Giving
Prior to writing this post, I looked around the Internet for data on volunteers. I wanted to make an infographic to express my point. I was looking for the monetary value which volunteers create in a year. I was impressed when I saw the numbers. According to Dr. Romulo Virola of the National Statistical Coordination Board, in 2009 alone, the total value of volunteer work amounted to Php 44.5 B. That's a huge sum. I was about to make a killer infographic on this data and make things all visually pleasing for my lovely audience, but then I chewed this little data in my head a little bit more.
Should we give volunteering a monetary value? The main thing which makes volunteering special is that it is done by a person without asking for anything in return. No matter how small, no matter how big the volunteer work has been, the volunteer does not receive compensation for this. If I attempt to explain the impact of volunteering in numbers, won't I mess up the essence of volunteerism?
Thus I decided to let go of the whole infographic idea and let the essence of volunteering emante in this part of the post. Giving is giving. The time we give to volunteer is invaluable, no matter what the stats say. Whether a volunteer helped organized the Met Gala or helped collect trash, helping is helping. Giving is giving. And I think Aesop pretty much nailed it when he said:
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Remember that! Even small actions make a difference, volunteers! :)[/caption]Taking
I've had the chance to volunteer for a social enterprise I really care about before. When Reese posted on Facebook and said that they needed volunteers who will interview the members of their partner communities so they could help these people better. Our task was pretty simple. Ask these mothers a couple of questions in Tagalog and write down the answers for them. Looking back, I know I volunteered firstly because I wanted to gain more insights on social entrepreneurship; but, in the end, I gained so much more than just an insight on entrepreneurship. I gained friends. I gained mucho experience in commuting around Quezon City and Caloocan. And most of all, I just gained.
Aside from the direct effects that volunteers are able to contribute to a project or NGO, volunteering, I think, also has a huge effect on one's person. Much like how love works, volunteering gives people a chance to grow as a person. The more time we are able to give our time and talents to serve others, the bigger our "takeaways" are. And these are the things that are essential. Our actions leading not only to physical refinement, but spiritual refinement. And I am not even talking about going to heaven. I'm talking about becoming more human in the process.
And that's how we "take" things when we volunteer.
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This quote by Churchill is spot on. When you give love, you take love. When you don't, well, uh, you don't![/caption]And with that, I encourage you guys to volunteer so you can give and take all at the same time. :)
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This post will also serve as my submission to Hands On Manila's Bloggers for Social Change. They're looking for bloggers who are passionate about social change and I'm more than passionate about change. I'm passionate about ACTION. Selected bloggers will blog about HOM's gigs and whatnot. At the same time, we'll facilitate and co-represent in their activities. Pretty cool huh? I hope I get in. Wish me luck!
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