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Learning from doing Volunteer Work

2023.04.10

Photo credit: RODNAE Productions @pexels.com

 

Have you ever done any volunteering work before? If not, what kind of image do you have of them? My image toward volunteering work was something special and for only special people. However, my image was changed after I did some volunteer work in a Japanese class as a language facilitator when I was studying in the UK as a postgraduate student. 

 

Volunteer work became more familiar to me and made me realize that it can be a good way to deepen my interest or knowledge, especially when the volunteering work that I chose related to what I wanted to do in the future. As far as volunteering work in the UK, it seems normal for university students to do it before they start job hunting, and to write about volunteering work experience on their CV.

 

According to a survey conducted in 2019 by the Japanese Cabinet Office, 33.3 % of Japanese young people aged between 13 and 29 answered that they are interested in volunteer work. However, this was the lowest rank compared to other countries such as USA (65.4%), UK (52.7%), South Korea (52.6%), France (51.7%), Germany (49.6%) and Sweden (45.8%). In fact, 48.1 % of Japanese young people answered that they are not interested in volunteer work, which is 6.2 % higher than a previous survey in 2013.

 

In terms of the word volunteer, Cambridge Dictionary says that volunteer means: a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it. What’s more, PATIMES.ORG [https://patimes.org/the-origins-of-the-word-volunteer/] explains that the origin of the word volunteer comes from the Latin word voluntaries, which has the meaning of willing or of one’s own choice. With reference to the benefits of volunteer work, [https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm] it explains that there are four good reasons to do such work;

 

1. Volunteering connects you to others. This means that volunteering can give you a chance to make new friends and expand your network.

 

2. Volunteering is good for your mind and body. According to the researchers, helping other people can make you feel happy and increase self-confidence.

 

3. Volunteering can advance your career. Volunteering can teach you some important skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management and organization.

 

4. Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life.

 

It is said that volunteering can be an easy way to discover your interests and passions. Why don’t you learn not only from the textbooks but also from doing some volunteer work?

 

 

Questions:

 

Q1.What percent of young Japanese people are interested in volunteer work?

A. 49.6%

B. 45.8%

C. 33.3%

 

Q2. What does the Latin word "voluntaries" mean?

A. Explosions.

B. Willing or of one’s own choice.

C. Giving things away free

 

Q3. What can people receive by doing volunteer work?

A. More Self-confidence.

B. Bigger pay

C. Free lunch

 

 

Scroll down for the answers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers:

1 C

2 B

3 A



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