Volunteering in the holidays

Now that university has wrapped up for the year, you might be thinking of ways to spend this well-deserved time off.

Apart from trips to the movies and beach, another good way to spend your holidays is volunteering, as you’ll meet you new people and gain new experiences. If you’re unsure of what kind of volunteering to put your hand up for, here are a few ideas to get you started:

Help with Chistmas lunch

Unfortunately, there are people in Australia that will go without at Christmas. So a good way to giveback this holiday season is by volunteering at your local soup kitchen or if you have a car offering to deliver meals.
How to get involved: Contact your local rotary club to find a soup kitchen near you or for lunch deliveries Meals on Wheels or the Smith Family.

Make someone’s day

Another good way to give back over the holidays is by visiting patients in hospitals or retirees in nursing homes. There are many people that may not have family to visit them over the holiday season, so having someone to talk to could really make someone’s day.
How to get involved: Contact your local hospital or nursing home to see what volunteering opportunities they have available over the holidays. They may also list them on their website.

Become an event manager

If you would like to up your organisational, communication and marketing skills, then you could also consider volunteering for an upcoming event. From triathlons to film festivals, there are a great range of events held during the holiday period that will get you involved with the community and help you gain new skills too.
How to get involved: To check out events that are looking for volunteers near you try govolunteer.com.au, volunteeringaustralia.org and fairfaxevents.com.au/volunteering (just to name a few).

Benefits of volunteering:

• You’re helping those in need
• You’ll get that feel good buzz
• Upskill and gain experiences you can add to your CV
• Make new friends and build your network
• Make someone’s day

Need we say more!