The modern world is oversaturated with stressful situations associated not only with natural phenomena, but also with the characteristics of society. Trouble is an international concept, not limited to the framework of one nation. She comes unexpectedly, and there is hardly any house wherever she looks. We can not always cope with it on our own or alone. And then volunteering comes to the rescue. This movement is widespread throughout the world, it has no nationality, is not divided according to class, has no political coloring, does not take into account preferences in religion.
For altruistic reasons, part of the population of our planet rushes to those who are in trouble. Talking about when volunteering arose was difficult. The ability to do something, not counting on a reward, is inherent in man by nature. Volunteering is a rush of the soul in the first place, and then a conscious organized activity around the world. This is charity and philanthropy. Ordinary people from anywhere in the world are sent to its other point - the disaster area - with the goal of voluntarily and free of charge due to their free time to provide assistance to those who are in dire need of it.
The main thing is to choose the form of help that you are capable of. This can be coordination activities in charity events (events, concerts, festivals), technical (take-bring, help visit a doctor, purchase medicines and devices), documentation (translations into foreign languages, medical documents, visa documents) or any other help people or animals needed at one time or another. Such a field of activity as social volunteering is especially widespread - assistance to the older generation (pensioners, labor and combat veterans), child care facilities, and children suffering from various diseases.
Volunteering abroad
The adult population of the world has volunteers ranging from 20% and above. For example, in Europe - 22.5%, in the USA - 27%, and in Austria up to 36%. Activities abroad - this is an acquaintance with the culture, life of the country, the way of life of the local population, learning their language (understanding living language and fluent speech).
At the end of the last century (1998 data), 109 million people worldwide volunteered. In Germany, about 40% of the population went through a volunteer school. The US from the federal budget allocates through a specialized agency about $ 6 billion per year for volunteer activities. At least once in a lifetime, 19% of the French adult population participated in volunteer activities. Patronage is also carried out in the region of Israel, in the region where the study of the Middle East and North Africa is available.
Australia is a special country in terms of volunteering. Free volunteer programs are a distinctive feature of this country where you can make your efforts not only to save from disasters, but also as an agro-volunteer. Anyone can apply for an appropriate visa (for 3 months, 1 year, more than 1 year) to travel to Australia to work on a voluntary basis, study and participate in free volunteer projects to protect nature (rescue endangered species of animals, marine life, for example turtles), promoting ecotourism.
Volunteering is primarily assistance during natural disasters, man-made disasters in megacities and industries, environmental disasters as consequences of human life on our planet. This is assistance around the world in healthcare, business, in teaching at school, in the construction of community centers and houses, animal hospitals, farm and garden work. UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan called volunteering the ultimate expression of the main purpose of the United Nations. The parliament of the European Union (EU) is also promoting cross-border volunteering. According to 2012 data, 5% of EU GDP is generated in the activities of 100 million European volunteers.
Volunteering in Russia
Russian society did not stand aside in the matter of volunteerism. Altruistic motives, perhaps, are naturally inherent in the nature of Russian people. In fact, serfdom is also volunteering, that is, gratuitous work for food and overnight. In the 19th century, urban trusteeship for the poor was established, under which volunteers worked. In the Soviet period, volunteering is the development of virgin lands, the construction of BAM, harvesting, work on community work days.
The Russian parliament is concerned about the fate of the volunteers. To reward lovers of good deeds, it was decided to develop a bill to give volunteers legal status and raise their social status in order to legitimize volunteer activity, as well as equate it to alternative military service. According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, working as a nurse, builder, postman, etc., it will be possible to go through the ACS - an alternative civil service.
The scope of volunteer activities will be replenished with budgetary funds with sparing taxation, and volunteers and activists will receive benefits of a different nature (when passing the exam, when enrolling in educational institutions, references when choosing a job, social benefits).
People who satisfy the universal human needs of others, solving global integration and environmental problems, are healthier than all other earthlings. British scientists have provided statistics on mortality among volunteers, which is 20% lower than usual. Gratuitous help and spontaneous kindness not only prolong life, but also strengthen mental health. Social activist and writer Henry David Thoreau (USA) called human kindness the only garment that is not subject to decay. Wearing such clothes is a great merit and honor.