Why You Should Volunteer in Your First Year (Or Start NOW!)

When I was a high school freshman, I (for whatever reason) did not see why I should get involved with my school and greater community through clubs and volunteering. It wasn’t until the eleventh grade in which I started to volunteer for the City of Surrey and joined my school’s Make-A-Wish club that I realized that I was missing out on a lot.

That being said, coming into university, I made a promise to myself that I would get involved as soon as possible and as much as I could in my first year. Now, perhaps some of you are just like how I was as a high school freshman. You may not see what the point of getting involved and volunteering your valuable “study” time is. However, here are 3 very cliché (but very true) reasons why you should get involved A.S.A.P.

1.      You get to meet a lot of new people (and friends!)

When you volunteer, you meet a lot of people that you otherwise would not have met. You meet people through volunteer orientations, training sessions as well as through the volunteer role itself. This is particularly beneficial to first-year students who are looking for ways to make new friends, but are unsure how to get started. In addition, volunteering is a great way to network with people because you are able to work with those that have higher positions within the organization of wherever you are volunteering.

2.      You get to build your resume

Of course, one of the major motivators is that volunteering helps add to your resume. Volunteering not only will help you add experience to your resume, but you will also be able to acquire new skills and showcase them on your resume. In addition, you may be able to list a volunteer coordinator, trainer or fellow volunteer as a professional and/or personal reference.

3.      You’ll feel great

Super cliché, but often times, volunteering is extremely fun – especially if you are volunteering with (new) friends. Many volunteer roles require you to work with others or with the public, so you will be socializing the whole time. In addition to the fun that you will be having, you’ll also feel great knowing that you have donated your time to a good cause or have helped put an event together all on your own time! It definitely is the best reason to volunteer and it is very rewarding.

If you are not sure how to get started volunteering, check out local organizations (such as the BCSPCA or your local recreation centres) for some more information or go to https://www.sfu.ca/volunteer.html and opt into the volunteer e-newsletter where you will be notified of volunteer opportunities in and out of SFU.