Your intentions of doing volunteer work abroad should be selfish.Yes, I said it.
I believe that you should go into your volunteer work with the slightly selfish reason: your own development by learning from the people, the cultures, the languages that you are going to experience. This way, you open yourself up to all the beauty that the place you're going to has to offer. I personally believe that it is not the best thing for a person to go to a place, unknown to them, thinking that they will "just" share their knowledge and not thinking they'll gain knowledge. This way of going into your volunteer work can be such a huge obstacle to the fluency of your communication to others, the positivity of your work and to your own development. While volunteer work can be so amazingly inspiring to everybody involved, including you.
When you are happy, you share this happiness automatically with others: and the world becomes a better place.
Let me know what you think. Do you agree with me? Or disagree? I'd love to hear.
Agreed! Luc Berger contributed on 07-12-2021 16:35
I could not agree more with you. For me it feels like the liberal view on economics. If you want to develop yourself and have the best experience when doing voluntary work, you also deliver the best work to those around you. You would be more inspired to do the work and dedicate yourself to the needs of others.
Lisette, isn't that the way juliettekwee contributed on 15-03-2022 11:54
Lisette, isn't that the way of how to live your life? Be open to others, listen and learn? During my years of volunteering in the Philippines, I noticed it is all about sharing, and for the filipinos especially it is about giving. They just wanted me to spend time with them in their communities. To learn to understand the other person(s) by giving attention and love. How you wrote your opinion, it is nicely said, only not sure about the word selfish. Beautiful things happen when people listen and share in an humble way.
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