Are you considering volunteering? You’ve come to the right place. fokusnetzwerk – a mentoring program offered by the Swiss non-profit organization prointegration – you have the opportunity to positively impact the life of refugees, while upgrading your own one, too.
Why volunteer?
There are many ways in which volunteering could enrich your life – personally and professionally. Here are the top 7 benefits of volunteering with us.
1. Get inspired
Maybe you’re looking for something exciting to do? Or you’re between jobs, or you’ve just finished studying and not sure what to do? Volunteering can be a great way of breaking your day-to-day routine, exploring new interests and learning something new.
2. Find a sense of purpose
Helping others gives meaning to life, which has proven to boost happiness, health and longevity. At fokusnetzwerk you and your mentee are free to decide the date and time, format (in-person or online) and frequency of your meetups. Who ever said they don’t have time for volunteering?
3. Meet new people
At fokusnetzwerk, you’ll meet a bunch of warm-hearted mentors, who – just like you – have joined for a common cause. But more importantly, you’ll mentor an inspiring individual whose path you might not otherwise would have had the chance to cross and learn about his or her culture, experiences and dreams.
4. Accelerate your career
This could be the perfect way to steer your career into the right direction, whether it’s pursuing a career in the non-profit sector or gaining mentorship experience that will help you move into a managerial role. In any case, giving back to society will make your CV stand out as you show passion, commitment and resourcefulness. At fokusnetzwerk, all our volunteers earn a certificate upon completion and we are always happy to be your reference when you’re job hunting.
5. Gain new skills and hobbies
When volunteering at fokusnetzwerk, you’ll be exposed to new learnings and experiences as you’re getting to know your mentee, who most likely has a very different background to yours. Be prepared to learn new skills from him/her, such as: how to cook a new, exciting dish that you never tried or how to say useful phrases in a different language, or learn about a new trade/field of study.
6. Increase your self esteem
New challenges means stepping out of your comfort zone, and out there you’ll grow as a person. It’s quite hard (if not impossible) to doubt yourself when you’re out there making the world a better place. So take the leap – it’s worth it.
7. Develop social skills
Being a mentor will supercharge your social abilities, such as empathy, active listening and relationship management as you’re building trust with your mentee and helping him/her to achieve their goals.
Felicia, enthusiastic mentor at fokusnetzwerk and author of this blog article
Keen to get started? Sign up for a non-binding conversation by e-mail or phone call, or if you have any questions contact us.
Read this blog article in German.
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