VOLUNTEERISM

Volunteerism is the practice of

providing time and skills for the
benefit of other people and
causes rather than for financial
benefit.
The essence of volunteerism is
in giving back to the society, but
that's not what it's all about. It
teaches you many valuable
things – Develops your skills
– Volunteering exposes you to a
whole new world of opportunities
and at the same time helps you
in honing your existing skills.
 REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9418
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING A STRATEGY
FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT,
STRENGTHENING VOLUNTEERISM AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
(Volunteer Act of 2007)
 SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known and
cited as the “Volunteer Act of 2007”.
 SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It shall be the
policy of the State to promote the participation of
the various sectors of the Filipino society, and as
necessary, international and foreign volunteer
organizations in public and civic affairs, and adopt
and strengthen the practice of volunteerism as a
strategy in order to attain national development
and international understanding. The inculcation
of volunteerism as a way of life shall rekindle in
every Filipino the time-honored tradition of
Bayanihan to foster social justice, solidarity and
sustainable development.
 SEC. 3. Statement of Goals and Objectives. — To carry out the foregoing
policy, the government shall pursue the attainment of the following goals and
objectives:
(a) To provide a policy framework on volunteerism that shall underscore the
fundamental principles necessary to harness and harmonize the broad and
diverse efforts of the voluntary sector in the country into an integrative and
effective partnership for local and national development as well as international
cooperation and understanding.
(b) To provide a conducive and enabling environment for volunteers and
volunteer service organizations by setting mechanism to protect volunteers’
rights and privileges and give due recognition to highlight their roles and
contributions to society; and
 (c) To provide an effective institutional mechanism to strengthen the role of
the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) to
perform its mandates and to oversee the implementation of this Act.
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this
Act, the following shall mean:
(a) “Volunteerism” refers to an act involving a wide range of activities,
including traditional forms of mutual aid and developmental interventions that
provides an enabling and empowering environment both on the part of the
beneficiary receiving and the volunteer rendering the act, undertaken for
reasons arising from socio-developmental, business or corporate orientation,
commitment or conviction for the attainment of the public good and where
monetary and other incentives or reward are not the primary motivating
factors.
(b) “Volunteer” refers to an individual or group who for reasons arising from
their socio-developmental, business and corporate orientation, commitment or
conviction, contribute time, service and resources whether on full-time or
part-time basis to a just and essential social development cause, mission or
endeavor in the belief that their activity is mutually meaningful and beneficial
to public interest as well as to themselves.
(c) “Volunteer service organization” refers to a local or foreign
group that recruits, trains, deploys and supports volunteer
workers to programs and projects implemented by them or by
other organizations or any group that provides services and
resources, including but not limited to, information, capability
building, advocacy and networking for the attainment of the
common good.

(d) “Voluntary sector” refers to those sectors of Philippine society

that organizes themselves into volunteers to take advocacy and
action primarily for local and national development as well as
international cooperation and understanding.
Impact of volunteerism into the Youth’s life
In the general perspective, the concept of
volunteering refers to ―rendering of service by
choice of or free will for the benefit of the wider
community by an individual, group, or institution
without necessarily expecting monetary gain in full
knowledge and appreciation of being a volunteer.
The Importance of Volunteerism for Youth
Below are some of the many ways volunteering can
lead to success for teenagers and children
Develop Transferable Skills
Reinforce Social Capital
Make Real Change
Facilitate Respect
Support Academic Success
 The Benefits of Youth
Volunteerism for Communities

Build Safer Communities

Spread the Good

Introduce Fresh Perspectives

Foster Lifelong Engagement

In addition to long-term community
improvement, youth volunteers realize lifelong
impact through:
•Promotion of a healthy lifestyle, empathy and
good choices
•Enhanced psychological and intellectual
development
•Increased self-esteem and responsibility
•Interest in learning and applying new material
•New social skills
•Improved physical and mental health; lower
rates of depression,
•And greater life satisfaction.
Self-Satisfaction in Relation to Volunteerism
If you describe someone as self-satisfied, you mean that they are too
pleased with themselves about their achievements or their situation and
they think that nothing better is possible. Satisfaction is a more attainable
condition than happiness. Achieving satisfaction is not all that hard, and
becomes easier if you do a little cognitive cleaning.
Self-satisfaction is a sense of absolute fulfillment with oneself and one’s
accomplishments. As simple as may it sound, achieving self-satisfaction is
not at all an easy task. But, there are ways in which one can constantly
look out for self-satisfaction and in the process find answers to the many
unanswered questions that life imposes upon us.
Life-Changing Benefits of Volunteering to One’s Self
 Helping Others - When you volunteer, you are making a direct impact
on the people affected by your cause. Whether you’re taking care of
malnourished infants, fostering an abandoned or abused pet, or
building a home for a family in need, you are making a tangible change
in a life.
 Learning Something New - While learning new skills to enhance your
career outlook is one of the most valuable benefits of volunteering, so
too is learning something new for the sake of learning something new.
 Raising Awareness - While a financial donation to an organization will
help with existing needs, volunteering helps keep the organization and
the cause afloat for the future. That’s because when you volunteer, you
help raise awareness for the cause and the organization.
 Seeingthe World - One of the most exciting benefits of
volunteering is the opportunity to see the world and travel
to places you might never have considered. This might sound
daunting to some, but you’ll have the support of team
leaders and local guides as part of your placement and be
working alongside like-minded individuals.
 Getting the Job You Want - Volunteering can help you make
the transition to a whole new career. Volunteering
experience always strengthens a resume and proves your
commitment to a particular cause, making it particularly
beneficial for students who are nearing the end of their
studies.
 Improving Your Physical and Mental Health - From a mental health
standpoint, study after study has shown that when we help others, we
experience lasting happiness. There is great satisfaction to be gained in
the knowledge that you gave to yourself when nobody forces you to do
so. You can step back and see that you made a real difference for a cause
you truly care about.

 Personal Growth and Breaking Out Of Your Comfort Zone - Perhaps the
biggest (and least discussed) benefits of volunteering are the chances to
break out of your daily routine and shatter your comfort zone. Whether
you volunteer locally in your neighborhood or travel to the other side of
the world, volunteering almost always comes with challenges that
broaden your skill set and push your limits. Those challenges could be
anything from public speaking to teaching a class or trying out a new
skill.
Building Community - In a world that is becoming
more and more individualistic as people struggle to
achieve financial success, the benefits of
community are gradually being lost. Volunteering is
a great way of regaining this and building
community, whether it be in your neighborhood or a
far-flung destination abroad. It helps to cultivate
friendships as you work towards the greater good
and reduces the isolation and loneliness felt by
many people in the modern world.
 Gaining More Time - Volunteering can actually make you
feel like you have more time. It’s similar to the idea that
those who donate money to charity feel wealthier, with
participants expressing that they felt more “time affluent”
when they spent less time on themselves or wasting time
doing nothing of a positive nature.
 BeingHappy - Researchers found that the more people
volunteered, the happier they felt. While “happiness” is a
hard feeling to quantify, it’s likely a result of a
combination of the above benefits of volunteering and how
they resonate with each and every individual.