The world is governed by people who manage people. In a world where everything is moving towards automatization, those who know how to understand people and make friends will benefit. Volunteering is the most humanistic and easiest way to obtain new knowledge about people and make useful contacts in order to build your personal community. By gaining this experience, you can get more than you expect – you can strengthen your reputation and improve your happiness.

Working at one place in only one country doesn’t mean that you don’t have an opportunity to meet people with different points of view, travel together and share the values of your culture with foreigners. Nowadays everything is possible thanks to the Internet. Also, online volunteering has been growing more and more popular widespread. This way your community can share activities, and co-work from all over the world.

In fact, remote co-working helps your personality to grow through many serious challenges. First of all, you have to account for the really huge difference in work cultures around the world. As long as you haven’t faced this issue it can seem nothing, but here is an example. People in Europe and Mexico have different time zones, so does it mean they cannot work together? They can, but a few hours early in the morning or late at night only. One more issue can be a different understanding of time and deadlines. As a matter of fact, in the Northern Europe “right now” means exactly what it says, while in France or Spain it can be a period of time from one minute to one hour or more.

In addition, different communication cultures matter. For example, in Northern countries, you have to check your work email constantly and reply immediately in any case. At the same time Southern countries, you will get a reply to your email sometimes later on, in one week, or maybe more. Basically, you learn to understand people and to take differences in communication into account. In the future, you will see what an invaluable contribution you made to your personal development.

Volunteering gives you a chance to learn from people who are more experienced and more powerful, which leads to getting new skills, knowledge, and sometimes even qualifications. You can also try something new and gain confidence collaborating with an ambitious team and building a real sense of achievement.

Last, but not least, volunteering is a great opportunity to challenge yourself by doing what you dreamed about, but hadn’t the courage to try or to show your first results. It is undeniable that people are looking for different ways to discover their hidden talents, and through volunteering, you can do just that practising new skills in the context of various projects and communities.

Volunteering for many of us is a chance to change our personal worlds for the good through changing the world around us, and having a great time, regardless of why we do it.

Lubova Safro, IPMA Young Crew
Journalist, Digital Communications Creator, SMM specialist
I love to work in a multicultural environment and cope with various challenges. YPMY award gives to me the amazing opportunity to expand professional horizons and motivate people. You can always do more than you think you can!