Published 19th February 2020
Volunteering and its actual positive impacts is often an elephant in the room — many are sceptical, worried about committing to a long-term project, and afraid to voice out their concerns. So here are 7 things to consider as you make your decision to volunteer, as shared by student volunteers Elaine and Syakir.
1. Find a conviction, not a passion
The thing about volunteering is – I get it, it takes time. As students, we have way more other priorities: Our final-year projects, internships, hall life and school life in general. For a long time, it didn’t make it to my list of priorities.
For most students, we are interested in doing meaningful things, but we don’t know where to start or can’t find something we’re passionate about enough to commit long-term.
As such it is so important to find a conviction, not a passion. Passion is fueled by emotions, conviction is fueled by beliefs. Emotions fade easily, but not beliefs. Even now, I may not always feel emotional or empathetic towards migrant workers 24/7, but my continued efforts are propelled by a deeper personal belief.
For me, I first began to care about migrant workers because a church sermon on “crossing boundaries to love your neighbours” spoke to me strongly. I also personally believe that God cares for them and hence, I should too. This pushes me to try to make a difference in my own ways – whether it’s befriending just a handful out of a million migrant workers or changing public perceptions about them.
2. Volunteer with friends or volunteer at an organisation that cares about its volunteers
A community always helps. That’s another reason why I enjoy volunteering at Migrant x Me, a social enterprise that educates the local public about the migrant worker community, primarily through their experiential and interactive learning journeys.
I knew some of the volunteers beforehand and Migrant x Me makes a lot of effort to engage and train volunteers, as well as revisit the company’s vision and mission with all of us every three months.
3. Consider volunteering at ‘skill-based charities’
‘Skill-based charities’ isn’t an official terminology, but I refer to charities that seek to equip and enable beneficiaries (i.e. “teach a man to fish”). For example, Halogen Foundation is an organisation that seeks to transform the lives of young people through leadership and entrepreneurship development programmes.
Not only do such charities make a long-term sustainable impact, they also often train volunteers in useful skill sets to lead their programmes.
Case in example, Halogen Foundation’s volunteers facilitate many workshops for youths at risk, which not only benefits the youths, but also develops volunteers’ facilitation and leadership skills. Some social enterprises may also offer similar benefits.
4. Don’t forget to be on-the-ground
Skill-based volunteering is increasingly popular among youths, where volunteers offer specialized skills and talents to help nonprofits.
However, I would recommend also volunteering on the ground or finding means to get in touch and engage with beneficiaries. Working too long from a detached position makes it easy to turn a social cause into a mere project, which may eventually become a burden. Getting in touch with beneficiaries would often remind you of why you wanted to volunteer in the first place.
5. The higher your standard of living, the pettier your problems are
In Singapore, we often worry about trains breaking down, phones not getting 4G reception and bad customer service. These can be seen as what many would say "first-world problems", and it is true.
In developing countries, the biggest issue they face in the villages is not having easy access to clean water and proper sanitation. Some families are so poor that their children have to wear the same uniform to school for weeks without washing.
This results in many coming to school in brownish uniforms where the dirt can be seen. We as Singaporeans are lucky to have such easy access to our basic needs such as clean water, but at the same time, we take it for granted. It is only through volunteering that we are able to broaden our perspectives and appreciate what we have more.
6. Language is a barrier, only if you believe it to be
Language is always a key issue for many volunteers trying to communicate with villagers during overseas community projects. When we went to Laos in 2017, none of us were familiar with the Lao language. However, that did not deter us from building a strong connection with the students, villagers and children.
By the end of the trip, almost everyone had picked up simple Laotian words and phrases such as "hello", "what is your name?", "delicious" and "cold" (because of the weather). That is the beauty of volunteering – we push ourselves out of our comfort zones and the impossible becomes possible.
7. Every small action can create a big difference
When we volunteer, of course, we want to make as much impact as possible.
During overseas projects, the back-breaking work needed to be done often takes the volunteers by surprise. Many Singaporeans have never done such manual labour in our lives and it is easy for us to question if all the hard work is worth it in the end.
But something I have learnt over the years is that our time and presence is the biggest gift we can give, be it in local or overseas volunteering projects.
To spend time with the beneficiaries, talking and connecting, and to show them that there are people outside their homes who care about them. Simply to show them that they are not alone.
As students, we must understand that there are limits to what we can do. We have to accept the fact that sometimes we just don't have the means to change the world.
But what we can give is joy and hope to these individuals. To live in that moment and let life surprise you. Don’t ever worry if you think the project is too small or won’t reap any long-term benefits.
Take that leap of faith and give volunteering a chance. ∎
Wee Kim Wee School