, in order to run effectively. In some countries, whenever the economy is down, the need for volunteers and resources increases greatly. [19] There are many opportunities available in school systems for volunteers. Yet, there are not many requirements in order to volunteer in a school system. Whether one is a high school or TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) graduate or college student, most schools require just voluntary and selfless effort. [20] Much like the benefits of any type of volunteering there are great rewards for the volunteer, student, and school. In addition to intangible rewards, volunteers can add relevant experience to their resumes. Volunteers who travel to assist may learn foreign culture and language. Volunteering in schools can be an additional teaching guide for the students and help to fill the gap of local teachers. Cultural and language exchange during teaching and other school activities can be the most essential learning experience for both students and volunteers

Volunteering in developing countries An increasingly popular form of volunteering among young people, particularly gap year students and graduates, is to travel to communities in the devoloping world to work on projects with local organizations. Activities include teaching English, working in orphanages, conservation, assisting nongovernmental organizations and medical work. International volunteering often aims to give participants valuable skills and knowledge in addition to benefits to the host community and organization

Etymology and history The verb was first recorded in 1755. It was derived from the noun volunteer, in C. 1600, "one who offers himself for military service, " from the middle French voluntaries. [3] In the nonmilitary sense, the word was first recorded during the 1630 s. The word volunteering has more recent usage—still predominantly military— coinciding with the phrase community service. [3][4] In a military context, a voluntary is a military body whose soldiers chose to enter service, as opposed to having been conscripted. Such volunteers do not work "for free" and are given regular pay.

Virtual volunteering • Also called e-volunteering or online volunteering, virtual volunteering is a volunteer who completes tasks, in whole or in part, offsite from the organization being assisted. They use the Internet and a home, school, telecenter or work computer, or other Internet-connected device, such as a pda or smart phone. Virtual volunteering is also known as cyber service, telementoring, and teletutoring, as well as various other names. Virtual volunteering is similar to telecommuting, except that instead of online employees who are paid, these are online volunteers who are not paid