Community
Internships
Service Learning

7 Reasons to Join a Community Development Volunteer Program

GVI

Posted: March 18, 2023

Volunteering in community development is so much more than just giving your time to try and make a difference. It’s about collaborating with other changemakers to make a lasting positive impact to create a better future for generations to come. It can be a deeply rewarding experience if it’s done ethically. Here are 7 reasons to step up and join a community development volunteer program.

Discover the Benefits of Volunteering

From contributing to local community initiatives to developing your skills and gaining knowledge to making meaningful connections, there are a number of rewards to be gained from volunteering.

You can enhance your skills in problem-solving, communication, resilience and empathy by supporting community projects. You can also learn new skills and languages and open yourself up to different experiences through the tasks you take on.

By immersing yourself in new cultures and communities, you can meet wonderful people who have diverse perspectives on life. These relationships have the potential to be incredibly fulfilling and life-changing. Lastly, volunteering offers an immense feeling of satisfaction when you know that what you’re doing is making an impact on the wider community.

Meet and Connect with New People

When we volunteer, you’ll come into contact with people from different countries, backgrounds and walks of life. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to meet people and form connections you wouldn’t have had otherwise. You could make new friends, build your professional network, or even meet mentors to guide you through life. Not only will these connections enrich our lives, but they also provide valuable opportunities for learning.

The opportunity to share stories and experiences while working together towards a common goal will help boost your self-confidence and allow you to build meaningful connections with your peers and society at large.

Develop New Skills

Have you ever wanted to pick up a new skill or hone an existing one? Volunteering is a great way to do just that. While supporting community initiatives that you’re really passionate about, you can develop skills such as problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and leadership. You’ll also learn relevant new skills to prepare you for the future, like gaining global citizen perspectives, being resilient, developing cultural sensitivity and understanding the role of privilege in society.

Furthermore, strengthening existing skills is just as important as learning new ones; by pushing our boundaries, we can take existing knowledge to the next level. Volunteering also provides us with greater flexibility when exploring our potential. We can try different roles at our own pace and gain valuable insights into areas that could otherwise be inaccessible.

Enhance Your Resume and Career

A well-crafted resume helps employers get the best possible impression of you as a person – which is precisely why volunteering should definitely be included as part of your resume. Not only does volunteering showcase involvement and commitment in something outside of work, but also demonstrates loyalty and dedication to making a difference in the community. All of these traits are extremely desirable for any employer.

Gain a Sense of Purpose

Sometimes, life can leave us feeling lost and directionless. Maybe there’s too much pressure from work or school and life feels overwhelming. One of the most powerful benefits of volunteering is that it gives you a burst of purpose and direction. Helping others without expecting anything in return brings with it an empowering sense of purpose.

Joining community development volunteer programs offers you the chance to reduce loneliness and social isolation. By interacting with other people through volunteering activities, we create strong relationships. It gives us a sense of purpose and helps us feel valued. Volunteering can also lead to greater self-esteem as we are empowered by making positive changes in our communities.

Expand Your Perspectives

Because volunteering opportunities involve exposing ourselves to different communities and cultures, they help broaden our horizons. They offer insight into new ways of life and make us more aware of the issues affecting certain groups of people. This means that we are better able to comprehend different perspectives in life.

At times, these experiences can also be transformative – inspiring us to become involved in certain causes that we may have previously ignored. By gaining a greater understanding of certain topics through volunteering, we open ourselves up to numerous opportunities to make changes in our lives and make an even bigger impact on our community.

Join a Community Development Volunteering Program Abroad

Volunteering in GVI’s community development programs is a great opportunity to travel the world, and make a positive impact on society while also gaining valuable skills and experiences. By working alongside local communities and organisations, volunteers can contribute to meaningful projects that address important social issues such as poverty, education, and healthcare. Through collaboration and hands-on work, volunteers can help build sustainable solutions that have a lasting impact on the lives of those in the community. These immersive community development programs provide a unique opportunity to learn about different cultures and ways of life, making it a truly rewarding and enriching experience for all involved.

Make a Positive Impact in Your Own Community

When we volunteer our time and energy in a meaningful way, the effects ripple far beyond ourselves. We can make a positive difference in people’s lives by simply being considerate and helpful. For instance, helping out at a care home for the elderly is an excellent way to make smiles appear on people’s faces.

Likewise, helping younger children with their curriculum is another way to positively influence their education and create better chances for their future. In this way, our influence is felt not only in our community but also in how far we reach those outside this circle – making a long-term impact even if it’s something small.