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Reviving culture of volunteering

Jun 24, 2010, 11:45 AM

The spirit of volunteering seems to be reviving, and one case in point is the recently launched National Volunteer Service Centre (NVSC) programme.

Anyone can volunteer in any field depending on your choice. You don't have to be an expert, but just be willing to help those who need your service.

There are a large number of different roles that you can get involved in. So whether you want a new challenge or want to use the skills you have developed at work or school, there is somewhere you can utilise them. As a volunteer, you could benefit from a sense of pride and achievement.

Volunteering is an opportunity to refine skills and develop new skills, of being able to effectively show your commitment and your skills, for developing your CV, for real participation in community development, as well as for personal satisfaction including meeting new people and having fun!

Volunteering for organisations can obviously serve as an enthusiastic source of support for them. You can always help inject new ideas and energy, and help them to do things not otherwise possible. Volunteering is a tremendously rewarding experience, and within your efforts you can see the enjoyment gained by trying it.

In fact, there is a huge demand for volunteers to help clubs and organisations develop in countless ways, from securing sponsorship and developing websites, to arranging fixtures and improving administration.

Volunteering is not just about active participation – it is about developing and using the skills that you have to assist with the development of others.

What you do depends on where your interests or talents lie, but you may also prefer to take on a new challenge or work in an area that is different from your previous experience.

There are informal ways of volunteering, that is, by helping others in need of anything that one can help provide, which should also be encouraged.

By volunteering you can up-date your CV and gain valuable work experience such as communication, inter-personal and organisational skills.

Volunteering can also provide a useful stepping stone into paid work if you have not been working for some time.

We, therefore, encourage all and sundry to consider taking up volunteering work, particularly the unemployed and retired people.

We commend the Ministry of Economic Planning and Industrial Development and UNDP for working to bring alive the spirit and culture of volunteerism in the Gambia.

Money, they say, is not everything and, therefore, at one stage in life, one must be prepared to put ones energy, knowledge and skills at the service of humanity.

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