Volunteering – A Fundamental Duty

The word “Fundamental Duty” must have transformed quite a few people to their Civics classes in school. If you are someone who had a liking for subjects like History and Civics, you would be remembering the eleven duties of an Indian citizen. Some of you might wonder what the eleven duties are and if you do, then please read here

My reason for invoking the Constitution is that every citizen of this country is born with certain rights and duties. An ideal citizen is someone who fulfils his duties voluntarily. I want to highlight an important fundamental duty which is not part of the Constitution but still the need of the hour – Volunteering !!!

Imagine a day when every individual on this planet is content with his standard of living and gets a little more than what he requires to cover his needs. You might have just said to yourself that I am talking of an ideal world which exists only in dreams. I am a dreamer and humans chase their dreams and if they don’t dream they will never grow. A dream is nothing but what you desire in life, it’s a manifestation of your distant thoughts.

One of my favourite quotes from Civic classes – “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” – John F. Kennedy

Human beings have the tendency to be critical about the situations around them. It often stems from a feeling of helplessness. People are concerned about poverty, corruption, illiteracy, malnutrition and everything that affects another fellow human being. Everyday people read about these in newspapers and discuss it among their peers… do we just restrict these topics to a matter of discussion or we are going to “ACT” upon this.

By ACT I don’t mean everyone should join the social sector. (Actually if you are really motivated then please do join the sector!) However, I strongly believe that every person contributes towards the development of this country through their respective jobs. A business man contributes towards the economic development of the country, an artist work towards maintaining the cultural and artistic freedom of the country and the list goes on and on. My humble submission here is one can still “ACT” by staying in your regular jobs by volunteering your time and skills.

All one needs is the desire to change the situation. If you have the desire, you can volunteer from your own space. This is where skill based volunteering makes a huge impact.

As a volunteer manger, I have seen the impact of skill based volunteering in various non-profits. Your skills can change the lives of many people. If you are good at marketing, help them strategise with the marketing strategy for the products they manufacture. A communication person can help the organisation by using his content creation skills and knowledge of social media in reaching out to more people and sensitising them towards a particular social cause.

There is a lot of scope for a volunteer to bring about change as long as a person feels volunteering is a “Fundamental Duty”

If you feel so click here