It is said that in total over 1.3 million volunteers were mobilized when the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake happened. Since then, volunteers have come from all over the country and even from abroad when there have been earthquake and flood disasters, and this time when the Great East Japan Earthquake happened. Immediately after the earthquake, volunteers arrived fully equipped. Because of this, and through the images presented by the media, even among the victims of the disaster, there are probably many people who feel that volunteers are people who come from far away.
The word ‘volunteering’ carries the image of doing something special, but in fact, it is something that is done anytime, anywhere, spontaneously, intuitively, and voluntarily. Helping each other in the neighborhood, working to bring the community closer can be considered volunteer work. Some volunteers gather donations, or help others or their community by doing what they are good at. Volunteering is being a member of the community and ‘doing what ought to be done’ and ‘helping each other’.
A survey asked this question: what do you get most out of volunteering? And the No. 1 answer was “making more friends”, while No. 2 was “enjoying the activities”. Volunteer activities are a great way to meet people and motivate yourself, so why don’t you consider starting something this spring?
●If you are interested in volunteering…●
If you are interested starting volunteer activities, please feel free to consult your local Council of Social Welfare (Volunteer Center).