Volunteering: What's in it for me?

Holly Wilkinson looks at the social side of volunteering.

''Student life: binge-drinking, late-night parties, last-minute revision and endless procrastination? Is it simply an excuse to avoid the real world?'' ''I was amazed to discover that with an average volunteer commitment of only four hours, each shop needs about 45 volunteers to operate.'' ''So maybe that’s the answer to why people volunteer - it gives you the chance to meet truly interesting and inspiring people at the same time as doing something worthwhile.''

Student life: binge-drinking, late-night parties, last-minute revision and endless procrastination? Is it simply an excuse to avoid the real world, or do some students use their time at University to do something more worthwhile?

As an intrinsic part of University life, extra-curricular activities can offer an escape from academic pressures, as well as important personal development. But with such a myriad of opportunities - from Assassins to Pink Soc - the difficulty is not always deciding to get involved, but deciding what to do.

Almost everyone I know at Durham participates in activities outside of their degree -whether they be sports freaks, budding thespians or power-hungry committee members. A lot of my friends have their altruistic side too - dedicating huge amounts of time to voluntary work - and there’s certainly no shortage of places to volunteer. You can campaign for Fairtrade with People and Planet, mentor local school children with Student Community Action, offer your listening skills and support through Nightline, or raise funds for one of the numerous causes supported by the University’s own charities’ committee.

All this volunteering involves a lot of time and effort, so what spurs the volunteers to do it? Is it just that warm fuzzy feeling of having done a good deed, or is there more to it? I decided to find out by spending a day in my local Oxfam shop.

Chatting with manager Sally, I was amazed to discover that with an average volunteer commitment of only four hours, each shop needs about 45 volunteers to operate. Volunteer numbers, therefore, make this a great opportunity to meet new people and avoid the student bubble.

In just one day I met a whole host of people: Jonathan, who is currently learning Cornish and spent much of the early ‘90’s on an aid convoy in Albania; Sarah, who gave up her Indonesian jewellery business in favour of a less strenuous lifestyle when she contracted ME; and Paul, who initially began volunteering as community service but has since continued because he enjoyed the experience so much.

Working alongside my new friends I performed a variety of tasks such as sorting through book donations – where I found much amusement in a bag full of dubious titles such as Sweet Savage Love by the aptly named Rosemary Rogers! I was even allowed a go on the till, where I sold 3 goats and 25 trees through the Oxfam Unwrapped gift scheme.

So maybe that’s the answer to why people volunteer - it gives you the chance to meet truly interesting and inspiring people at the same time as doing something worthwhile. This seems like a good enough incentive for anyone, and it has definitely motivated me to volunteer on a more regular basis. How about you?