Volunteering is an integral part of any student’s journey to becoming a well-developed person. Aside from other factors such as GPA, essays, and standardized testing, volunteering shows a student’s extracurricular interests, leadership and teamwork capabilities, and long-term commitments. However, given the current pandemic, it has become much harder to obtain volunteer opportunities, so I’ve compiled a quick list of possible ways to get involved online.
Crisis Text Line
Crisis Text Line is an online platform that allows texters to reach out in times of crisis. As a volunteer, you’re expected to only contribute around 4 hours a week at any time you’d like by responding to texters and providing them mental, emotional, and verbal support, but there is a training period of around 30 hours beforehand. This may seem a little overwhelming, but you can complete the training module at your own pace to ensure you’re well prepared, and it’s a very rewarding experience. For those interested in mental health or emotional coping skills, try it out with Crisis Text Line!
7Cups
7Cups is similar to the Crisis Text Line, although there is a greater focus on emotional support through listening rather than actively intervening in an individual’s crisis. When you volunteer as a listener, all you need to do is get started with their active listening course. You’ll be able to take charge of your own schedule, improve your resume, and work in a supportive environment while becoming a more experienced listener.
United Nations
The United Nations Volunteers has one of the most abundant lists for you to become involved as a volunteer. Most, if not all, of these job have a relation with the humanitarian field. If you go onto their website, you can filter through the possibilities by region, language skills, duration, assignment category, and more, allowing you to find a job that’s suited to the best of your personal abilities.
Red Cross
Red Cross is well known for its humanitarian involvement with emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparation. Given that 90% of their workforce is volunteers, there are endless ways to join the team by utilizing your best skills. Similar to the United Nations, you can filter through their website and find a role that best fits your aspirations and abilities. If you want to be actively involved in emergency response, this could be a great place to start!
This list isn’t comprehensive of all the possibilities out there, and you’ll find plenty more with a quick Google search. If you want, you could even start your own project as an individual or with friends, but the most important thing is to be passionate and commit yourself for the long-run.
Crisis Text Line is an online platform that allows texters to reach out in times of crisis. As a volunteer, you’re expected to only contribute around 4 hours a week at any time you’d like by responding to texters and providing them mental, emotional, and verbal support, but there is a training period of around 30 hours beforehand. This may seem a little overwhelming, but you can complete the training module at your own pace to ensure you’re well prepared, and it’s a very rewarding experience. For those interested in mental health or emotional coping skills, try it out with Crisis Text Line!
7Cups
7Cups is similar to the Crisis Text Line, although there is a greater focus on emotional support through listening rather than actively intervening in an individual’s crisis. When you volunteer as a listener, all you need to do is get started with their active listening course. You’ll be able to take charge of your own schedule, improve your resume, and work in a supportive environment while becoming a more experienced listener.
United Nations
The United Nations Volunteers has one of the most abundant lists for you to become involved as a volunteer. Most, if not all, of these job have a relation with the humanitarian field. If you go onto their website, you can filter through the possibilities by region, language skills, duration, assignment category, and more, allowing you to find a job that’s suited to the best of your personal abilities.
Red Cross
Red Cross is well known for its humanitarian involvement with emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparation. Given that 90% of their workforce is volunteers, there are endless ways to join the team by utilizing your best skills. Similar to the United Nations, you can filter through their website and find a role that best fits your aspirations and abilities. If you want to be actively involved in emergency response, this could be a great place to start!
This list isn’t comprehensive of all the possibilities out there, and you’ll find plenty more with a quick Google search. If you want, you could even start your own project as an individual or with friends, but the most important thing is to be passionate and commit yourself for the long-run.