Do you know who are the volunteers?

A volunteer is a person who, on a voluntary basis and free of charge, helps those who need it, including through public actions, information dissemination activities, etc. Volunteering, as a help, has always existed. Therefore, already in Latin, there was the concept of "voluntaris", which in translation means "volunteer". From it came the French term "voluntaire", which appeared in the 18-19 centuries. People who voluntarily entered the army service, who are the volunteers of that time.

A somewhat different meaning acquired this term after the First World War, when European cities underwent significant destruction. In the twenties, the first volunteer gathering was held near Strasbourg, whose participants, among the newly opposing parties - the French and Germans - jointly undertook the rehabilitation of the most affected farms in the areas of recent hostilities. At that time, there was an opinion about who such volunteers are, on the grounds that the people who represented this movement propagated the ideas of peaceful coexistence, equality, free aid. Therefore, the new organization has become very popular.

Volunteering was further developed after the Second World War, when actual attempts were made to establish interaction between Eastern and Western Europe, which were in a state of confrontation.

Who are the volunteers today? This is about 20% of the French, about a third of the population of Germany, about 26% of the Japanese. All these people at least once participated in the actions, where voluntary assistance was needed. And some spend on public projects about 20 hours a week. Volunteers are more willing to women (up to 75% of all participants), pensioners, less often - working or schoolchildren, students.

In terms of organizing these projects, the experience of countries such as the United States and Germany is of interest. In America, the volunteer movement was actively developed in the 30s of the 20th century, when President Roosevelt created a mass organization to reduce unemployment. It comprised up to 90% of the country's population at that time. In Germany today there are about 70,000 associations working on a voluntary basis, and there is a normative act "On the Social Year", according to which every graduate of the school can work in the social field for a year. This has a positive effect on his future career.

Who are volunteers from the personal point of view? These are people who seek to acquire knowledge and / or feel a great desire to help others. Often these are unemployed or persons whose lack of work experience does not allow them to work in any sphere on a paid basis. The volunteer movement allows them to obtain the necessary skills, often conducive to employment or a new direction in work.

How to become a volunteer? To do this, you simply need to find organizations engaged in such activities in your city. Most likely, for work you will need to fill out a questionnaire and leave your contact information for an invitation to the project. Volunteers in Russia help people with disabilities, the homeless, the elderly, organize projects for children, environmental activities, and also participate in the search for people who, unfortunately, often disappear.