How to Make a Positive Impact as a Remote Worker: Volunteering in the Local Community
In today's world where travel is readily accessible and social media allows us to share our experiences with ease, it has become increasingly crucial to go beyond mere surface-level exploration and truly engage with the local community. It is essential to protect and preserve the cultural heritage and customs of the places we visit. Instead of being mere spectators who capture photographs, we can actively contribute to the growth and promotion of the destinations we encounter.
By immersing ourselves in the local culture, we enable these communities to flourish and share their unique perspectives and traditions with the world. This approach helps to transform tourism into a vehicle for meaningful exchange, fostering understanding and appreciation between travelers and locals. It is through active involvement that we can truly convey the essence and true beauty of the places we visit, allowing their stories and legacies to transcend mere snapshots in time.
While there are numerous ways to engage with local communities, we will today focus on the opportunities for volunteering in the places you visit as a remote worker. Through volunteering, you have the chance to make a positive impact, not only on the destination but also on your personal and professional growth, so let’s explore the various volunteering opportunities available to remote workers.
Understanding the benefits of remote work and volunteering
Two main benefits of volunteering for remote workers are personal and professional growth and improved well-being, both very important aspects for young professionals who work remotely.
Volunteering offers remote workers opportunities for personal and professional development through diverse experiences, fostering empathy and cultural understanding. It helps develop valuable skills that can be applied in their professional lives.
Volunteering also enhances well-being and a sense of purpose. The flexibility of remote work allows individuals to engage in volunteer work, contributing to causes aligned with their values. Volunteering brings a sense of fulfillment, happiness, and reduced stress, and, in the end, it provides a deeper connection to the local community and a renewed sense of purpose.
Finding Volunteer Opportunities in the Local Community
So - let’s assume you’re sold on this - but how to start, where to find these opportunities?
If you’ve never volunteered before, it can be tricky to find good volunteering opportunities because you might find yourself getting lost in the sea of offers not knowing what’s real and what’s not.
But, don’t worry, let’s start from the beginning.
Assessing your skills and interests
It is always best to start with what you know and care about. Think of some skills you possess that could come in handy. Maybe you know how to work in the garden, or you’re good with people; maybe you are well-versed in social media or you play an instrument. Based on something you know how to do or like to do, you can narrow your search to the opportunities that might be a better fit for you.
You can also start with your interests. That might even be better as you can focus your search based on the problems you’d like to solve or the causes you’d like to support.
Maybe you care about creating equal opportunities for residents of less developed countries so you can focus on teaching a language or a useful skill to the local folks; maybe you care for the environment, so you will focus on initiatives like ocean or beach cleaning; or you might care for arts and culture, so you will search for opportunities to contribute and support the local art community.
Based on your interests, you can research different topic-specific platforms for volunteering, such as:
Biogradables for environmental volunteering opportunities,
Caritas for social volunteering, or
Cruz Roja for volunteer work with immigrants.
Lastly, another great way to narrow your search is to do a bit of research on what the place you’re visiting struggles with the most. Some places might have an issue like a lot of dogs living in the streets, a lot of homeless people, an unengaged youth, low income, limited resources, etc. This is also the most noble way as it immediately lets you get to know the place you will stay on a deeper level and connect to it by giving back and sharing its message.
Finding Volunteer Opportunities in the Local Community (in Valencia)
When seeking volunteer opportunities in the local community, it's essential to conduct thorough research on organizations and causes that align with your skills, expertise, and passions. This research process will enable you to find the best way to utilize your abilities and positively impact the local community as a remote worker.
You should explore the range of volunteering possibilities, including environmental projects, social initiatives, or support for specific communities. By identifying organizations or projects that match your interests, you can make a meaningful and fulfilling contribution.
If you’re looking for opportunities like these in Valencia, we would suggest utilizing platforms like Plataforma del Voluntariado and Hacesfalta.org to discover diverse volunteering options specific to Valencia.
How can Coliving help you get into Volunteering?
As hosts of local coliving spaces, we always tend to share volunteering opportunities with all who are interested. Many people never think of doing something like it until they hear about it from others and when they do, the most logical approach is to ask the local host for suggestions, directions, or recommendations - and we love it!
Coliving spaces often have a strong connection with the local community and because of that, the hosts often have both extensive knowledge of what the community needs and how you can help and a strong motivation to help you contribute to the place they support and call home.
If you’re staying in a colivings, you can use the position to gain some valuable insights into local organizations, projects, and initiatives that align with your interests.
Moreover, coliving hosts can assist in connecting you with relevant contacts, making introductions, and facilitating your engagement with local volunteer efforts, especially if you’re not assimilated into the culture or you don’t speak the local language.
Balancing Remote Work and Volunteering Commitments
Of course, as a remote worker, you probably have a full-time job, so volunteering might be tricky to organize. That is why it’s incredibly important to come up with strategies on how to manage time effectively, as well as set realistic expectations to ensure the successful integration of volunteering into your schedule.
Assess your existing commitments and responsibilities to identify available time slots for volunteering, prioritize tasks, and allocate dedicated time for both work and volunteering activities; recognize your limitations and avoid overcommitting yourself, setting achievable goals and milestones that align with your capacity.
Additionally, leverage the flexibility offered by remote work to create a harmonious work-volunteer balance, exploring ways to integrate volunteering into your routine and considering remote volunteering opportunities.
Remember, even a single day of volunteering is valuable and impactful, so don't pressure yourself to do more than you can realistically handle. By effectively managing your time, setting achievable expectations, and leveraging the flexibility of remote work, you can successfully contribute meaningfully while maintaining a healthy work-life-volunteer equilibrium.
Amplifying Your Impact and Overcoming Challenges
To amplify your impact as a remote worker who volunteers and overcomes potential challenges, it is important to employ various strategies that leverage your network and seek support from like-minded individuals. How do I do that?
Leveraging your network to raise awareness
First and foremost, learn how to use your professional and personal networks to raise awareness about the causes and organizations you are involved with. Maybe you’re managing to volunteer just a few hours a week but you spend the same number of hours more talking about the enriching experience you have volunteering and educating people on the cause you’re supporting.
When you are around other foreigners, like in a coliving space or other international communities, it is incredibly valuable to share these experiences because more people become aware of the problems a city or a place has. Not many tourists or foreigners are aware of the issues local communities are struggling with and if they were, they also might adjust their approach and decide to help in a way.
So, to amplify your impact, the first and easiest thing you should do is share your volunteering experiences, projects, and initiatives with others. If you are active online, you can also share it on social media platforms or through blog posts, inspiring others to get involved and make a difference.
Whatever your way of communicating is, never forget the power of engaging in deep conversations with colleagues, friends, and family members, other colivers, encouraging them to support and contribute to the causes you care about.
Finding ways to contribute remotely when you leave
Lastly, what happens when you leave?
Contributing doesn't have to end when you leave the place. First of all, you can share your experience and continue being an advocate even when you leave. You can talk to people and inspire them to visit places you visited and volunteer like you did - in the end, you can now be that bridge that can help others find a good volunteering opportunity because you have the experience.
Also, if you have certain digital skills (which you probably do as a remote worker), you can offer these organizations your remote help - helping them with social media, blogging, photography, video editing, teaching skills online, fundraising, etc. Just ask if there is a way once you’re on your way out and we bet they will have an idea how you could help even when you’re not physically present.
Lastly, maintain communication with the local organizations you worked with, staying open for when they need your help and being their supporter by liking and commenting on their social media, sharing their stories, and sharing your experience.
Vivarium - Our Coliving as a Bridge to Finding Volunteering Opportunities
In conclusion, as a remote worker or coliver, there is immense value in making a positive impact in the local community, and doing so is more valuable than ever before.
By immersing ourselves in the culture, understanding the challenges, and actively engaging through volunteering, we contribute to the preservation and sharing of local legacies and customs. Through our efforts, we help bridge the gap between tourism and true appreciation, ensuring that the communities we visit thrive and share their authentic beauty with the world.
As a local coliving, we cannot emphasize this more and we build our coliving to be a facilitator for these opportunities, providing a supportive environment that connects remote workers and colivers with local organizations and initiatives. Through the guidance and resources offered by us as local hosts, we can navigate language barriers, gain insights into the community, and help you find ways to contribute effectively.
Vivarium is all about embracing the importance of making a positive impact and we want to help you take the first steps to get involved. We like to empower our community so we become catalysts of change and advocates for the local communities we encounter.
We think coliving is a perfect environment to introduce this practice because together, as remote workers and colivers, we have the opportunity to create lasting connections, share our skills and knowledge, and leave a positive imprint on the places we call home, even if only temporarily.
