Volunteering is a form of participative leadership. When you volunteer, you create opportunities for change. You work with like-minded individuals to achieve your shared vision.
When you volunteer, you are building your personal power. You demonstrate to people your passion and commitment. You show that you are a person they can trust because you are a go-giver.
People from different walks of life can volunteer.
If you are a high school student, you may help organize a Sunday School. You will learn how to work with young people. You will likely develop your persuasion and storytelling skills. You will understand the importance of making plans and organizing individuals. You will develop your public speaking skills too.
I learned much about leadership when I was in high school. I was leading more than 200 students. I discovered that leadership is a relationship you build every day. You create your credibility by showing what you can do for others consistently. I was able to use my experience in leading the student council when I got into college. I was able to use the same in training managers and supervisors.
Activism is volunteer work too. You are fighting for a cause; you speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and create a much better vision than the present.
Volunteer work does not need to be very long. You may consider volunteer work as a weekly or monthly project.
You don’t have to wait for someone to promote you to a leadership position. You don’t need a title to become a leader. Volunteerism provides you with opportunities to grow your leadership, develop leadership skills, and build confidence in leading others.
Yes, volunteerism is leadership.
