Jennifer Alvarez

Mrs. Okeefe & Mr. Crain-Davis

English IV

May 24, 2017

Can Volunteerism Change The World?

Have you ever observed something in your community that you want to make a change

in? How many of those things have you made an effort to change? Maybe you didnt know how

to or maybe you just feel as though your actions would not create a difference. If you feel a type

of way for a situation its most likely that others feel the same way. Making actions is what

volunteerism is all about. Volunteering plays an important role in the development of the

community and the environment. I have always found interest in how much time and effort

volunteers put into improving their community and I wanted to know what the feeling of helping

others is like. When I stop to see the development of the world I saw how different it has become

throughout my life and how much impact human life has on it. The many things that I care about

can also be changed if people made an effort to change them. My lack of volunteering is

primarily what inspired me to ask this question. I wanted to know what impact I would have on

my community by volunteering. I knew much help was needed so I wanted to provide help to our

society and see if that help could provide a change in the world. I wanted to know what effect

volunteering had on the world. Is all this time spent volunteering actually effective in making a

change or is this time spent of no help?

When I use to think of volunteering, I thought people often just did it to make themselves

feel and look better. I used to believe that the only reason people gave their time to their
community was just to get something in return such as service learning hours. I didnt believe

there was any true passion in volunteering; however, I later learned there was more to

volunteering than just that. I know there are many organizations that create missions. Missions

are what people are passionate about and become a part of to make a change in the world.

Changes can only happen when people make an effort to actually create such a change. Without

the effort, not much can be done. Thus, I realized that a large amount of help was needed to

make a change in the world. One person couldnt make a change on their own.

In order to begin my search on what the impact of volunteerism is on the world, I wanted

to get a basic understanding of what the advantages and the disadvantages of becoming a

volunteer were. Therefore, thats where I started my search to my answer. I began by reading

upon the benefits of volunteering in my community. The first I focused my attention on was an

article called "4 Personal Benefits of Volunteering in Your Community written by Brian

Cox. By volunteering with an ongoing program, volunteers see growth and change. This

reinforces the volunteer's own sense of worthiness and vitality in the program (Cox 2). Brian

Cox means that Volunteering allows people to see how growth and change happens within

clients and enriches the self-worth of the volunteer. Volunteer opportunities often allow people

to try new activities or learn new skills (Cox 4). Volunteerism also allows the person to gain

knowledge and new learning ideas that could be useful for their future. By giving just a few

hours a week, lifetime friendships may be established (Cox 5). Volunteering has also allowed

people to form new friendships and gain social life. This source provided me with basic

knowledge of the advantages of volunteering. It allowed me to understand that not only does the
community benefit from volunteerism but the volunteer also does by receiving a better life and

health.

The next source I looked into is called The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review

of Recent written by Robert Grimm, Jr., Kimberly Spring and Nathan Dietz. In the research the

authors state:

Research demonstrates that volunteering leads to better health and that older volunteers

are the most likely to receive physical and mental health benefits from their volunteer

activities...Even when controlling for other factors such as age, health, and gender,

research has found that when individuals volunteer, they are more likely to live

longer...States with higher volunteer rates are more likely to have lower mortality rates

and less incidence of heart disease (Grim, Spring, and Dietz 1)..

This source summarizes a number of studies that have focused on the relationship between

volunteering and health. The studies have proved that there is a connection between volunteering

and having good health. Not only is one helping the community by volunteering but one is

allowing themselves to have a better health. Having experiences as such volunteering causes

greater longevity, higher functional ability, and lower rates of depression. They also have less

incidents with heart diseases. This resource helps me by providing actual research evidence that

proves that volunteering helps change the world by allowing people to gain health benefits.

However, not everything about volunteerism is positive.

Disadvantages of Volunteer Work is one of the resources I looked into to find any bad

results from volunteering. This source was written by Rebecca Lake and on it she provides some

ideas on how volunteering can impact the life of a volunteering negatively. One claim she makes
is that it can make you sick. In the process of trying to make life better for others, you could end

up making yourself sick...The more time you spend volunteering, the more frequently you're

exposed to situations that can create feelings of stress, anxiety and frustration (Lake 5). Another

claim she makes is that volunteering can difficult to deal with, Having to work with someone

you find difficult can be stressful and detract from your goals as a volunteer (Lake 4). Last but

not least she claims that becoming a volunteer takes a huge amount of time, Depending on the

type of work you're doing, volunteering can be time-consuming (Lake 2). This source contains

some ideas on how volunteering can impact the life of a volunteering negatively. A disadvantage

Is that volunteering can be time consuming. Doing work for an organization can take up a lot of

time and that time spent can affect other areas of ones life negatively such as work. Therefore,

less work means less money because volunteers dont get paid. Volunteering can also be

negative because it can create many conflicts socially. People dont get along all the time and

those negative vibes can have a bad impact on the volunteer's health. This resource helps me

understand that by trying to make positive changes to the world volunteering can take a turn and

impact the own volunteer trying to come.

As I went on with my search I wanted to find a source that provided both pros and cons

to volunteerism. The article is called What Are the Pros and Cons of Volunteer Work? written

by James Roland. This source contains the pros and cons of becoming a volunteer. The risks and

the rewards of taking your time to volunteer. One of the pros mentioned in the article is being

rewarded by feeling useful and feeling emotional growth, The advantages of volunteering

include [the] opportunity to give back to society and feel useful, [to] fill in a gap in your

personal life and intellectual stimulation and growth (Roland 2). A con is the amount of time
that volunteering consist of, Once you begin to volunteer and organizers of that particular

activity or program see that you're a valuable asset, you make be asked or encouraged to do

more. This can lead to scheduling problems and leave less time for school, family, work and

other obligations (Roland 1). The more you want to help the more time you need to have.

Another pro is the that volunteering provides a better health improvement for those who

volunteer:

For example, one study published in the February 2009 "Journal of Gerontology" notes

that older women who volunteered in elementary school classrooms were not just more

active than their counterparts who did not volunteer, but that activity boosted their

metabolism to where they were burning twice as many calories (Roland 2).

When one volunteers, feelings are often involved in the process of helping which could have a

bad impact on you emotionally, which is another disadvantage, But if you volunteer to work

with children, abandoned or injured animals, senior citizens, hospital patients, or other people in

need, you run the risk of involving yourself emotionally (Roland 3). Although volunteering can

cause a lot of frustration in the lives of those that are trying to help others, those who volunteer

do see personal growth while helping. People often learn of interests and skills they had no idea

they had. Participants learn and grow from these experiences just like James Roland states:

"Among the major rewards and incentives of volunteering appears to be the

opportunity for personal growth... Participants mentioned being pleasantly surprised

by discovering they are good at doing unexpected things. There was talk of growing

self-esteem and confidence with each new challenge tackled and skill learned. Others
 found that life developed more intensity, more colour, as they were exposed to new

experiences that would not ordinarily have come their way" (8).

This guides me to see both answers to my question. It allows me to understand that there is a

negative and a positive side to volunteering.

Once I got a better understanding of the benefits and disadvantages of becoming a

volunteer I began to research what steps needed to be taken in order to make an impact on the

world. Thats where speaker Joyce Bertram and her Ted Talk comes into play. Joyce Bertam

begins by telling the audience about about an organization called Nowhere. She tells the

audience that the organisations gets hundreds of volunteers to come together each year to build a

settlement. She says those volunteers live in the settlement for 5 days and after that take

everything down and leave nothing but their footprints/impact. She tells her story of being a

volunteer in this organization and how she was allowed to gain knowledge from doing so. It also

allowed her to help others learn from her own experience as a volunteer. In the video she states:

I believe that at some point in their lives everyone has had this idea or project in their

mind and most people probably didnt go through with it and now is that because you

didnt feel like it was worth it because it doesnt generate profit, you didnt have the

time or you didnt have the confidence to do it. Now think about a project that you

mind have had in your head once and just consider it for a moment and then

implement those 5 things that you could share into that idea and think about what that

can do to you as a person and how it can change the people involved and how that can

contribute to your community and how that can change our world (Bertam).
She shares the 5 steps to make a volunteerism project happen. Step 1 is to to share the idea for

your project with others. Step 2 is to share your knowledge in order to make an impact/change on

what people know. Step 3 is to share your experience in order to make your knowledge more

valuable. Step 4 is to share your passion to inspire more people. Step 5 is to share the fun that

will be gained from this experience. These steps are what together allows volunteering to change

the world by participating in a project. This resource helps me in my search because it helped me

know that in order to make a change in the world by volunteering you have to be passionate to

make that change.

As I learned about these steps I began to look for stories of peoples experiences as

volunteers. I came across a video that tells the experience of Isabela Barriga. In this source

Isabela Barriga talks about how she moved out of the United States to join the United Nations

Volunteers (UNV) programme in her second home, Ecuador. She there go to participate in the

First Regional Meeting of Youth Volunteer Networks where she learned how volunteering

contributes to the achievements of the region. She got to talk with young people from other

networks and learn from them. There were many topics such as gender equality and migrations

that these young people were passionate about speaking about. A project called Young in Action

2030 allowed these young people to participate to make a change in the world. Youth that get

involved with UNV Ecuador believe in the power of volunteering, and that their actions are part

of a larger solution. Many of them leave their comfortable lifestyles and travel far from home in

order to contribute to a greater cause (Barriga). She learned that the real impact and change in

the world is done by those who volunteer.

 Another video I watched was based on the experience of Grace Conrad. Grace Conrad is

a high school student at Grosse Pointe South High School. She focused on a school project.

Through this project she learned the meaning of volunteering. She spent many of her days

helping out at a non-profit organization. They went to a place in Detroit where illegal trash

dumping is done and cleaned up. She there learned that her going there inspired the people in

that community to take part in volunteering to clean up. She was part of other events where she

learned that even a little bit of time and effort is needed to make a change the world through

helping the community. As she speaks throughout the video she says something very honest, she

states:

Ill be the first to admit that before this project I was not a good volunteer at all. I was

solely in it for those extra service hours to look good on my college application. To put

myself ahead of someone else but these people showed me that thats not the right

thing to do I was always the person to think am I really making a difference does

anyone really care what Im doing am I really changing someones life? But these

people showed me wrong they taught me that what I do does make a difference that

someone does care and I am changing someones life and that just sparked my interest

in love of volunteering (Conrad).

She saw how impactful her help was to the ones in need and thats what has kept her motivated

to continue volunteering.

What I decided to do next was looking into people that played a big role in non-profit

organizations. I came across a video called How volunteering can change the world in which

the speaker was Ricardo Tadeu. Tadeu is is the CEO of Grupo Modelo and The Grupo Modelo
Foundation aims to promote, encourage and recognise voluntary work. This video talks about

how The Grupo Modelo Foundation has helped many different causes around the world. For

example, they have cleaned public parks and spent time with foster children. Ricardo Tadeu

brought three people from the organization to speak of their experiences and how it changed

their lives. He also said how the organization's main focus is to get more Millennials involved in

volunteer work. Ricardo Tadeu states in the video that, In 2014 we reached half a million hours

of volunteer work, and this year we are aiming for more than a million. This video showed how

volunteering can change and make the world a better place. Ricardo Tadeu brought along a few

people within the organization to speak of the ways that they have volunteered over their life. It

also reflects how young volunteers play a role in volunteering and making a change in the world.

The next step I took in my research was finding an organization located in my

community that has a big impact on changing the world through volunteering opportunities. I

came across a non-profit organization called Chicago Cares. The speaker I talked to was

Meredith Weber. She allowed me to interview her and ask her question upon Chicago Cares and

their volunteering opportunities. One of the most important questions I asked her was What

impact does volunteering have on the economy? Her response was:

Volunteerism can help to bring resources to underserved communities. Our programs

provide groceries, books and other project supplies as budget relief to our Community

Partners. Volunteers can hone critical job skills and work experience through

volunteerism, which can directly impact their career trajectories. With Chicago Cares

expansion to Englewood, Auburn Gresham and Greater Grand Crossing in 2017 we

have also created several jobs for Community Liaisons (local neighborhood
 residents/leaders) to do community outreach as we recruit new volunteers and build

new programs (Weber).

However, the most important question of all was How can volunteering change the world?.

She answered by saying Volunteerism can change the world by connecting people. Helping

someone else, expecting nothing in return being truly selfless is what is most rewarding.

Service creates opportunities to learn about you your strengths and passions. Volunteers have

the power to share their experiences and effect change by motivating their friends and families to

volunteer (Weber). Talking to Meredith Weber allowed me to learn that the advantages that I

have learned about through the articles I read are actually true. She herself was a volunteer

before working at Chicago Cares, therefore, she was able to tell me a bit more about what being

a volunteer felt like. She was able to inform me the impact that volunteerism actually has on the

world through organization's such as Chicago Cares.

The very last step I took to be able to answer my question about volunteering changing

the world was to have experience being a volunteer myself. I went to a few non-profit

organization such as chicago canine rescue and life source. I went to chicago canine rescue to

experience what it was like to provide help for animals. I was able to walk the dogs and help out

a bit around the shelter. As my journey ended at this organization I realized that the smallest of

actions done by someone could make a big different. I got to experience how happy the dogs

were and how much impact giving them a small walk was on them. Just by doing so I knew I

was making a change in the world. The second organization I got to experience was Life source.

A blood drive organization that allows you to make a change by donating blood for those in

need. I knew that volunteering for this was a big way to learn from the experience so I did so.
After being part of this organization's mission I knew that I was able to change the world by just

helping out and volunteering. Changing the world isnt only about making changes within

yourself but making changes for those in need. The effort is what truly counts and what will

allow those changes to happen.

Before basing my whole research on volunteerism I knew a good amount of information,

but I learned plenty more. I learned that volunteering consisted of commitment and value. In

order to make a change in the world you have to learn how to be focused in achieving the

mission you set yourself to accomplish. You have to value and feel connected to the mission you

set yourself to help out in. Without these two there will be a lack of impact made on the world. I

also learned that as a teenager I am able to be part in helping my community and my effort

makes a bigger impact on changing the world. Being part in making a change through

volunteering can help be more healthy. It allows me to feel gain better health physically and

emotionally when having a limit in volunteering. My next step is to play a bigger part in helping

my community. I now know that I have a big advantage in impacting the world by becoming a

young volunteer and I like the idea of changing the world while gaining better health for both

others and myself.

 Works Cited

"4 Personal Benefits of Volunteering in Your Community." United Way Worldwide. N.p., 02
Oct.
2012. Web. 03 May 2017.

"Chicago Cares." Chicago Cares. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2017.

"How to change the world in one word: Volunteer!" How to change the world in one word:
Volunteer! | UNV. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017.

OneYoungWorld. "Ricardo Tadeu: how volunteering can change the world." YouTube.
YouTube,
23 Nov. 2015. Web. 21 May 2017.

Roland, James. "What Are the Pros and Cons of Volunteer Work?" LIVESTRONG.COM. Leaf
Group, 05 Jan. 2010. Web. 11 May 2017.

TEDxTalks. "Change your city, change your world | Grace Conrad |

TEDxGrossePointeSouthHS." YouTube. YouTube, 17 June 2014. Web. 21 May 2017.

TEDxTalks. YouTube. YouTube, 05 May 2015. Web. 14 May 2017

"The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2017.

Writer, Leaf Group. "Disadvantages of Volunteer Work." Our Everyday Life. Our Everyday Life,
04 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 May 2017.