Do you have free time on the weekends or after school? Do you like lending a helping hand? And do you like having fun?
If you have answered yes to these questions, then you are destined to become a volunteer and Youth Central welcomes you!
Volunteering is a selfless and exhilarating activity anyone can partake it. You can feel proud of yourself after volunteering because you are given the opportunity to help out and give back to your community.
Don’t believe me? Hear it from Ronnie, who is one of Youth Central’s top volunteers:
You have volunteered over 220 hours in just one summer, what motivates you to volunteer so often?
It was during mid-July when Jason (another Youth Central volunteer) and I came up with the plan to get involved in the community and to start volunteering around the city. At that point, with some research, we found Youth Central and we immediately joined the YVC family.
Instead of sitting around doing nothing productive, I decided to try volunteering. Volunteering not only benefits the community, but also my sociality, and my living. I am able to gain different skills from different projects, meeting new people, making new friends…just being involved makes me feel great about myself.
What kind of fulfillment do you get from volunteering?
As an international student, there is nothing I can really be doing during the summer, so I asked myself, “why not make use out of myself, and help people?” Although I had never volunteered in my whole life until July 2011, once I started volunteer, I guess I could say it became my hobby, something I can do in my spare time. Again, being involved really makes me feel like I am myself.
Is there a personal experience that caused you to start volunteering?
There wasn’t really a reason that caused me to start volunteering; the idea of volunteering just popped up in my mind then I told myself that I gotta do it, I need to try something new.
Which volunteering project is your favourite? Why?
Talking about favourite projects, that would be Camp Pet A Bow-Wow; I am sure if you ask Kevin Yoo or Jason Ma, they would have to agree that this project is an all-time best project. This project really brought the three of us together and we became really good friends, more like volunteer brothers. It was an awesome project that i would love to see appear again for volunteers to sign up for, it is something everyone should try.
What would you say to other youth to encourage them to volunteer?
I would say volunteering is something people should enjoy doing and feel good about being part of the community, as well as believing in making a difference. Volunteering lets you interact with different people, and allows you to make new friends which expands the social circle in your life. Sooner or later you will want to or need to volunteer, why not start now?
