Prasun Shrestha
DYF
Volunteering has always got its position high from the time of the human’s origin. It is the fact that every age group which has gained consciousness, races, gender, cast, group has been engaging in volunteering. Children have been engaging in volunteering with the help of their own club which they have established with the help of themselves or other elders or organizations. Similarly youths have been engaging in volunteering with the help of their own clubs or organizations either serving for whole humanity or their own locality with the help of others or self-dependence. Similarly older age groups are also engaging in volunteering either self or with the help of others as organizations. Similarly, for the purpose of volunteering many organizations has been established by different groups i.e. the groups may be of a certain race, cast, gender or all mixed-ups, however they are proposed to a single theme i.e. volunteering.
The history of volunteering seems very praise worthy as they are always been targeted to serve humanity either by peaceful ways or by violence. Volunteering has been done in every sector of every field like from medical emergency to taking care of children, or from helping a single person to serving the whole mankind. It has been prevalent in any society and in any culture. However volunteering by youth seems to be always demanded. Youth volunteering has been seen as the most emerging power not only in a single country but the whole world. The network of youth in the world to serve humanity by the mobilization of youth has been always asked for. Since volunteering is the only job that is done not for money, it has been seen as most respectable job along the globe.
In general terms, volunteering is a practice of people working on behalf of others or a particular cause without payment for their time and services. Volunteering is generally considered altruistic activity, intended to promote or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be considered self serving. Volunteering takes many forms and is performed by a wide range of people. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work in such as medicine, education, or emergency resume. Other volunteers serve on as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster or for a beach-cleanup. In military context, a volunteer army is an army whose soldiery chose to enter service, as opposed to have been conscripted. Such volunteers do not work for free and are given regular pay.
As per Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary (OALD), the term volunteering is defined as done willingly, not because of force or done by people who choose to do it without being paid for. The word volunteering suggest us that it is the job which is done by the strong willingness of a person or strong determination to go through it. Volunteering is done for the betterment of entire humanity or the social surrounding rather than for the benefit of single person or self profit. Volunteering gives the feeling of humanity, worth of the time, job, society and problem along with solution. Volunteering is like creating opportunity to expose oneself so everyone could know ones capacity, creativity and efficiency. Volunteering develops ones thinking style to creative and critical thinking and also to solving the problems. Volunteering gives Chance to build public relations, increase friends and friend circle and view society from higher point from which both sorrows and joys of society are seen. And volunteering is needed from road-less world to sophisticated world.
Free-youth-volunteering is a concept to promote youth volunteering for the purpose of unifying the youth power for the social change. Any youth who does volunteering after crossing the child-age before being professional, freely (without being paid) in order to change society i.e. social culture, ideas and perspectives is the free-youth-volunteering. Apart from targeting to change the society, a free-youth-volunteer can target to expose the hidden or by-birth qualities, gain experience, learn society, build the thinking capacity as desired and aim to live a life by own style and effort being independent.
It is sure that youth after crossing the child-age and before being professional targets to do better for self and society. They learn varieties and do different things. But it is found that they have not been utilizing their time properly rather they show others that they are busy in their own schedule and have no time for others, however they do accept that their time has not been property utilized as thought and planned. Due to various problems; problems from self, family, society, friend circle and workplace, they have not been able to do the things as thought. It is only because of their ill-knowledge and inexperience. But the free-youth-volunteering gives chances to experience and broaden the thought i.e. build critical, analytical and creative thinking.
In the present context of Nepal, even the professionals after mastering seems confused regarding their aim and achievements. Most of them tell themselves as their aim and the present deed are different. For the reason, they pick up the family problems, behavioral aspect and others. They do are professional but it does not match with what they have imagined. They may have become highly qualified but due to the lack of exposure and ideas regarding exposure, they have to go through unplanned and uninterested paths. So, had the youth volunteering been done before being professional or let's say before choosing subjects to take formal education, they would have known properly about oneself; they would have identified themselves. Today's professional (most of them) fears they may lose their job only because they have to depend on others- for job. So here needs the free-youth-volunteering to build up confidence and to identify ones interests and talents.
Depression, frustration, migraine, drug abuse has just emerged only because of the improper control in mind. Decision taking, planning, policy making and getting better strategy in every field from day to day behavior to running the international company seems the most courageous things in the world. Being depressed or frustrated is only due to the lack of confidence in making these mentioned courageous deeds which results to migraine and drug abuse. So here is the need of free-youth-volunteering. Since free-youth-volunteering does not only make a person to take decisions alone but also gives the chance to correct it if it becomes wrong. Going through free-youth-volunteering for one is to view the society more than family with worm’s eye view. So, as a person sees the society, the problems he had suffered seem smaller in comparison to others and can build confidence to go through it rather than from sides. Hence, free youth volunteering makes a person a perfect as it teaches to take decisions, its implementation, targets and view results.
Free-youth- volunteering helps in youth networking too as it helps in making more friends, unifying ideology and making a unified power among youths. Human and social animals are different; it is not that they live in society but it is because they share their ideas, view, experiences and even happiness along with grief and pains. So free youth volunteering helps a person to be a human i.e. a social animal. Being in rush hour at every time only to make incomes is not the job of humans. The humanity present inside the body should ooze out in the form of emotions and ideas for anything to be done for anyone to be human. And it is the target of free youth volunteering as free-youth-volunteering helps a volunteer to identify one self and expose the hidden qualities i.e. the only private treasure. After being a free youth- volunteer, a person can identify the importance of work, time and money. Everybody reads it, gain knowledge about work, time and money but only few are able to identify them and respect them. This is what the free-youth- volunteering aims.
Today’s conditions play great role in everything as we live in present. And the present context of Nepal asks free-youth- volunteering either for the better governance or for running a home. Population growth as seen in Nepal has affected the quality of life of Nepalese. The causes of pollution and scarcity of water, good education, economy and other basic needs has been handed over to population growth which everyone has been accepting. But brain drain, lack of job opportunity, foreign study and others which, if in better condition are termed as pillars for building a developed nation, are not only because of the rapid population growth but also due to the diverse vision, aim, and idea of Nepalese. So if the powers from diverse vision, aim, and ideas are unified, the unified power leads a nation to the path of development. The unification is possible only when the person exposes the inner idea and quality for which free-youth- volunteering can make a great help. In case of brain drain or lack of job opportunity, job opportunities are the things which are not to be searched but to be created with the will power present in a person. Lack of opportunity is the opportunity to create an opportunity. And the creation of opportunity is only possible when a person identifies oneself, ones idea, status and capacity. This is what the concept of free-youth-volunteering targets to.
Every problem has a solution and every solution should lead to create a problem. This is what the free-youth-volunteering wants. Free-youth-volunteering does not become satisfied by solving a single given problem. But becomes happy as he/she himself/herself can solve the problem, create next and go on solving, so that one can learn to go through every steps in every sorts of problems. Hence free-youth-volunteering only create networking between youths. Free-youth-volunteering is a theatre where the youths need to act so that the youths will be able to identify themselves, learn and experience various life steps, problems, and solutions and express their ideas, views, confusions and emotions.
Just only the volunteering either paid or free is done by various organizations is the world. In context of Nepal there are organizations like scout, Red Cross, Jaycees, Leo and Lions Club, and even Dynamic Youth Forum along with other community clubs. But they are not sufficient for ones development as they target to their thematic issues however the participants or members are able to identify themselves by participating in various programs conducted by them. But free youth volunteering is a concept in which youths before being professional create opportunities themselves. It can be promoted with the help of youth networking and youth exchange programs, trainings, advocacy and even field work. One-day seminars don't help a youth to identify oneself but interaction with youth can help to know one another and solve the problem among youth. Launching a campaign of one year tenure for example can support the youth development and the development of nation. Lack of youth mobilization in productive paths is the main problem emerging in Nepal which can be solved by the mobilization of youth in orientation, advocacy, training, social work and in youth exchange program supported by home-stay programs. The above mentioned are only some ideas of the writer as learnt through experience and net surfing.
Volunteering is the work which is free of greed. But free-youth-volunteering concept suggest it as the work full of greed; but the greed towards the identification and development of one's inner quality, ability, their exposure and for the development of society and nation. Person becomes successful only if he/she identifies himself/herself and becomes determined towards the aimed paths. Free youth volunteering is a type of informal education learnt through the trainings, orientation, interaction, participation, exposure, experience and critical and analytical thinking.
