A volunteer is a person who, on a voluntary basis and free of charge, helps those who need it, including through public actions, information dissemination events, etc. Volunteering, as an aid, has probably always existed. Therefore, already in the Latin language there was the concept of "voluntaris", which means "volunteer" in translation. From it came the French term "voluntaire", which appeared in the 18th and 19th centuries. People who voluntarily entered the military service, that's what the volunteers of that time were.
This term acquired a somewhat different meaning after the First World War, when European cities suffered significant destruction. In the twenties, the first volunteer rally was held near Strasbourg, the participants of which from among the recently opposing sides - the French and Germans - jointly engaged in the restoration of the most damaged farms in the areas of recent hostilities. At that time, there was an opinion about who the volunteers were, based on the fact that the people representing this movement propagated the ideas of peaceful coexistence, equality, and gratuitous assistance. Therefore, the new organization became very popular.
Volunteering was further developed after the Second World War, when actual attempts were made to establish interaction between Eastern and Western Europe, which were in a state of confrontation.
Who are volunteers today? This is about 20% of the French, about a third of the population of Germany, about 26% of the Japanese. All these people at least once participated in actions where voluntary help was needed. And some spend about 20 hours a week on community projects. Volunteers are more likely to be women (up to 75% of all participants), pensioners, less often - working or schoolchildren, students.
In terms of organizing these projects, the experience of such countries as the USA and Germany is interesting. In America, the volunteer movement was actively developed in the 30s of the 20th century, when President Roosevelt created a mass organization in order to reduce unemployment. It consisted of up to 90% of the population of the country at that time. In Germany today there are about 70,000 associations working on a voluntary basis, and there is a normative act "On the social year", according to which every school graduate can work in the social field for a year. This has a positive effect on his future career.
Who are volunteers from a personal point of view? These are people who seek to acquire knowledge and/or feel a great desire to help others. Often these are the unemployed or persons whose lack of work experience does not allow them to work in any area on a paid basis. The volunteer movement allowsthem to acquire the necessary skills, often leading to employment or a new direction in the work life.
How to become a volunteer? To do this, you just need to find organizations engaged in similar activities in your city. Most likely, to work, you will need to fill out a questionnaire and leave your contact information for an invitation to the project. Volunteers in Russia help people with disabilities, the homeless, the elderly, organize projects for children, environmental events, and also participate in the search for people who, unfortunately, disappear quite often.
