December 5: International Volunteer Day
Hello everyone!
I’m sure you’re aware that the United Nations celebrates International Volunteer Day on December 5 each year to recognize the efforts of volunteers all around the world and to inspire young adults to volunteer for the social and economic development of their nations. This year, as part of NUML’s English Works! Program, I had the opportunity to study about the history of volunteerism as well as different sorts of involvement. Our service providers arranged a virtual session with Mr. Raheel Nazir Chaudhary, who worked as Care International’s Country Director in Somalia.
Volunteering can be traced back to the twelfth century in Britain, where more than 500 hospitals were run entirely by volunteers. However, it is impossible to rule out the possibility that people were generously aiding others long before that. Volunteering was once closely associated with religion and religious institutions. The origins of organized volunteering as we know it now may be traced back to major conflicts and wars, when young people, particularly women, banded together to assist wounded soldiers and collect supplies. Officially structured volunteering began in the nineteenth century and peaked in the early twentieth century, with some groups still operational today, such as the Red Cross.
As volunteering has grown in popularity, many academic institutions and corporations have begun to require their students and employees to participate in volunteer activities. The invention of the Internet may come as a surprise to some, yet it was the Internet that ushered in the greatest revolution in volunteerism. The Internet is a true revolution in the world of volunteering since it connects individuals and organizations from all over the world, allowing them to spread the message globally without being constrained by physical limits. Organizations created online listings and indexes to make it easier for consumers to find them. Helpful platforms were built, more volunteers were engaged after learning about various options, and a variety of previously challenging bridges were crossed.
This year the theme of International Volunteer Day is Volunteer Now for Our Common Future. We must take responsibility for the adjustments required to establish a better future NOW. Volunteerism must be encouraged, recognized, and promoted if communities and the world are to have a more fair and inclusive future. Mr. Chaudhary also discussed his experiences working with volunteers. He recalled working in Pakistan, notably in the Mansehra District, following the great earthquake in 2005, and young doctors from Sindh rushed to the injured people, despite the terrible weather in Mansehra at the time. These types of selfless efforts should be praised and recognized because they are the ones that put others ahead of themselves.
The part of the session that I enjoyed the most was when asked what kind of act we could do as students to volunteer. Mr. Chaudhary said modestly, “Charity begins at home.” I realized why I hadn’t considered it before. I was aware of the concept, but I had never considered it, and that we should first be kind to our own families before assisting others. This phrase kept me on my toes. I was also concerned about a recent act of extremism in Sialkot, so I asked Mr. Chaudhary how we might volunteer to promote tolerance and eliminate extremism in our community. His response to this inquiry was the same: we can encourage tolerance in our society by demonstrating tolerance in our own families.
It also reminded me of the Social Learning Theory, which claims that people learn behavior by watching and imitating others. A child picks up on his family members’ actions and imitates them. If we want to make a difference in our society, we should start at home.
I hope my interpretation of the session makes sense, and I hope that we can all help each other to make society a better place. And I’d want to see us get started right NOW!
