Volunteerism in the Digital Era
NGO Volunteering
Covid-19 pandemic with its regulations and social
distance created new patterns for everything in our lives. This applies to the
way that people do charity. Nowadays, it’s really common to hear the term of
Digital or Online Volunteerism.
Volunteering has traditionally been viewed as an
altruistic endeavor carried out by an individual to provide charity, support or
assistance to a specific community and/or project in order to promote the
well-being of a specific group or society as a whole. However, with long hours
of staying at home due to lockdowns in many countries, young people sometimes
feel aimless.
With the development of relevant ICT platforms, online
voluntary service has become increasingly popular among young people, providing
them with a means to work with a community and/or project anywhere in the world
from their own home.
With the
outbreak of Covid-19, many organizations and NGOs opened their doors to virtual
or online volunteers. Online Volunteering lets you donate your virtual time to
a cause space that matters, which means you can make a difference even if you
can’t physically go somewhere to volunteer.
You can
volunteer by doing some tasks like; Website design or support, Data entry,
Digital Marketing, Fundraising, App development, Translation and Editing,
Virtual assistance, Video Editing and creation, etc.
Spending some time doing some work voluntarily will
help you gain experience in your field of work or study. In addition to gaining general work skills
like teamwork, research, needs assessment, planning, communication skills.
UN Volunteers
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program contributes to peace and development
through volunteerism worldwide. Their work aims to integrate qualified, highly
motivated and well-supported UN Volunteers into development programming and
promote the value and global recognition of volunteerism.
Their website provides volunteers with opportunities to volunteer in
their society or any place in the globe through different areas such as writing
and editing, art and design, translation, outreach and advocacy, research,
technology development, administration, health care services, volunteer
management, event organization, leadership, teaching and training, covid-19
responses, and Technology development.
You can choose the suitable sector that you want to volunteer and gain
international experience in.
References
https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/reports/digital-civic-engagement-young-people
