Volunteerism In Society

Volunteers, according to the Philippine Red Cross (n.d.), are the men and women from various walks of life who have dedicated themselves to the service of humanity. There are tale of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who dedicated their time and resources to help the poorest of the poor. Professionally competent and truly kind-hearted, these men and women are ready to lend a helping hand to those in need – whoever, whenever and wherever they may be (redcross.org.ph). Volunteers are broadly defined as individuals who receive no monetary reward for helping others. Volunteering is an outgrowth of a basic sociological principle of man wanting to interact within a group and to their relations with fellow man (Daugherty, 2011).
The term “volunteer”

Volunteerism aids both society at large and the individual volunteer by establishing trust, solidarity and mutuality among citizens, and by purposefully crafting prospects for involvement (UNV, 2011).
Nowadays, there are a lot of volunteer organizations that arise. Volunteer organizations allow people to utilize skills, make friends, and improve the quality of life within their neighbourhoods through participation. Volunteers have the opportunity to make a change by sharing their knowledge and talents. They have the opportunity to make friends and meet people they might otherwise not have met, had it not been through the opportunity to volunteer (Messer – Knode, 2007).
Volunteerism doesn’t stop there. One form of this is international volunteering. Viray’s (2011) definition of international volunteering means living and working in another country for others without expecting any rewards or compensation, the idea is acceptable to people who have the desire to do something for others outside their comfort zone. International volunteering provides an individual a chance to be involved in a global activity which offers a promise of improving social reputation or a possible enhancement in future earning capability because of the international work experience and the opportunity to travel overseas

This study focuses on the concrete experiences of Filipino international volunteers, how they make meaning of their experiences and how the volunteering process offers life change and impact through VSO Bahaginan. International volunteering is a developing issue of interest, especially that there are little studies about the topic, particularly on the experience of being a volunteer. Moreover, it is important to know that apart from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), there are also overseas Filipino volunteers (OFVs) or Filipino international volunteers. This study looks into how these individuals give deeper meaning and make sense of their experiences as volunteers through VSO Bahaginan. According to Viray (2011), despite the recognition that there is a great increase on the development perspective as a result of volunteering, “volunteers claimed that the change on their beliefs and values are the ones that was influenced the most to a great extent.” Subsequently, international volunteering is a commitment that bids life change.
Moreover, Kang Suh (2009) stated that people take advantage of the opportunity to unearth new interests, learn to problem solve, reflect upon their lives, or shift/make changes in how they see and understand themselves, others, and the world while others may stay closed and unwilling to work out the frustrations and unexpected events they face as international volunteers. Whichever blend of opportunities they embrace, each volunteer comes to a