How can we begin serving our community?
Well first, you have to assess yourself.
So identify your skills, your interests, your goals, and your advocacies.
Then figure out how much time you will devote to community service and would you prefer to serve on site or would you like to do it online.
Assessing yourself is important because it will help you realize the many different ways that you can actually help.
It will also help you find or even create meaningful opportunities that will be a very good match for you.
So second, look for a community that you would like to contribute to or an organization that is working for an advocacy that is important to you.
So you can do this by visiting your barangay, by asking people you know, or by doing an online search.
So if you’re interested in doing something onsite and long-term, look for a community or an organization near you, kasi it would help you sustain it, kasi malapit lang; it’s easier to get to them.
Or if you’re interested in working purely online, then you have a wider search area.
So you can look for organizations whose work you’d like to support.
So wherever they are, they may be in different parts of the country or even international, they could be abroad, then you can actually help them kasi online naman; that’s the power of the internet.
So the third thing that you have to do is reach out to them.
So depending on the type of organization, this may be through a formal letter, an email, a call, or a social media message even.
So introduce yourself and then ask them how you could contribute towards achieving their goals, given the skills that you have.
So try to ask for several areas that you would be able to help them with so that you can choose which ones you would be able to best help with.
And then fourth, you can create a plan on how you will be able to contribute.
So discuss this with them as you go along and make sure not to hesitate if you have any questions, and have them approve if you will be creating materials.
So get their feedback and have them approve any and all activities that you will be able to come up with.
And then, fifth, monitor your progress towards your goal and make any adjustments if needed.
So there will be challenges. So prepare to be flexible and make any needed adjustments.
So when you have completed your project or your tasks, then you evaluate everything that you have done together with your partner and then reflect on the lessons that you have learned from the experience.
Kasi this will help you in your next volunteering or community service activities.
So basically these days, many people think that community service is just about cleanup drives or outreach programs to very far-flung communities.
And while these are very important, these are actually not the only ways that you can help, right.
The most important thing is to start where you are, as who you are.
So there are likely to be people who are near you in your community or nearby in the vicinity near you that need what you have to offer.
So always remember pursuing your dreams and serving the community don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
If you can find the right fit, you can work toward your goals, while also serving your community.
