With summer break underway, it’s time to look forward to some much-needed relaxation. But let’s be honest, it won’t be long before we start seeking something productive to do. After all, not everyone enjoys spending the entire day in bed, scrolling through their phones!
As a high school student, it’s the perfect time to look for opportunities that will enhance your college applications. While good grades and extracurricular activities are important, it’s experiences like volunteering that truly make your application stand out from the rest.
But Why Should I Volunteer?
This is the first question that is most likely to cross your mind when considering volunteer programs. What makes them worthy? Don’t fret about it.
Here are the top reasons why participating in volunteer experience is a “must” for high school students:
Keeps You Active
We all tend to get tired of staying at home all day. With volunteer programs, you get the perfect opportunity to go out. Not only this but also you get to meet and interact with people from different backgrounds who have a story to share.
Volunteering serves as a great opportunity to connect with the community. This can be in your own locality or in a new country which gives you a completely new experience. The best part? You can pick the duration of the program according to your needs.
Helps You Develop Lifelong Skills
There are many activities that help you improve a certain skill like: practicing chess improves your focus and reading enhances your knowledge. But if you’re looking to do something that will add plenty to your skills, volunteering is the perfect opportunity to get involved in.
By doing volunteer work, you learn:
- How to communicate better,
- How to solve problems,
- What to do to achieve common goals as a team,
- And much more!
These skills are not just important assets to your resume but something that will help you throughout your life, even in the professional world. Also, it’s important to enhance these skills as early as possible as they contribute majorly to your growth as a person.
Adds to Your CV
Needless to say, working as a volunteer looks great on your resume and this is the most practical advantage. It’s ideal for if you are looking to diversify your experience, especially if you are passionate about a topic that is different from your studies.
There are multiple roles and departments that you can work for with us like:
Adds a Sense of Awareness
Do you often feel you are living in a bubble and are not really aware of what’s around you? For example, what is life like for those living in Africa? What’s the socio-economic scene there?
Having empathy is a core personality trait that one should have in order to not just be self-aware but also be aware of one’s surroundings.
Through volunteer programs, like ours at United Planet, you get to see the bigger picture of the world and be familiar with new cultures.
Gives You a Sense of Fulfillment
Finally, volunteer programs give you a sense of fulfillment like no other. This is what makes volunteering just as important not only for high school students but all individuals. You get a chance to work with communities and see the difference in person that your contributions make.
Trust me when I say that nothing feels better than knowing that you made a difference, no matter how mere, in someone’s life.
What Volunteer Programs Can I Get Into?
For someone volunteering for the first time, this is the first question that’s most likely to cross your mind followed by things like:
- What area should I get into?
- Will it be something of my interest?
- What will my day-to-day responsibilities look like?
Fortunately, volunteering isn’t limited to a specific domain and there is always an area of interest for everyone.
Here are some project areas that you can consider getting into when planning to volunteer as a high school student:
Children Education
Is spreading knowledge something that has always been on your to-do-list? Then teaching might be the perfect opportunity for you to get this off your list!
From math and science to sports, whatever your strong suit is, you can teach that to children in under-developed areas. Volunteering in such programs allows you to educate children who rightly deserve to but don’t have access to education.
Environmental Sustainability
As the world is progressing into technology, environmental issues are one thing that have taken a set back amongst the development.
However, if “go green” is what you strongly advocate for, then there are multiple volunteer programs working for the environment.
Such programs help in raising awareness regarding the environmental issues that are often not given enough attention but affect our surroundings in the long run.
Volunteer And Make A Change Today!
So if you’ve been up on the internet looking for productive activities to indulge in, this is your sign.
Thankfully, we at United Planet aim to serve this very purpose making the entire process a whole lot convenient for you. By paying a nominal fee, you not only get a chance to volunteer abroad but your accommodation and multiple facilities are also covered.
This saves you from the hassle of looking for each facility individually. You can check more details about volunteer abroad programs on our website here. Hoping to see you volunteer soon!
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
