Volunteering in Peshkopi in Albania.
I just did some days of volunteering in rural Albania the past week and that once again reminded me that countering abroad is one of the best ways to spend your free time.
You get to places where few tourists come and you work with the locals.
As a teenager I was volunteering in the Negev desert in Israel.
As a volunteer you are bound to get away from the mainstream tourism and see the country you visit in a way you would otherwise not be able to. Volunteer projects are often set in low income areas where you would mostly not go as a tourist, but by working with the locals you get an insight to the country that in my opinion is very meaningful.
You meet people from around the world.
United nations of volunteering.
Volunteer projects are often run by international groups and you will mostly work with fellow volunteers from around the world, so it’s not just the locals you will meet, but also people from around the world. And people who volunteer tend to be very interesting types who are trying to make a difference in this world, so you can gain some very good international friendships by volunteering abroad.
You improve your language skills.
Talk to the locals and listen to them and you will learn.
If you volunteer abroad you are likely to improve your language skills as you will work with people who have other native tounges than yourself. One thing is learning a foreign language in school, but a whole other aspect is actually using it in real life,
It’s great for your cv to volunteer abroad.
Explore the world and become wiser.
Having done volunteer work abroad is very useful to have on your cv. The world is going more and more global and having a deeper understanding for another culture is something that is valued a lot these days. The job market in the future will only become more and more international, so if you are young and on your way out on the job market, then this is a very good extra qualification to get.
You will most likely push the world in a better direction.
At an old peoples center in Manila.
Most volunteer projects improving the lives for the people you visit, so you are likely to make a positive difference to the places you visit. It’s not that you will change the whole world by volunteering for a short while abroad, but you are likely to help the world being pushed a little more in the right direction and that can only be good too.
It’s fun.
On the way to work on the back of a truck in eastern Albania.
Some great reasons for volunteering and it does look like you can have lots of fun whilst doing it!