About Time: 5 Reasons to Volunteer Long-Term

Jan 26, 2021   |   Joelynn Tan

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“Volunteering is (giving) your time and effort to do something or help someone without asking for anything in return.” – Tan Wei Ying (pictured above), a Heartware volunteer since 2008.

As veteran volunteer Tan Wei Ying believes, volunteerism is about doing something for the community and enjoying the satisfaction of seeing beyond ourselves. In addition to building up the community, being consistent with volunteering also improve our mental health and helps us to master new skills. While there are countless benefits, here are 5 main reasons why you should consider volunteering long-term:

  1. Gradually Build Your Confidence

While some people thrive naturally in social situations, others can find it challenging to socialize with new people. Volunteering presents you the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and interact with people from all walks of life, giving you the chance to practice and develop better public speaking as well as communication skills. Personally, I am shy and introverted, but Heartware Network has provided me a safe space to interact with strangers and I am gradually feeling more comfortable and self-assured. Hence, long-term volunteering helps to boost our confidence over time as it increases our social and relationship skills.

  1. A Sense of Purpose

A common reason people decide to make volunteering a part of their life is the desire to make a difference. Knowing that your time and effort have a positive impact on someone’s life can bring about contentment and happiness which may motivate you to continue volunteering. Besides, the coronavirus pandemic has made this especially relevant as we are living with great uncertainty where helplessness is a familiar feeling to many. Personally, being cooped up at home due to the pandemic has greatly affected me but being able to continue volunteering with the knowledge that I am contributing to society has added a new sense of purpose to my life. Therefore, long-term volunteering can add new meaning to your life and thereby have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being.

  1. Expands Your Connections 

Volunteering connects you to others and integrates you into a community. This is significant as modern society is facing a loneliness epidemic that is exacerbated by the social distancing measures to ease the coronavirus pandemic. Besides, studies have also shown that the older we get, the fewer friends we will have. One such study, “Sex differences in social focus across the life cycle in humans” concludes that our social group will start to shrink around age 25, and we will be more prone to experiencing social isolation as we age. Loneliness can be emotionally painful but through volunteering, we can interact with people from different age groups, ethnicities, social groups, and build valuable social networks.

Additionally, long-term volunteering leads to building strong connections that may even surpass blood relations. This can be illustrated in Found Family where Wen Rui (pictured above, far left), a Heartware Network volunteer describes her special relationship with an elderly from Heartware Support Our Pioneers Programme (HWSOP). The programme is biweekly over the course of a year, and it is only through this long-term commitment could these precious bonds be forged. Hence, volunteering not only makes the world better, but it is also a good opportunity to make friends and build meaningful sustained connections.

  1. Master New Skills

One of the many benefits long-term volunteering has over short-term volunteering is that volunteers have the time to gradually develop and master new skills. One prominent example is Thanda, a regular volunteer who first joined Heartware Network in 2017. Thanda (picture below, bottom row, far right) shared that it is through long-term volunteering that she is able to pick up different skills each time, which has enticed her to volunteer over and over again.

Long-term volunteering may also expose you to more technical skills as many volunteering opportunities provide extensive training. Heartware Network is one of the organizations that conducts training sessions to impart volunteers with new skills. For instance, as a media volunteer with Heartware, I am exposed to media training and journalism workshops which enables me to pick up new skills!

Even if you already have those skills, long-term volunteering is still a good opportunity to build upon them and use them to benefit the greater good. For instance, Thanda shared that her extensive knowledge of technology is useful as she can optimize the use of Excel in administrative work. Therefore, long-term practice is a great way to put your existing skills to good use and master new skills.

  1. Explore your interests

Volunteering exposes you to your area of interest and it is a wonderful way to gain experiences in a new field. For instance, if you are interested in becoming a teacher, you can volunteer with the Heartware Tuition Programme as a tutor and learn the valuable skills needed to become an educator. There is a lot of real-world experience that you can gain through long-term volunteering such as sharpening your teaching skills, picking up classroom management skills and most importantly, you can have a better understanding of your role, and the industry. In addition, your experience can also help you to stand out to potential employers in the increasingly competitive labour market. Therefore, long-term volunteering not only helps you to explore your interests but can also provide career experiences.

In closing, being consistent with volunteering has a huge impact on one’s mindset and lifestyle. Long-term volunteering can add more colour to your life as it boosts your self-esteem, gives you a sense of purpose, and keeps loneliness at bay. Additionally, being consistent with volunteering also has more practical benefits such as exploring your interests and mastering new skills. With all the benefits associated with volunteering, now is the perfect time for you to get started in volunteerism. Don’t know where to begin? With its range of short- and long-term programmes, Heartware Network is certainly a great place to begin your journey of helping the community and yourself.