Volunteering has changed how I live; my life has changed how I volunteer. I am an individual who loves getting involved in just about everything, but I have had to learn how to do so for the right reasons. Now I see volunteering as an opportunity to serve and care for others, but in the past I did not have such an altruistic attitude. Fortunately my initial experiences as a volunteer have not only changed my attitudes, character and skills for the better but have also changed my reasons for volunteering.
My first volunteering activities were within my elementary school. These were often simple jobs like helping in the primary lunchroom, cleaning and organizing the library or even facilitating school-wide activity days. Whatever task came …show more content…
For more than five years, I have assisted in primary dance classes and at children’s summer dance camps. In the beginning it was exciting to volunteer: I got to hang out with the older dancers whom I looked up to and I could spend so much time at the studio. As I matured, the initial excitement wore off: days of crazy children, plugged toilets and giving up other, less demanding activities forced me to question why I volunteered. Ultimately, my passion for dance won me over, and is the reason that I continue to help at the studio. It is hard to explain the value of dance in my life. Dance is fully empowering, allowing me to express myself in my own style. Through dance I can escape from my worries and be free within the movement. So I volunteer because I truly want to instill the love of dance in the lives of young dancers. My hope is that all young dancers will be excited to come to dance. I want for them to enjoy the same passion that I …show more content…
For the past few summers, I assisted at a dance camp for children and teens with disabilities, forcing me to step out of my comfort zone to learn how to overcome barriers between myself and those who function differently than I do. Before this experience I was not very comfortable helping a stranger in a wheelchair or starting a conversation with someone who is visibly disabled. The dancers in this camp taught me that just as it’s alright to be awkward sometimes; it’s alright to break the awkwardness too. At those camps I met people who were smarter, funnier, and far more compassionate than I, stretching me to become more than I would have if I stayed at home. While there were certainly moments of frustration, it was uplifting to see such a diverse group unite to dance together. What a new perspective I have about meeting people – of all abilities – in my
My first volunteering activities were within my elementary school. These were often simple jobs like helping in the primary lunchroom, cleaning and organizing the library or even facilitating school-wide activity days. Whatever task came …show more content…
For more than five years, I have assisted in primary dance classes and at children’s summer dance camps. In the beginning it was exciting to volunteer: I got to hang out with the older dancers whom I looked up to and I could spend so much time at the studio. As I matured, the initial excitement wore off: days of crazy children, plugged toilets and giving up other, less demanding activities forced me to question why I volunteered. Ultimately, my passion for dance won me over, and is the reason that I continue to help at the studio. It is hard to explain the value of dance in my life. Dance is fully empowering, allowing me to express myself in my own style. Through dance I can escape from my worries and be free within the movement. So I volunteer because I truly want to instill the love of dance in the lives of young dancers. My hope is that all young dancers will be excited to come to dance. I want for them to enjoy the same passion that I …show more content…
For the past few summers, I assisted at a dance camp for children and teens with disabilities, forcing me to step out of my comfort zone to learn how to overcome barriers between myself and those who function differently than I do. Before this experience I was not very comfortable helping a stranger in a wheelchair or starting a conversation with someone who is visibly disabled. The dancers in this camp taught me that just as it’s alright to be awkward sometimes; it’s alright to break the awkwardness too. At those camps I met people who were smarter, funnier, and far more compassionate than I, stretching me to become more than I would have if I stayed at home. While there were certainly moments of frustration, it was uplifting to see such a diverse group unite to dance together. What a new perspective I have about meeting people – of all abilities – in my