The present environmental crisis has thrown up a new set of challenges for India and its citizens. Like most developing countries, India needs to seize every opportunity to grow, but do so in a sustainable manner. We cannot follow the highly toxic development model of the West and need to look inward for solutions to our problems. Awareness of these issues is however sorely lacking in the country. By volunteering for the programme you can enrich yourself with a wealth of knowledge and a perspective that will enable you to contribute meaningfully to society and to your profession.
Key Motivations
By volunteering you can:
Get a chance to share your skills and teach others what you are best at
Learn how a professional organisation / institution functions
Achieve personal satisfaction by helping others and by doing your civic duty
Spend your leisure time constructively
Develop a new relationship with an institution and make new friends
Keep yourself updated on current issues
Learn new things while working as a part of the team
Do something different from your routine job without making a serious long-term commitment
Gain recognition and self-confidence as you can make a difference by working for a cause
Learn skills and strengthen your resume
Each Volunteer who comes to CSE has varied reasons and motivations. For the youth, Volunteering offers opportunities for self development and risk-taking while providing a valuable grounding for future practices. For senior or retired citizens, volunteering provides a positive contribution as it helps the newly retired to adjust to the new retired life.
Each one has a special reason for volunteering, but once you are on a Volunteer you will continue to serve as long as you feel that your efforts are accomplishing something and that your talents are being appreciated.
Volunteering to Explore Career Possibilities
Are you in a threshold of starting your career or are you looking for a job shift? Volunteering is the best way to explore different career options. It is risk-free as you can venture out in different areas without the fear of making a long-term commitment. It will give you a chance to explore your capabilities, experiment with what you are good at or pursue what interests you the most. If you feel that a certain area or kind of work is not for you then you can easily withdraw without disrupting your resume. For those who are looking for a change in their job or line of work, Volunteering is the best available option. It will allow you to be tested in new situations and give you a chance to experiment even if does not work out.
On the other hand, if you find your work exciting and interesting you can increase your commitment to the organisation. You can learn more about issues and build a relationship with the organisation.
Finally, Volunteering can get you a paid job as you can build contacts through the organization for which you are Volunteering. You will have something tangible to show in your resume, which will support your career goals.
For young graduates and post graduates, Volunteering can place you a step above your fellow students as you can show and prove that you have been involved outside the classroom as well. CSE often hires volunteers who have gone further to pursue a career in environment and have come back to work with the organisation as permanent employees.
A Volunteering opportunity with CSE will give you real-time exposure to a professional organisation
You will interact with professionals who will guide you and answer your queries about your future career. Such interaction will give you a clearer picture about the challenges and opportunities of that particular field
You will get to write your experience in your resume
Put Volunteer Work on your Resume
When you are looking for a job, your resume initiates the job-hunting process. It presents you to your potential employer and you have to ensure that you are able to capture the interest of your employer.
One way of doing this is to show Volunteer work in your resume, which proves you are an involved citizen. The most important thing is to present this information in such a way that it supports your career goal and statement of purpose.
The approach most commonly used is to add a section on your resume commonly termed 'Voluntary Work' or 'Voluntary Experience'. Highlighting the Volunteer work will show that you have interest beyond classroom. Even if it is not paid work, it surely is productive work and can be counted as work experience. You can describe your volunteer experience in terms of your achievements, highlighting the skills that you have gained and shared. Even if you do not have experience of a paid job you are aware of the day-to-day challenges in a work place.
Alumni Benefits
The key words in maintaining enthusiasm among volunteers are: AIR
ACTION: Providing the kind of activity Volunteers expect
INSPIRATION: Keeping Volunteers motivated by understanding what inspires them
RELATIONSHIP: Maintaining communication and nurturing a long-term relationship built on trust and support. In order to enhance and build a symbiotic relationship, volunteers are often invited to CSE conferences and meetings. A copy of the annual report is also provided to volunteers so that they are in touch with various CSE activities and programmes. Volunteers are also provided the following facilities:
Discount on CSE Publications
Invitation to CSE Conferences
A copy of the Annual Report
Gifts as token of appreciation
We wish to develop a platform where all our volunteers, past and present can come together and raise issues of common concern. We wish to maintain this network so that we can have access to a talented pool of people who are socially aware and who understand CSE's aims and goals. So, this is an invitation to you to register with us, even if you have been involved with our cause in the past.
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