Today is the International Volunteer Day, set up by the UN to pay tribute to the many volunteers worldwide who lend a much-needed helping hand in various fields: social, cultural and environmental.
Voluntary work plays an important role in the life of many organisations, societies and Church institutions, which are usually hard-pressed for time and money. Volunteers fill in this gap as they selflessly offer a few hours of their time without expecting any remuneration. They are indeed an endless resource. What drives them to do this is the knowledge that, no matter how insignificant their own contribution might appear, it will ultimately achieve positive results and bring about change in people's life.
Another important aspect of voluntary work is on a more personal level. Those who are involved in it come to realise that while they are helping others they are indeed helping themselves as well. Nothing enriches one's life more than the feeling that, even though in a small way, one has made a difference in someone else's life. Having an outward disposition, being ready to get involved with the community at large will turn a person into a wholesome well-balanced person, able to look beyond one's own immediate circle into the wider world outside his/her personal parameters.
It's also a great way to develop new skills, build confidence and show that one has drive and initiative. This applies especially to people who have retired and now have more free time after so many years being fully occupied. Instead of feeling useless and unmotivated, they can put their experience to good use by helping out in some organisation where their particular ability is needed. Or else, they can opt to try something totally different from what they used to do, acquiring a new skill in the process. This will open up a whole new world for them and they will turn their retirement into a new beginning!
Volunteering promotes mental health. In fact, several recent studies have shown that volunteering may benefit one's mental health. One study specifically tested two perspectives: self-rewarding, which emphasises the benefits of the activity to the volunteer, and others-rewarding, which emphasises the benefits of the activity to those being helped. This particular study shows that volunteers who endorse the others-rewarding perspective have better mental health outcomes than other volunteers. Moreover, this study indicates that the effect of others-rewarding perspective is stronger in young volunteer groups.
The National Centre for Volunteering in the UK conducted a study and found out that although people with mental health problems were often seen as the passive recipients of voluntary activity, many were in fact volunteers themselves and found the activity highly beneficial for their well-being.
Ideally, organisations should run a holistic volunteer programme so that both the organisation and the volunteers will benefit the most from each other. Continuous training means volunteers will be in a better position to deliver. Being a volunteer does not exempt anyone from being professional in one's work. Professional means (inter alia) being knowledgeable and acting within the legal and ethical parameters. Of course, the extent of this training will depend on the nature of the activities to be conducted by the volunteers.
The Richmond Foundation is one of the many organisations where voluntary work is sorely needed. It is an NGO that addresses the needs of people with mental health problems, including children. Volunteers can help in various areas. Some are professionals who lend their expertise in specific fields. Others have been through a mental problem themselves and now they want to use their own experience to help others, for instance through self-help groups.
Others want to work directly with persons who experience mental health difficulties by befriending or helping children with their homework. A number of volunteers are also needed to handle several important tasks, which would be too time-consuming for the professional staff to handle. Some of these tasks include clerical and general office work, fund-raising events and general maintenance in the different houses run by the foundation. Each job, no matter how small, is necessary and much appreciated!
For more information call 2148 2336 or send an e-mail to info@richmond.org.mt. Those who are interested can also book through the foundation's website: www.richmond.org.mt.