Your community (like everyone else) will always love your money, but it loves other displays of affection just as much (or more!). If you want to be an active part of your local corner of the world, without using your dollar, you have come to the right place. Today we are going to look at how you can spend your time to help the world right around you. As job-seekers, this is not only the best way to give back, but the best way to further your job search while helping out.
We are, of course, talking about volunteering. I like to say volunteering helps you with three things- momentum, connections, and direction. By getting up and doing something, you gain a little bit of momentum that you can apply anywhere. You will meet other people while volunteering, increasing your list of connections. Finally, you will feel good about yourself and what you are doing, you will have a sense of direction- a sense of purpose.
Most volunteer positions fall into one of two categories- social or environmental. Either you are helping people or you are helping spaces- both are incredibly useful, but differ in what you will get out of them. Social volunteering is characterized by anything you volunteer to do that will always involve other people, environmental is characterized by anything you volunteer to do that will help the physical space of your community. When we volunteer in a social way, we usually feel very connected to our fellow man- when we spend time bettering our space, we usually feel better about ourselves and the world itself. We will look at examples of both of these to give you a sense of what you could get out of giving back in these different ways.
The obvious example of a social volunteering program is a soup kitchen. You go there, you feed people who would otherwise go hungry, you get to talk to them and you know that you are making a difference. This is a great thing to do, but is not the only way to go about it.
Personally, I recommend looking into peer mentorship programs. Peer mentorship programs pair adults with at risk youth, creating a space where the two types of people can speak openly about their lives, what works and what doesn’t. This is great because you can make a one on one difference, and also get a better sense of what you are doing that works, and what you are doing that doesn’t. These kids will come to you with problems that you may have had before, and by talking through them, you will not only help out- but get a better sense of your own strengths and weaknesses, which is knowledge you can apply to any area in your life- which will give you momentum and direction. You are also likely to meet other mentors who might have some useful information for you- giving you connections.
The community garden is perhaps the best way to improve your environment. Helping create or maintain a community space is one of the best things you can do for your corner of the world. The physical labor will make you feel good, and the impact is obvious. Watching a vacant lot become a thriving ecosystem will certainly give you direction and momentum. The connections you make doing work like this might not be as plentiful as ones from a more social vocation, but they will be deep. Creating something with someone always also creates a bond, and you never know how useful that bond might be.
So, if you are in a rut, try getting out of that rut by helping your community. If you help the world around you, it will help you back!