Having lived in the US for more than a year, we realized that the campaigns for volunteering are numerous and very varied: at work there are always different projects where the employees can volunteer some of their time (i.e. to help clean up the sides of a river nearby), or give money for a cause (for 20$ you "are allowed" to wear jeans on Friday), etc. Another source of these kinds of projects is the YMCA, that continuously have campaigns to help children across the nation. Also at the weekends it is not infrequent to see people work together building houses etc. Although sometimes is difficult to identify this with the most individualist country, there is a big sense of community.
One of the positive things about volunteering is that it involves participation of people from varied backgrounds. You get out of the well known zone, and meet people that have different way of thinking, beliefs, education etc. And this opens many channels of self-development; in a way, every time you volunteer by helping others, you help yourself too.
The very precious thing about volunteering and social activism is that, contrary to the tendency of social and economical inequality that every country seems to be immersed, they fight against poverty, inequality and under-development.
Sometimes volunteering has been criticized as being a band-aid to society's problems, distracting attention and resources from the root causes of problems such as poverty or injustice. It is said that volunteering undermines political action, preventing a real structural change. But in reality, by giving your time in charitable work, you are calling everyone's attention, and this is part of the solution to a problem.
Another thing to point out is that the social activity is independent on the economical situation. As an example, between the years 2008 and 2011 there was a big break down in the US economy; however, people didn't stop their volunteering activities.
This is a call for optimism, something that doesn't happen very often lately. Yes, there is still social inequality, and in fact it is growing on a daily basis; but there is also less people in poverty, more children receiving education, and higher social inclusion in our societies. Additionally, in the age of Social Media, there are many more ways in raise your voice against injustice (just think about the platform www.change.org). Activism has the potential to confront the social injustice and development challenges of our time. And the US has a big offer to help, in many ways from one-time things to full-time positions. Although from the economical point of view these options do not have a big contribution in your life, maybe it is time to look at other aspects that will improve in your life, like for instance, your happiness!!
Thanks for reading,
Lita & Andres
