Positive Effects Of Volunteerism On Youth

DRAFT 1 (INTRODUCTION & POINT 1): Volunteerism Can Lead to Positive Effects on Youth

Volunteerism is an activity that suit for youth who want to make a different in the quality of life of people around them that involved more consumption of time and effort. By looking to the definition itself, volunteerism can be seen as any deeds that do not be exchanged by the money compared to other work. Kemp (2002) definition of volunteerism was "personal investment of people who spend their time freely with no rewards" (p. 225). From both definitions, it can be perceived that volunteerism is a form of work that does not involve money as the reward but it is more to satisfy ourselves when helping the needy. A journal entitled Empowering Youth Volunteerism:

By involving in volunteerism, youth can enhance their condition of body and mind. As we know, youth involves in the volunteerism when they have free time. Volunteerism can become a therapy for youth to release their stress due to the burden of work throughout the day. By meeting different kinds of the beneficiary, youth can cure their depression in the workplace or at the university and rebuild new spirit. According to an article Volunteering and its surprising benefits: Helping others while helping yourself written by Saisan, Smith, and Kemp (2015), "Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety" (p.2). Apart from meeting with the people, youth can also cure their depression by making a relationship with the animals too. It is not only can help to release the stress, but it is can also improve cognitively and brain health by increasing cognitive, physical and social activity (Carlson, Erickson, Kramer, Voss, Bolea, Mielke, McGill, Rebok, Seeman and Fries, 2009, p. 5). It is because the brain activity becomes increase as the volunteers handling executive tasks, reading more sources, involving in more active and mentally challenging activities, and watching less television after having the commitment in volunteering

The country really needs youth generation who are complete with a package as a leader. In the statistic that have been illustrated in 2013 from journal Empowering Youth Volunteerism: The Importance and Global Motivating Factors, about 1.2 million university students will be produced as an individual who can contribute for the betterment of the country. Thus, they need to equip themselves with the powerful characters. One of the ways to instill the characteristics as a leader is through participating in volunteer works. Nordin (2011), “These characters could not be attained simply through hearing lectures in classes, but they should have an active participation in social activities and volunteering programs that will help mold strong characters and valuable human capital for the