Not to brag (the moment I say this it unintentionally smells like bragging. Sorry.), half of my college life wasvolunteeringit wouldn't be an exaggeration to say. Starting with rural volunteer work, three short-term overseas volunteer trips, about two years of long-term overseas volunteering, on-campus volunteering, and domestic educational volunteering, I did over 400 hours of volunteer work in total. (Still, writing that makes me proud haha) The important thing is... I even met my boyfriend through volunteering, so isn't this volunteering record enough for me!!

If you ask me why I volunteer,First of all, it was fun.I admit that the word 'volunteering' somehow sounds purely virtuous and gives rise to the prejudice that it would be boring, but for me volunteering was, rather than a 'good deed',a place to really learn about society, so for me it was an extremely exciting activityIt was. In fact, while helping others I met a variety of people, created proposals to carry out projects and formed teams, and creatively used scarce time, money, and manpower... It was an arena where I could learn everything from practical work skills to how to get along with people and even life philosophies about how to live. Moreover, doing overseas volunteering allowed me to learn a country's culture and interact directly with its people, which made it even more enjoyable. So when juniors ask mehow I found what I wanted to do, I answer that various volunteer activities helped.I reply.

The surprising thing is that I met several friends who changed their lives through volunteering. The most memorable (amazing) friend completely changed her career from English literature to becoming a doctor. Dental and medical students had joined that volunteer activity too, because in that village hospitals were too far away (an hour by car), many people were not registered residents, and it was expensive, so for various reasons many couldn't go to the hospital. That English literature friend thought medical skills could help people who needed immediate assistance and would become a lifelong skill to help others, so she began preparing for medical school. She was so determined that she passed medical school entrance (even schools that are hard for science students to get into) on her first try, and now she is a resident at a university hospital. For someone like that, volunteering can be a gap year to find the direction of one's life, i.e.a turning point in lifeIt can be said to be.

A love-hate relationship with volunteering
These days volunteering seems to be perceived as something like 'I don't want to do it but others (or society) force me to, a form of voluntary labor exploitation,' which is really unfortunate. From elementary through high school it's motivated by getting into a good university, in college it's for employment, and once you're a worker it's for promotion — because of these incentives, volunteering feels more like exchanging my labor for resume credentials. Moreover, since most people do it because others make them rather than being moved to start themselves, the urge to finish quickly rather than focus on my own feelings inevitably grows while volunteering. In fact, when the Ministry of the Interior asked people who had volunteered what their biggest complaint was, 40% answered 'because it wasn't an activity I started myself.'

Perhaps because of this, there is an active debate among adolescents — who are the most forced to volunteer — about whether 'mandatory volunteering' is effective. (A frequent topic in school newspapers.) Interestingly, when people in their 20s and 30s are asked if they would participate in volunteering, more than 50% say they would, but when asked why they don't volunteer, over 60% respond that they don't have time, lack information, or aren't interested. In other words, they know it's a good thing, but they don't have the time, money, or emotional bandwidth to start. Therefore...Activities you shouldn't do unless you enjoy them yourself or they are meaningful to you.That's the case.

Still, the reason we should forgive volunteering!
Despite these criticisms, no one argues that we should stop volunteering. Why? Because the benefits that anyone who has tried volunteering knows so well are things we truly, truly need. Therefore there is much discussion about how to promote volunteering and how to maximize its effects, but hardly anyone says volunteering is unnecessary.

According to research, whether people start volunteering voluntarily or not, many say volunteering is enjoyable, it helps them gain confidence, increases their understanding of society, and lets them feel their own value within social relationships. Also, people who volunteer regularly have 10% higher trust in society than those who do not. In this way, volunteering encourages more active social interaction and leads people to address interpersonal and social problems proactively.

So, can I also experience these invisible benefits?
Personally, I found the responses to the question "Should volunteering be made mandatory in elementary/middle/high schools, universities, and companies?" in the very interesting. People who volunteer regularly were more likely, and more strongly, to approve of methods to encourage volunteering than those who do not. In other words, people who have volunteered already feel the effects of volunteering sufficiently and believe that the value volunteering provides is needed by all of us.

So if you simply dislike volunteering, it's not because volunteering is bad, but because there's an issue with the social system that pushes it on people. Put down the emotional burden of getting started. Just,

1) First, an activity that's much more fun than you think
2) An opportunity to grow by helping others
3) An opportunity to find yourself within society

I hope you start with that light mindset.

(▲ Giving wings to students' dreams in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam through Korean language educationVolunteeringParticipant activity photo)

Editor's tips for choosing your own 'volunteer activity'!!

1. 选择符合你做志愿活动的需求、期望和目标的活动。
和我一样，你可以把志愿服务本身当作目的；不过，如果你设定目标，或想想自己希望从中获得什么，就会更有动力投入其中，也更容易实现目标。比如，如果你想通过志愿服务结识各种各样的朋友，团体活动或合作项目（建设类志愿服务、乡村建设、环保志愿服务等）就很合适；如果你想利用间隔年多关注自己，个人类活动（教育志愿服务、非政府组织实习等）会更好。想想自己目前的需求和想参与的活动，再做出选择——这样你能感受到的志愿服务成效会加倍。

2. 选择志愿者组织时一定要谨慎！
有时，非政府组织会涉及腐败、道德问题或犯罪行为。当然应该避开这样的组织。此外，有些组织的政治立场或理念可能与你的价值观不合，因此在选择志愿服务组织时，务必仔细查阅相关报道和资料。直接寻找组织会比较省钱，但由于当地信息有限，找到可靠组织可能要花很长时间，而且其可信度也可能存疑。

3. 从准备阶段就要注意安全。
志愿服务常常在陌生的地方开展，因此你可能会面临安全问题。尤其是在海外参与时，当地法律和治安保障可能较弱，还可能遭遇严重的自然灾害。因此，务必确认所在地区或组织是否安全，以及遇到紧急情况时能否联系到负责人。

4.（海外志愿活动）结合旅行安排

如果你的日程安排不固定，不妨借志愿服务了解当地文化，或以此为契机开启海外旅行。你也可以和志愿服务期间结识的朋友或当地人一起出游、参加节庆活动，所以我建议你把行程安排得灵活一些。如果实在没有空闲时间，可以请当地朋友推荐附近最棒的餐厅、咖啡馆或酒吧，然后在当天活动结束后一起去逛逛。

5.（海外志愿服务）学习基础英语会话（或当地语言），能让体验更加丰富。
即使志愿工作并不严格要求使用英语（例如建设类或环保类志愿服务），会说英语也会有很大帮助。说明和培训通常用英语进行，与外国朋友共同生活时，英语也常常是大家交流的通用语言。有些人以为只要和外国朋友交流就能学会英语，但抱着“我要实际运用学过的英语”这种心态参与，会更有助于学习。

（▲ 希腊：在地中海救助一只受伤的海龟！参与者活动照片）

6.（海外志愿服务）通过组织报名参加志愿活动
独自筹备海外志愿服务时，你需要花很多时间核实组织的可靠性、选择国家和挑选活动。自己安排可能更省钱，但在时间、安全和可靠性方面就得放弃保障。（我也因此吃了不少苦头。）如今，有一些信誉良好的组织专门为间隔年提供海外志愿服务项目，所以不妨向组织咨询适合自己的志愿活动。


一句话总结！！
- 志愿服务比你想象的更有趣。
- 如果你不知道人生该做什么、觉得自己独自徘徊，或不明白自己为何如此辛苦，强烈推荐把志愿服务作为间隔年的安排！！
- 它甚至可能有助于长寿。
- 最后，如果你要参加海外志愿服务之旅，一定要提前做好充分准备！！