In the modern world, along with the development of society, new problems that need to be addressed arise. At the same time, it is essential to understand that modern problems require modern solutions as well. One such solution is volunteering, designed to improve society, help develop it from within, and bring moral values to the masses. Volunteers are people who, of their own free will and without compensation, devote their time and energy to help those in need.
Nevertheless, there is a view that volunteering is the exploitation of free labor of workers and a waste of time since such delivery is not paid. Those who hold this view are usually convinced that there are professionals who should do some work for money in any field. Others should be engaged either in training or in their professional activities. Another argument is that it takes up a lot of a person’s time that could be spent on more valuable activities. This point of view is not correct, and it is necessary to analyze why.
The question about why people are interested in volunteer work has its answer. It is necessary to analyze five main reasons why volunteering is a tangible and popular way of work, even though it is often free. First, it is connected with interest as volunteering helps realize new emotions’ needs, desire to learn something new, and excitement. Second, it is the inculcation of values and moral norms to society. For many people, the incentive to volunteer is the desire to do good deeds and to bring benefit and joy to people in need. Third, socialization which provides communication and company and doing volunteer work for most teens become a source of new acquaintances and friends. People find like-minded people in their desire to help pro bono. Such communities greatly help students feel the importance of their actions, their voice, and encourage them to be more active and responsible. Fourth, external incentives are the motivators for receiving all sorts of stimuli, certificates, benefits, and other bonuses.
However, this does not mean that such people are not driven by good intentions and do their work without a soul. Finally, volunteering helps with development and professional interest; as such, work permits navigating the world of work and learning many social and communication skills. In addition, for many people, volunteering is a way to apply and develop their talents.
In Canada, the institution of volunteerism is well-developed and has a firm basis. By examining the statistics on the percentage of society engaged in volunteerism, it appears that it is 47% as of 2010 (Statistics Canada, 2015). In addition, this figure is constantly growing, since by comparing this percentage with, for example, in 2004, it is evident that the number of volunteers in the country increased by 2%, or, put another way, by almost 2 million people (Statistics Canada, 2015). In addition, from the analytical data, it is clear that this is practical, not nominal work, because the number of total hours worked by volunteers – 2068 million, which is a solemn figure.
In conclusion, volunteering is not the free use of young people or exploitation of their labor. One of the principles of volunteering is that it is voluntary and that the workers receive benefits, not in wages, but other equivalents. In addition, statistics show that society is valuable and necessary for volunteer help in many different areas, so the number of volunteers is growing every year. In some countries, about half of the entire population is engaged in volunteering activities.
Reference
Statistics Canada. (2015). Table 1. Volunteer rate and volunteer hours, population aged 15 and over, 2004, 2007 and 2010. Web.