The more we give the happier we feel. Volunteering is one of the key ways to give back to society. It strengthens our bond with humanity, encouraging us to help people in need. International Volunteers Day is an observance mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985. Every year it serves as an opportunity to promote volunteerism, and recognize individual as well as joint efforts that are made towards worthwhile causes. Volunteers have more impact on the community than what is visible.

2020 has proven that we make it through life not on our own but through our efforts and the assistance of others even when it is not completely seen. During the pandemic we have seen several people step up and contribute in whatever way possible to make our world heal faster.

Volunteering is a win win for both parties involved. Those who receive help are empowered to help someone else and have a renowned belief in the goodness of mankind and those who help realize how much better creating a ripple of goodness feels. In this way, it can be a very transformative experience.

Volunteering is more than monetary help

 It is not just monetary help that counts as volunteering. In a world that is constantly evolving, the need to adapt to the changes has also increased. Life skills, social skills and employability skills to name a few are widely needed all over the world. Many of us are privileged enough to have developed these skills enough to flourish in the changing world. So, we have the power to help people who haven't been exposed to these skills so they can rise above and showcase their talents too. We can help youth foster the right skills and become resilient.  After all the future belongs to the youth of today. In the digital era that we have transitioned into, teaching skills online has turned out to be a valuable gift we can give to someone. At such a time something as simple as teaching someone to use a smart phone is bringing them one step closer to independence. There are innumerable ways to volunteer online too because your skills are invaluable. As a Blogchatter community member, CauseAChatter has been one of those platforms.

International Volunteers Day

Empowering through words

Ever since its inception in 2019, we have always wanted Cause A Chatter to be a friendly space for everyone who had a cause to talk about. Words and visuals have a power to reach far and wide and through this track we have seen it come to life. Our community of bloggers began to join hands and participate in activities that were close to their heart, spreading awareness around crucial topics and sharing their journey. From them we learnt the simple ways we can give back to community, be a good neighbour, steer someone in a positive direction when in need, Like I said earlier, the ripples created by them continue to pass arount the online realm, inspiring other people to volunteer for a cause too.

Volunteering with commitment pushes us to bring out the best in us. It enhances our character as a human being and reminds us of who we truly are. It takes very less effort on our part to play an emotive role in making change happen. All it asks for is to remember our humane side and imbibe it into our talents to create something beautiful. 

2020 saw more and more people stepping forward to take this journey with us, proving that we are all connected - a fundamental principle that we many times forget. It also showed us how a blogger from any niche could have some wonderful and creative way to contribute to a social cause. If we got you thinking and you're wondering how you can write effectively towards change, this free course on Storytelling for Social Change might help you. It could maybe inspire the volunteer in you to join us because 2021 has much more in store for the blogger with a purpose!

If you have a story to share today on International Volunteer Day, tag us on social @blogchatter with the line #TogetherWeCan through #CauseAchatter and we'd love to hear it. Today is the chance to take a pledge with everyone else.