Volunteering Benefits

Students should be required to participate in at least one volunteer program in order graduate. The pros weigh out the cons. When applying to a job it would look good on a transcript; After All, it shows that a person went out their way to help and communicate with others in their community. Volunteering is something that could build up someone's social skill that they could possibly need later in life, as well as breaking that shy shell that most kids walk into high school with. Students should be required to volunteer, because community service is a way for students to find their interests, show colleges what they believe in, and define a possible career path.

Social skills is something that a lot of people lack, because it is not taught or encouraged at schools. It’s a skill that they already expect a person to know and in most cases most kids to this day can’t communicate with their fellow classmates because it’s too hard for them. Having a career or even a basic job will force you to communicate with people, but how can somebody do that when they don’t know where to begin. Volunteering will help break that barrier between students, teachers, coworkers, and other people in general. It will push you to talk to new people and be comfortable doing that.

Transcripts are something that colleges clearly look at when deciding whether or not they should accept a person. When reading transcripts they not only look at your grades, but they also look at activities a person has participated in. Volunteering shows commitment and investment in a cause, and it broadens experience, teaches you real-world skills, and puts you in a leadership position. Commitment to volunteer work over time shows that a teen is willing to work for something without being employed, much like a college internship, or job shadow experience, which may be a requirement of college programs.

Volunteering helps neutralize the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a support system. Volunteering could possibly make a person happy, and researchers have discovered that by measuring hormones and brain activity, being helpful to others delivers a great amount of pleasure. The more we give, the happier we feel, volunteering helps stay physically healthy as well. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do