Give a hand, get a hand
By Leslie Inamasu
for the futureWHEN I first began to look into volunteer work, I wanted to make a difference while learning more about what I might want to do for the rest of my life. As I prepare for college, I feel that volunteering has done even more for me. It has offered me a head start in life.
Although paid jobs are more appealing than volunteer work, the paying jobs available to students are not always desirable. Ringing up burgers lacks much educational value for students interested in entering professional occupations. Such student occupations also do not provide any additional boost that would be helpful in our competitive job market.
By giving a little of my time through volunteering, I have been able to gain a tremendous amount of hands-on experience in professional fields, something that cannot be taught in schools. Where else is it possible to learn so much without paying a dime?
The exposure to the working environment is incredibly beneficial, and sometimes offers unexpected perks that cannot be found anywhere else.
For example, while volunteering at the State Judiciary, I had the opportunity to speak with some of the judges about their rationales for judgments on certain cases I had witnessed. I also had the opportunity to view both in-court and behind-the-scenes processes of the legal system.
Had I not volunteered, I would have only been exposed to cases from the outside. However interesting that may have been, I would not have learned as much as being there on the inside.
THERE is a lot less pressure in volunteer jobs because no money is involved. This allows for a comfortable work environment, where it is understood that the volunteer is still learning.
At the same time, the experience gives a realistic sense of what it must be like to work in the adult world. In every place I've worked, I have always been on a first-name basis with the people I've worked with and been given a considerable amount of responsibility with expectations to take initiative in getting things done.
Although this may sound insignificant to adults, it is drastically different from being a student. In school, not much liberty is allowed and teachers are expected to shoulder the burden of education. In volunteer work, it is left up to the volunteer to put in the effort, and that determines whether he or she will gain anything from the experience.
Volunteering is not only a service to others, it is a service to oneself. It is utilitarian and can only be beneficial to the greater community or greater cause.
Right now, I am using volunteer duties to explore fields I might be interested in studying in college. Time seems to be running short for the career decision that once seemed so far away.
I don't want to be faced with any surprises later on, when I realize too late that I took the wrong path. Volunteering is a wonderful way to look ahead and prepare for the future.
The third annual Volunteer Fair, formerly the "Teen Volunteer Fair, will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 23 at Pearlridge Center, Uptown and Downtown. Fair scheduled
Twenty-seven nonprofit agencies will participate, with volunteer staffers answering questions and recruiting volunteers. Last year, about 253 students signed up to be volunteers.
The Opihi Pickers, Kamehameha Performing Arts Company, Urban Dance Movement, Ka Wai Huihui, SLAM! and Faceless will entertain.
For more information call the Volunteer Hot Line at 595-8400, Ext. 307.
Leslie Inamasu, 16, is a student at Mid-Pacific Institute
who has volunteered at the State Judiciary and
Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific.Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
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