Oats Transit stated, “Volunteering is when you give your time to help another person, organization, or cause.” When you volunteer, you are putting another person’s needs before your own. Volunteering comes in all shapes and sizes, but there is one common factor between them and that is helping others. Volunteering can be both a life-changing and beneficial experience for any individual.

1. Making A Difference
When you become a volunteer, it will make a difference in your life and the lives of others. There are various ways that college students could get involved if they want to become a volunteer. Whether you offer to tutor local students, offer your help to organize an event, make something for children in need, or donate the things you don’t use anymore, keep in mind that these small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

2. Meeting New People
As college students, one of the best things to do is meet new people. By being a volunteer, you may have the opportunity to not only meet people in your community but meet other college students. The connections that you make while volunteering will allow you to make lifelong friends. Being a volunteer is something that everyone should try to do at least once in their life because you never know where it might lead you.

3. Developing Good Communication Skills
By being a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to work alongside many different people. It is important to develop good communication skills when you are a volunteer so that you can share your ideas with others. Volunteering may allow you the opportunity to learn about different ways to fundraise for an organization in your community and help to organize a fundraiser can be a good way for you to get involved in your community by helping those around you.

4. Learning How To Take Criticism
Sometimes the other volunteers that you work with can be very critical about the ideas that you share or the way you’re doing your job. When working, our own perception of the quality of work we provide is often clouded by our judgments. However, when we listen to what others say, we can build on our skills and improve our work.

5. Leadership Opportunities
Many organizations that participate in volunteering may have a lot of leadership opportunities. For example, when I was a member of the Warwood Lions Club, I served as the vice president from 2019 until 2020 and I also served as the president from 2020 until 2021. During that time, I had the opportunity to learn what it meant to become a leader.
When I served as the president, it was often hard to get the other members of the club to listen to my ideas and it was sometimes hard to meet with the club because of the early stages of the pandemic. Overall, being a leader is a unique learning opportunity because you get to experience what it’s like to take responsibility for your actions and the actions of the team.

In conclusion, volunteering can be a great experience! If you’re interested in finding an organization to volunteer with, consider visiting the website Volunteer Match where you can find a list of volunteer opportunities near you.