做志願者 你收穫了什麼？

談起志願者的好處，很多人認為做志願者的好處就是幫助別人過後的那種說不出來的溫暖感覺。事實上，這只是其中的一個好處而已。很多人沒有意識到，志願者不僅僅是在做教師、參與保護海龜或大象。慈善事業需要各種各樣的人，做各種各樣的事情。因此你可以志願做任何事情，也就是說，還有很多令人驚嘆的益處呢！例如，志願服務……

When it comes to benefits of volunteering, a lot of people think that』s it』s all about the warm and fuzzy feeling you feel after helping someone. As it turns out, that』s far from the only benefit. What a lot of people don』t realize is that it is not just about be a teacher, protect the sea turtle or elephant. Charity work requires a wide variety of people, doing a wide variety of things for everything to work. Because of this you can volunteer as almost anything, which means there are some surprising benefits to be had. For example，volunteering….

教給你新的技能 Teaches You New Skills

從幫忙建網站、教外國孩子學習你的母語，到為慈善事業安排活動，志願活動可以說是無所不包。當你參與志願工作時，很多時候你都會面臨一些挑戰，就像是參與了新的工作一樣。通過克服這些困難，你可以學著開始全面掌握新的技能。

From helping making websites, to teaching foreign kids your native language, to arranging events for charity. Volunteering can really be almost anything. That means that when you get involved in charity work, a lot of the time you will face challenges just as you would in a new job. And through overcoming these you learn and start to master completely new skills.

幫助你保持活躍 Helps You Stay Active

有時，當你什麼也不想做的時候，就是你最需要做事情的時候。這時志願活動就能幫上忙。志願活動不像隨便約朋友那樣容易推掉。所以當你感覺很差什麼也不想做，但卻想保持活躍時，那你該去志願服務了。

Sometimes when you need to do something the most, is when you feel the least like doing anything. This is where volunteering can help out. It』s a lot more difficult to blow off volunteering than a casual appointment with a friend. So when you feel like shit, and you don』t really want to, but really need to stay active, volunteering is your friend.

為你的簡歷添彩 Fills Empty Spaces On Your Resumé

如果你找工作的時間比你預想的要長，你可能會考慮志願活動。這種方式可以證明，你不總是坐著不動，你也積極地採取行動，幫助自己改善狀況。

If your job search seems to be taking longer than you had expected, you might want to consider volunteering. It』s a way to prove that you』ve not just been sitting on your ass the whole time but you』ve been actively taking steps that can help you better your situation.

可以幫你工作 Can Lead To Work

我遇見一些人，參加志願工作時並沒有抱任何期望，但在工作的過程中，最後成為非營利組織的協調人。當然，這種工作並不是每個人都適合，但是幸運的是，志願工作會讓你清楚這對你而言是不是可行的職業路徑。

I』ve seen people go into volunteering with no expectations, and further down the road, ending up working for a non-profit as a coordinator. Of course this line of work is not for everyone, but thankfully actually volunteering will give you a good idea of whether or not it』s a viable career path for you.

可以有治療作用 Can Be Therapeutic

取決於你選擇做什麼志願工作，有一些可以有非常好的治療效果。很多志願工作都能給你帶來很大的幫助。我有一位非常好的朋友，她在開始教外國孩子中文，每天和孩子們呆在一起的時候，就完全變成了另外一個人。志願工作能幫你從自己和自己的問題中跳出來，允許你以一個全新的不同視角去看世界和他人，這反過來讓你對自己已有的東西心存感激，並看到自己的個人價值。

Depending on what you choose to do, volunteer work can have a tremendous therapeutic effect. There are many options that can be tremendously giving. One of my close personal friends has completely transformed after she started teaching foreign children Chinese，and stay with them everyday，she was completely different . Volunteering helps you look outside yourself and your problems, allowing you to see the world and other people from a whole different perspective, which in turn can make you grateful for what you already have and see your own personal value.

幫你改善社交技巧 Can Help Improve Social Skills

如果你在社交場合覺得很難，志願活動能幫上你的忙。當然，這不會立刻見效，但是它可以成為你戰鬥中的一項有用的工具。這樣你永遠有機會和別人交談並可以試著和別人相處。

If you』re the kind of person that has a hard time putting yourself in social situations, volunteering can help. Of course it』s far from an instant fix, but it can be a useful tool in your battle. A permanent excuse to talk to people and try to get along.

可以成為相關的工作經驗 Can Be Relevant Work Experience

現在很多工作都要求有工作經驗，光這條就把很多人拒之門外。對某些專業而言，志願工作實際上能讓你擁有工作經驗，幫你得到工作的敲門磚。很多嶄露頭角的記者剛開始時都為大學做志願者寫文章，通過志願服務得到工作經驗並不僅僅適用於這一職業。

Something that seems to stop many, is that experience often seems to be a prerequisite to get a job. With some professions, volunteering can actually help you get the experience you need to get your foot in the door. There』s many a budding journalist that got his or her start volunteering for a college or university paper, and that』s not at all the only profession this applies to.

教你什麼是重要的 Can Teach You What Truly Matters

這是尋找生活新視角的一個好方法。當你做了一段時間後，你可能會發現自己會重新評估事情的優先順序別，甚至在生活中去走完全不同的一條新路。我的一個朋友原來想做律師，後來卻發現自己真正有激情的事業是教學事業。

It』s a great way to find new perspectives on life. When you』ve been at it for a while, you just might find yourself re-evaluating your priorities, or even deciding on a completely new path to take in life. One of my friends went from wanting to be a lawyer, to discovering a true passion for teaching.

幫你結交新朋友 Helps You Make New Friends

這一點兒也許不會讓你吃驚，但可能讓你吃驚的是，這些朋友會有多麼真誠。我很多長期聯繫的朋友都是通過志願服務認識的。

Maybe not so surprising, but what might surprise you, is how genuine these friends are. Some of my long term friends are people I』ve met through volunteering.

幫你擴展人際網路 Helps You Expand Your Network

志願服務的一大好處是，你會接觸到很多人。從負面的角度看，你遇到了很多沒多少共同之處的人，但不如換個角度來看，把它看成是在擴展你的人脈。你會認識各行各業的人，要是不參加志願服務你根本就沒有機遇和這些人相逢。我不是那種為了聯繫而去交朋友的人，但有時有廣泛的人脈網路是非常方便的。

One of the great things with volunteering, is that you meet a very wide variety of people. Instead of looking at it in a negative light of meeting people you don』t have a lot in common with, think of it as expanding your network. You』re getting to know people involved in many different walks in life that you wouldn』t have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. I』m not the kind of guy that makes friends purely for connections, but sometimes it』s very convenient to have a broad network.

總結一下：志願服務能幫你成長。就像我們剛介紹的那樣，它不僅能讓你在人格方面成長，也能讓你在技能方面進步。真正的缺點是當環境不允許你繼續下去時，你卻發現自己捨不得離開。