By KELLY CHENG CHIALI
Volunteerism is often associated to be a noble act. On hindsight, volunteers are perceived to be self-sacrificial individuals who hold up the ethos of ‘service above oneself’.
This is true, but there is also another side to volunteerism that not many are aware of. Volunteerism is an important and increasingly popular mechanism for young people to bring about positive change in their community and society as a whole.
Youths can be the key agents for social change and are capable of providing the energy, creative ideas and determination to drive innovation and ideological reformation forward.
Youths long to be part of the society and to be respected for their contributions. They also want to be given a platform to play an active role in improving their countries. Volunteerism can be a good platform for youths to play an active role in improving their countries.
It complements formal education in teaching soft skills that are hard to be imparted in classroom learning such as leadership, negotiation and communication skills.
You might wonder why bother with volunteering when you can just apply for paid internships to sharpen the so-called highly sought after soft skills.
The truth is, the very notion of working just as hard as paid workers without a salary is what makes volunteers desirable employees.
Volunteers get to improve their professionalism, under sometimes harsh conditions, while championing a social cause. This is something unique that only can be offered by volunteering.
ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) Facilitator Ket Monny Vathna, 23, said, “Volunteering is difficult. To get a job done within a tight deadline is tough, and to do it without pay, that is even more difficult. But I choose to do it anyway.”
Ket said he is able to sharpen his skills as a communications officer in the field he is passionate in, which is environmental conservation.
In May, Ket volunteered to be a press coordinator in the Wild Honey Festival which aims to raise awareness about the importance of wild bees.
“It is through the service for others that we can truly find ourselves,” Ket said.
Volunteerism is often associated to be a noble act. On hindsight, volunteers are perceived to be self-sacrificial individuals who hold up the ethos of ‘service above oneself’.
This is true, but there is also another side to volunteerism that not many are aware of. Volunteerism is an important and increasingly popular mechanism for young people to bring about positive change in their community and society as a whole.
Youths can be the key agents for social change and are capable of providing the energy, creative ideas and determination to drive innovation and ideological reformation forward.
Youths long to be part of the society and to be respected for their contributions. They also want to be given a platform to play an active role in improving their countries. Volunteerism can be a good platform for youths to play an active role in improving their countries.
It complements formal education in teaching soft skills that are hard to be imparted in classroom learning such as leadership, negotiation and communication skills.
You might wonder why bother with volunteering when you can just apply for paid internships to sharpen the so-called highly sought after soft skills.
The truth is, the very notion of working just as hard as paid workers without a salary is what makes volunteers desirable employees.
Volunteers get to improve their professionalism, under sometimes harsh conditions, while championing a social cause. This is something unique that only can be offered by volunteering.
ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) Facilitator Ket Monny Vathna, 23, said, “Volunteering is difficult. To get a job done within a tight deadline is tough, and to do it without pay, that is even more difficult. But I choose to do it anyway.”
Ket said he is able to sharpen his skills as a communications officer in the field he is passionate in, which is environmental conservation.
In May, Ket volunteered to be a press coordinator in the Wild Honey Festival which aims to raise awareness about the importance of wild bees.
“It is through the service for others that we can truly find ourselves,” Ket said.