Community service considerably one of the noblest and virtuous social activities that serves voluntary help improving the co-existing problems within the society: poverty, disabilities, social distinction, animal cruelty-extinction, environmental decline and so on. As a responsible citizen and community member, engaging in community service can help you with developing civic-social skills and a lifetime opportunity to acquire knowledge about society experientially. Above them all, community service lets you have a positive impact on society at large and genuinely make a difference.
In this crucial time of the dreadful pandemic and economic decline globally, the world needs selfless and dedicated volunteers more than ever. In this article, we are going to talk about 7 life-altering benefits of community service activities while instilling a lifelong interest in giving back.
Helps you strengthen your community and social network
Your voluntary service, even the smallest of the work, can make a real difference to the people and your own life tremendously. Dedicating your free time in community service can help to expand your network and strengthening your ties to the community.
1. New contacts and network
One of the best ways to broaden your connection and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared welfare activity together. With direct interactions with people the same selfless purposes an objectives- you can rediscover people who have the same principles and values of life as you do. Volunteer activities help you find the right contacts you might want to work within your future endeavours.
2. Social and relationship skills
Community activities are all about delivering the best version of yourself within you to the rest of the world. Through this volunteer service, you get to travel to many places, interact with people from different backgrounds, empathise and show your solidarity.
You become the advocate your conscience- which helps you develop and foster your social- relationship skills like communication, persuasion, active listening, management, leadership and so on.
Provides better carrier opportunities
If you’re considering a new career, community service can help you attain relevant experiences in your area of interest in career by allowing you to develop different professional skill and interact with varying representatives of the organisation. Sharing extraordinary talents with charitable purposes can build you more competitive in the job market as well. Recruiter overwhelmingly looks preferably on job applicants who have been involved in community services.
3. Professional relationships
Community service participation can potentially help developing professional networks, through which you may get direct updates regarding job openings, workshops, training opportunities and networking events. You can also build active voice and awareness of the current issues, trends, resources- allowing yourself to showcase your presence and visibility amongst influential community leaders and representatives.
4. Valuable job skills
Community service gives you the platform to cultivate essential skills to benefit the greater community that are used in workplaces, for instance, teamwork, communication, public speaking, task management, problem-solving, project planning and organisation. Many volunteering initiatives require extensive training on hands-on skills, too, such as construction, painting, customer service, and medical expertise.
5. Resume upgrading
Participating in community service can not only make a difference to the volunteer organization and the people being served but also can make a difference to in your career prospects. All kinds of field experiences are valued, and many recruiters have preferences for applicants and potential employees to have volunteer experiences.
Individuals with community service experiences develop their ability to innovate, to think outside the box and work as a team to overcome challenges. They also reflect their values and principles into their professional life and continue to donate their money, time, and skills.
Improves your physical and mental state
Many research studies show that selfless contributions to the communities and societies like volunteering resonate with individuals’ physical and mental health immensely. The core nature of community service- giving to others also helps to improve your mental and physical health. It can keep you mentally and physically stimulated and vindicate a sense of purpose in life.
6. Physical health
Community service can significantly improve your physical health by lowering your blood pressure. Voluntary activities increase the rate of physical activity which helps with cholesterol and reducing stress. Studies show that these charity activities also help to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.
Social Science and Medicine recommends that community service should be considered as an important part of elderly patients’ health care routine and maintenance. On top of that, it’s also statistically shown that volunteers’ life expectancy is relatively higher than those who don’t volunteer!
7. Mental health
Community service has always been an enormous help to people with mental illness and disorders for a very long time. People who, volunteer and donate, they feel more positive and socially connected, which ultimately results in warding off loneliness and depression. Since the critical risk factor for depression is social isolation, community service can keep you in regular contact with other civic-minded people and help you nurture a solid support system. With this solidarity practice, you can battle against stress, anxiety and depression when you’re going through challenging times.
If you are looking for an opportunity to volunteer or financially assist the people in need within your community there are many local communities like Casey North CISS. As one of the most authentic community support services, they have a wide range of programs and various volunteer opportunities designed to benefit both the community and the contributors.