International Volunteers Day: How to Encourage Students to Give Up Their Time
It’s always useful to have an extra pair of hands, and there are many charities out there that are desperate for volunteers. Students are always being told that having evidence of voluntary work on their CV will stand them in good stead when applying for jobs, but are they given enough help to pursue such opportunities?
With International Volunteers Day taking place on December 5th, the team at specialist DBS check provider Personnel Checks have offered their top tips on how teachers can encourage students to give up their time for a good cause.
Find their passion
Every student is different, which means that every student will have a passion. Encourage those who seem interested in volunteering to find something they love and explore how they can make a difference. For the aspiring vet, this could mean giving up their time to a local animal shelter, the bookworm might prefer to help out at the library, whereas the future teacher could volunteer at the after-school club.
Show the benefits
In addition to helping those in need, communicating the personal benefits of volunteering can be an effective method of encouragement. School is the time when many students seriously consider their future and nowadays, grades aren’t everything. Volunteering can teach many employability skills to students ranking from intellectual skills and the development of professional behaviours, to skills like time management and adaptability. All of this will benefit them when they come to apply to universities and jobs in the future.
According to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), approximately 15.2 million people volunteer once a month. People love to volunteer, so why not encourage your students to get involved this year and show them the wider benefits of giving up their time this International Volunteers Day?
