By Puneet Gupta (President)
Globally, public servants and philanthropists are often held in high regard because of their commitment towards the duty of improving the community. But, as Obama recently asserted at yet another townhall meeting, one does not need to be the President to perform public service. In fact, the power of developing society lies within youths as they possess boundless energy and unlimited creativity.
Have you ever sat in a lecture theatre and thought about your plans for the weekend? Were they chock-full with visits to the library or shopping mall? Perhaps when the next break arrives, you may consider dedicating a few hours to tutoring a young Sudanese child who struggles with English or working in a team to brainstorm ideas of how to prevent climate change.
Volunteering, even on an ad-hoc basis, enriches students’ experience at university immensely as it takes them away from the constant chore of completing assignments and revising for tests. Giving back to the community does not require excessive time, or effort. It just needs a bit of compassion to assist the community and ultimately make a difference to people’s lives.
Employers also search for graduates who are committed, determined and take initiative. There are plenty of talents in the world who have achieved excellent results at university but a significant point of differentiation would be volunteering. Volunteers are perceived as people who can manage their time well enough to handle the stresses of work and still find time for philanthropy. These people are also not purely focused on financial rewards as they are willing to sacrifice their time for a meaningful purpose- supporting those who cannot afford to pay for help. Experiences as a volunteer not only brings the satisfaction of having given something back to the community but helps develop invaluable skills including communication, problem solving, teamwork and leadership.
Extra Curricular Network Australia (ECNA) is a newly formed student-run organisation. ECNA aims to bridge the gap between tertiary students and organisations that offer extra curricular activities as well as to ensure the continual thriving of community-based organisations.
Ultimately, ECNA envisions a socially active student base with skills allowing them to become ethical and responsible leaders of tomorrow.
A broad spectrum of community organizations feature on the ECNA website and we encourage you to contact the relevant organisations that suit your interests.
You are also invited to join ECNA as we require support members for our community projects. Our main aims are to enhance the students skill base and to assist growing not-for-profit organisations by offering support in their operations such that they can continue running their programs successfully and offer indispensable services to the community. To apply, please click here.
For more information contact us on info@ecna.com.au
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