26.05.2023 | Fachbeitrag
1. community:
There are not just 10 reasons to volunteer. There are more than 1.7 million. Just as many people are involved in civil protection and disaster control in Germany. They not only form the basis for maintaining local emergency response and civil protection, but also form a community. Here, everyone stands up for everyone else. This is where acquaintances are made, friendships are formed and – as rumor has it – one or two relationships are started.
2. fun:
Tackling and helping together is fun. But it’s not just the volunteer work that’s fun – it’s also the whole experience that has inspired many people to volunteer for years. The joint service evenings, the preparations, the exercises, the cool drink after the work is done and the companionship are what make volunteering so special.
3. meaningful activity:
Helping can do so much to you! Volunteering does something good for yourself and others. It gives meaning to life. As a rescue diver, you save people from water. As a training officer, you teach new arrivals how to secure rescue sites. As a youth group leader, you teach teenagers dispute resolution methods. These meaningful activities are inspiring and fulfilling.
4. further training:
You never stop learning in life. Volunteering is the ideal opportunity to learn new skills and continue your education: Emergency medical care, resuscitation, dam building, bridge building, ensuring stable power lines and transporting goods by water are just some of the content that volunteers can learn. However, activities such as social media work for the organizations, accounting and logistics can also be learned and developed through volunteering.
5. give something back to others:
“He who does nothing for others, does nothing for himself.” Although this quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe dates back to the 19th century, it is still valid today. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to give something back to others. There can be many reasons for this: you have experienced help yourself in an emergency; others have looked after close relatives when you couldn’t be there yourself…
6. adventure and variety:
For many volunteers, their commitment means a change from their everyday studies or work. When the pager vibrates or the siren wails, the heartbeat increases, all sensory organs are on alert and stretched to the limit. The humdrum of everyday life is forgotten, now it’s time for action. Volunteering never gets boring, it guarantees action and variety.
7. help:
Volunteering is multifaceted. Not only the content, but also how and where you help. In addition to civil protection and civil defense organizations, you can also get involved as a spontaneous helper. The Mobile Helpers project aims to promote the involvement of the population by systematically integrating voluntary helpers into civil protection operations.
8. use strengths:
Volunteering is not just about trying out new activities and acquiring knowledge. Above all, you can use your own strengths. A tinkerer can repair equipment in the workshop after work. A consultant can assess the stability of a damaged building. A listener can give comfort to the relatives of a missing person. Everyone is good at something and it is precisely this expertise that is needed in civil protection and disaster control.
9. Shaping our society:
Getting involved in civil protection organizations also means helping to shape our society. We live the values that we have as a pluralistic community in the organizations and thus make them experienceable. We pass them on, integrate ourselves and welcome newcomers or marginalized people. Every volunteer has a say in the organization, can launch initiatives and help determine internal priorities. By volunteering, you are involved and experience participation.
10. community service:
Civil protection and disaster control in Germany is run by volunteers and, as one of the most important pillars of civil protection, is always on hand in the event of a disaster. Severe weather disasters such as the Ahrtal flood in 2021 would not have been manageable without the tireless efforts of volunteers. The helpers work voluntarily, unpaid and for the good of our community. Volunteering means serving our society and working for its best interests.
Click here for the various civil protection organizations