Why do we volunteer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Volunteers often hear questions like, \u201cWhy do you work for free?\u201d or \u201cWhy spend time on that when it won\u2019t help you in the future?\u201d. Most commonly, they\u2019re asked, \u201cWhy do you volunteer?\u201d. Sometimes, even volunteers don\u2019t know the answer right away\u2014they need to reflect on it. According to a 2023 study by Katie McCord, the motivations behind volunteering vary based on personality traits, characteristics, and age. Each generation tends to have a dominant reason for volunteering. For example, millennials are driven by a sense of community and the desire to acquire new skills. Generation X volunteers seek friendship, purpose, and enriching experiences. Generation Z, today\u2019s youth, is motivated by opportunities to gain practical knowledge and skills to support their career paths (McCrod, 2023). What unites all generations is the desire to productively fill their free time while contributing to the greater good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The motivations, personalities, and interests of individuals influence the type of volunteering that appeals to them. Many people associate volunteering with humanitarian aid, and this is often the most common form. Helping others, whether they are the elderly, migrants, or animals, satisfies the natural human drive to assist those in need. At Sunce, however, we focus on helping the environment\u2014a cause that sometimes lacks the immediate emotional gratification of aiding another person. We strive to help our volunteers understand that those who cannot help themselves\u2014like nature\u2014are the ones who need us most. A healthier environment benefits countless people in the local and wider community. Regardless of the type of volunteering you choose, what matters is that it brings you joy. When it does, you\u2019re helping both yourself and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve identified what you enjoy and found fulfillment in your contributions, it\u2019s time to reflect on the other benefits you\u2019ve gained along the way. Volunteers learn about their chosen causes in the most effective way: through experience. As Albert Einstein said, \u201cKnowledge is gained through experience; everything else is just information.\u201d Beyond thematic knowledge, volunteers develop soft skills like adaptability, teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, and presentation skills. Many volunteer experiences align with one or more of the eight key competencies for lifelong learning. In some cases, volunteering transforms into a lifestyle, shaping the individual and influencing their life\u2019s direction. Employers increasingly recognize the value of volunteering, understanding that it demonstrates initiative, responsibility, and teamwork\u2014qualities that stand out in today\u2019s competitive job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n U Suncu smo odlu\u010dili poduzeti ne\u0161to po pitanju enormne koli\u010dine tekstilnog otpada koja gu\u0161i i uni\u0161tava dijelove zemlje. Najbolji je pristup po\u0161tivanje principa odbij \u2013 smanji \u2013 ponovno upotrijebi \u2013 prenamijeni \u2013 recikliraj. Kako se ovaj princip primjenjuje na odje\u0107u? Vrlo je logi\u010dno: ne kupuj \u0161to ti ne treba, kupi manje, sa\u0161ij, popravi, prenamijeni, odvoji tekstil za recikla\u017eu. Zaklju\u010dno, mo\u017eemo informirati zajednicu o ovoj problematici kako bismo smanjili kupnju i bacanje tekstila. Isto tako, mo\u017eemo educirati o \u0161iva\u0107im tehnikama kako bi mogli samostalno popraviti i prenamijeniti. Na\u017ealost, kao \u0161to je ve\u0107 spomenuto, ponekad su zaposlenici optere\u0107eni \u201emoranjem\u201c i trebalo nam je malo sjaja kako bi ovu va\u017enu poruku prenijeli \u0161to uspje\u0161nije. Tu nastupaju volonteri!<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Sunce, we decided to tackle the overwhelming issue of textile waste, which is suffocating ecosystems around the globe. Our approach follows the principles of refuse \u2013 reduce \u2013 reuse \u2013 repurpose \u2013 recycle. Applied to clothing, this means: don\u2019t buy what you don\u2019t need, buy less, sew or repair your clothes, repurpose them, and separate textiles for recycling. In conclusion, we can inform the community about this issue to reduce the purchase and waste of textiles. We can also educate them on sewing techniques so that they can repair and repurpose themselves. Unfortunately, as already mentioned, sometimes employees are burdened with \u201chaving to\u201d and we needed a little sparkle to convey this important message as successfully as possible. This is where volunteers come in!<\/p>\n\n\n We found Renata (or Renata found us), who led 14 top-notch sewing workshops for over 50 citizens! Volunteer Maja documented everything and, as a media technician, transferred theoretical knowledge from experience into inspiring videos and “captured” it with photographs. Petra’s articles “Greenwashing\u2014how companies deceive well-intentioned consumers”<\/strong><\/a> and “Fast fashion: what is it and how does it impact our world?”<\/strong><\/a> attracted a lot of attention, and Filipa rounded off the whole story by creating a sewing brochure for beginners<\/strong><\/a> so that everyone could start this sustainable practice on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to the hard work of volunteers, \u0160IZIKA has become a signature initiative at Sunce. We are deeply grateful to them and to the City of Split, which recognized the project\u2019s value and provided financial support to ensure its continuation. Interest in sewing remains high, as does the enthusiasm of our volunteers. We\u2019re ready to do even more in the upcoming year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow us on Facebook <\/a>and Instagram <\/a>to stay updated on the next \u0160IZIKA workshops. And if you\u2019d like to volunteer\u2014whether for this project or another environmental initiative\u2014reach out to us<\/a>! Together, we can protect nature and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although we become volunteers mainly due to intrinsic motivation, we undoubtedly have many benefits from it ourselves. Read what and how the volunteers presented an entire project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":27984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1284,1256,5,975],"tags":[1114,261],"class_list":["post-29296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sizika-sivanje-zakrpe-i-kreativne-aktivnosti-en","category-development-of-volunteering","category-news","category-volunteers","tag-sizika","tag-volunteer"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29296"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30184,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29296\/revisions\/30184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"volonteri-aleksandra-sunce-stand\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/web-36-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFinding the right volunteer opportunity for you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Developing skills through volunteering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/volonteri-1-1024x640.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/volonteri-5-1024x640.png\")
How volunteers brought the \u0160IZIKA project to life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/SIZIKA_volonteri-1024x640.png\")
The future of \u0160IZIKA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"sizika-grad-split-info-zona\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Sizika_slagalica-1024x341.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSOURCES:<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
McCord, Katie. (2023). Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Lions Australians. QUT Behavioural Economics Forum: Australian Lions Membership Seminar<\/em>.
https:\/\/research.qut.edu.au\/best\/projects\/generational-volunteering-exploring-generational-nuances-in-the-volunteering-sector (accessed December 20, 2024)<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"