Volunteering in Singapore- Telling it as it is.
By: Debra Low
Tags: Kindness, Volunteering, Singapore, Mental Health

In the past, when I see a young person volunteering, my immediate assumption is “ Oh, here to get your CIP ( Community Involvement Points) is it ?’’ It’s a mandatory requirement and you don’t get to graduate if you don’t fulfill dem hours.

Throughout my years of working and volunteering, I was proven wrong. Some get started through their schools, others have an invested interest in certain causes and possess genuine intention and grit to contribute to the community.

I honestly think that there is hope and future for our younglings. With superficial news flooding my social media news feeds, or dumb ass kids slutting their way in Tiktok, it is refreshing to know that young folks are stepping up to volunteer and make changes to impact the world. This is the kind of influence we need!

In my course of my job and volunteering, I am blessed to meet with folks from social enterprises, ground up efforts and advocates who are fighting for a cause dear to their heart.

There are many places to volunteer, and if you do a quick Google Search, a tonne of listicles will point you the right way.

What makes your heart tick?

Step 1: What do you feel strongly about?

Is it animals, the under privileged and under served, the elderly, migrant workers, mental health issues? The list goes on and on and on.

Head to https://www.giving.sg/- a volunteering platform where you can find volunteering opportunities via filtering your interest, availability and level of expertise.

Or support smaller groups like Park $2 Project- https://www.facebook.com/groups/1437902803105381/

This group is not affiliated to any charity organisations, there are great initiatives there by individuals. The ground up efforts by contributors are plenty and they require support from time to time. (Do do your due diligence to see how credible some campaigns are.)

Reasons for staying nong nong

Volunteers come and go. Some comes with promises, some have prior commitments, some have been there since the start of time. You wonder about commitment and why would a volunteer stay?

I’ll summarize in with 3 B’s.

Belief of the cause- It is easy to say that you feel strongly for something but to put your heart and sweat and sacrifices requires a certain sense of tenacity. To push through and make things happen.

Bonding- Other than our immediate family and friends, there is a special bond you develop with your team of volunteers after slaving it out or making magic happen with limited resources and time.

Best feelings in the world can’t be bought. There is purpose and fulfillment in what you do. It heightens your self-worth and brings you back as a human. I feel truly human and connected when I volunteer. Corny much but yeah.

What’s in it for me?

To share my experience, I have the existing knowledge and contacts to make processes easier. I believe in the cause and going beyond the belief of getting paid and having the cynical mindset of “How does this benefit me first? Why should I help? ”There is a higher calling (sounds so pretentious but it’s true) to help without expecting any returns.

I hate to admit this, but in my experience, part of the longevity that makes volunteers stay on is the clique/tribe experience. You may be helping the beneficiary directly but if you’re working closely with a team, it does matter. Kinda like staying on a job because your colleagues are awesome.

You want to have a tightly knitted and reliable gang.Politics and drama happen everywhere. You’ll be surprised at how much conflict can happen even if you have similar intentions. It is human nature afterall. We gotta learn to deal with it.

So you write so much, what’s your agenda ah?

I don’t believe in making New Year Resolutions and following through, I believe some personal goals should be kept closely to heart.

I really think that volunteering has impacted my life and many others, as a member and volunteer, it’s a win win situation whereby I create things and other creators have contributed to my life. My other agenda is to normalize therapy or making it easier to talk about mental health issues. It is a tremendous journey to it but so far, it is starting to show results. A friend has begin her journey of therapy and there are some acquaintances who have reached out to me.

The stigma of being unwell in your mind will always be there but please help yourself first and get better before going through life. Be kind to yourself. Don’t push it and accumulate your demons.

Volunteering has bettered my life and I hope that you’ll give it a try :)