Whether you are taking a “staycation,” where you stay at home the entire time you take a vacation or you go abroad, having time to rest is vital to humans’ well being. If you practice the idea of “rest” often enough, interspersed throughout the chaos that is life, you will find that you energy reserves will not be deeply deprived. By doing this, you free up time for yourself to partake in something truly meaningful during the time you take off of work for extended vacations, and that something meaningful, we would argue, is volunteering abroad.
Synter Resource Group, why should I want to volunteer abroad?
Volunteering, to begin with, is one of the most valuable and beneficial things one can do for one’s own happiness and satisfaction, aside from taking care of one’s own fundamental needs. Our recent blog, titled, “3 Reasons Volunteering Isn’t Just About the Needy; it’s About You, Too,” shares the intricacies of how volunteering can be beneficial to most people.
Volunteering abroad, however, is a totally different animal; it still positively affects you just like volunteering locally or online would, but it also gives you a glimpse into a life, culture, and experience you have never known or at least don’t know well. Because of this, you expose yourself to a wealth of knowledge about the world and current state of affairs that would have otherwise kept itself secret from you.
A company called GoAbroad.com, for example, offers some encouraging words that can truly inspire you to act in this powerful way as a volunteer.
“What tugs at your heartstrings? What news stories make you want to hulk out of your shirt, throw on a cape, and fly off into the sunset to save the world? There’s a multitude of worthy causes you can choose to support and the best way to sort through them without being overwhelmed is to simply ask yourself what you really want. Let your altruistic self be a little selfish here. That seemingly random set of skills, abilities, passions, and compassions you carry around like a bag of trail mix are unique to you and you alone. Embrace these when choosing a volunteer program abroad. You do you.”
Your level of compassion for others can grow wildly in these times, because you see the experiences and situations of others and feel sympathy or empathy for them. Learning about others–bringing down that wall of, “I’m afraid of you, because you are ‘other’ than me”–gives forum to conversations that unite us together in love and acceptance, not fear and partisanship.
Okay, Synter; I want to go. But, where? With who? When? How?
Never fear! You are not the first traveller to want to add purpose and meaning to your time abroad. Numerous people, organization, and companies have gone before you in this fun race to provide good to the world.
GoAbroad.com, as aforementioned, is a great resource to learn about volunteering abroad. Where we want to turn your attention to now is this article, titled, “2017 Best Volunteer Abroad Programs, Organizations, & Projects” by Volunteer Forever. They mention thirty-one different organizations that you can trust to provide you with excellent resources to study, interesting trips to consider, and helpful associates to help guide your journey in planning and going on a volunteer abroad trip of your own.
Have you ever volunteered abroad? Let us know how it went by tweeting us @SynterResource on Twitter to continue the conversation!