Volunteering: From Opinion to Action
Last year’s election has kept more people politically engaged for much longer than any election in decades. Voters continue to have conversations and share opinions on Facebook and Twitter, and we’ve seen increased engagement in community protests. But real change requires something more. Some advocacy leaders note that despite the rise in protests this year they’ve also noticed a drop in other kinds of volunteerism as they prepare for the legislative session.
It is not sexy, it can be tedious and sometimes boring, but turning conversations into action is what actually makes a difference in our communities, and that starts with meaningful volunteer work.
Fortunately, Utah is a volunteering state. Utahns log far more volunteer hours per year than any other state. Volunteering comes in many forms—lobbing policymakers, volunteering on a non-profit board, mentoring an underserved group, serving on a city committee or better yet, running for office.
Volunteers also help Utah’s political system run. Unpaid lobbyists log countless hours on Capitol Hill. Policymakers also volunteer many unpaid hours for their constituents and their communities.
Choosing where we volunteer forces us to identify and commit to the issues we prioritize. What are you tweeting or retweeting? What articles shared on Facebook move you most? What protests have you participated in or followed? These are great metrics for finding volunteer work in your community.
We often volunteer when our families directly benefit (like serving at our child’s school or our neighborhood church). The next bold step is to stretch and find ways to serve in our communities in ways that do not directly benefit ourselves or our families. This increases our understanding of our complex communities, builds empathy and broadens our perspectives.
Let’s offer talents to strangers, engage in projects that benefit an overlooked population, or give time to new-to-us organizations. Moving beyond our comfort zones like this expands our influence and strengthens the fabric of our neighborhoods and communities.
Giving our time not only provides physical, measurable benefits to our communities, but also to the individuals who volunteer. Serving strangers builds empathy for them. Serving along side strangers builds appreciation for fellow volunteers and the role volunteering plays in our society. An added benefit of committing to a longterm assignment is the depth of empathy that grows toward groups and individuals each time you return to serve. Longterm assignments also afford the opportunity to see the benefits of your efforts over time in changing an organization or an individual. In addition, volunteering can provide stress relief as we disengage from our own challenges.
Utah is a great place to be. People are passionate, kind and willing to get their hands dirty. Wanting to stand up for change is a good thing, but changing things for good is even better. In the state that logs the most volunteer hours per person, let’s make sure those hours are spent in ways that truly improve our communities, our neighborhoods and our state.