Volunteerism is growing in popularity across young people. However, some people say that it is a waste of time. Do you agree that it is good for young people to take part in volunteering activities in their society?

Embracing the viewpoint of give and take, the 21st century’s young generation is showing their growing willingness to help people. The emergence and development of volunteering campaigns are well answered by a prevalent tendency among young people to take part in such activities. While many people regard volunteering as meaningful actions, others still think that they are just a waste of time. Personally, although there are a few drawbacks, the benefits that one can have by being a volunteer far outweigh them. Initially, volunteering is, by all means, one of the most practical ways to create great values in the society. The first one is without doubt for the underprivileged. In this materialistic world exist those who aren’t even able to live on the most basic necessities, namely food, drink and accommodation, or people who are alive, but bedridden and are struggling in despair. Volunteering means lending a hand to the miserable so that they can step one step closer to overcoming their hardships. It involves helping reconstruct houses for disaster-stricken areas or bringing knowledge to children in remote areas who, like all children, also share the desire to learn. What’s more, volunteering helps create positive attitudes among people in the society. When we extend a helping hand to the disadvantaged, they will also be willing to help other people. Moreover, helping someone unconditionally would also kindle the urge to do good deeds within the society. Volunteering is not only meaningful to the ones being helped, it is also beneficial to the volunteers themselves. Through volunteerism, young people will learn a multitude of new things such as practical knowledge and skills essential for life. For example, a diverse array of knowledge about local cultures can be acquired as young helpers come to other regions to offer support. Carrying out popular projects like “Green Summer” also allows experiences of teamwork, task management, and project planning. Besides, young voluntary enthusiasts also gain great sentimental values. Meeting new people strengthens one’s ties to the community and broadens his social network, exposing him to people with common interests. On top of that, a sense of fun and fulfillment when we can be helpful to others will be achieved. Voluntary work offers motivation and visions that can carry over into personal and professional life as well. Volunteering, on the other hand, still has certain negatives for the young. To begin, young volunteers are likely to be in a state of culture shock or come across the language barrier between regions. In other words, each region has its own culture and dialect, which can lead to awkward misunderstandings. Inexperienced volunteers, in particular, will have a difficult time trying to adapt. The other side of the coin worth considering is whether all volunteers really have a truly helpful purpose when joining such so-called charitable campaigns or not. To illustrate this, every contribution to the society that volunteers or university students make will be documented in their résume, which makes them promising applicants in job interview or scholarship programs. This consequently leads to the general misconception of voluntary spirit, as people are concerned only with obtaining a good profile and neglect the true merits of volunteerism. In conclusion, more and more people in the young generation today are eager to do voluntary work. Although one might encounter difficulties like culture shock, language barriers or even be lured by good opportunities afterward, they still bring many valuable benefits to others as well as to themselves in return.