VOLUNTEERING — GENUINE HELP OR JUST FOR A CV?

Feruza Otaboyeva

First-year student of Urgench State University

In today’s highly developed 21st century, the concept of volunteering has also reached a high level. However, there are people who do it sincerely from the heart, as well as those who do it only for personal benefit. So, what should be the real purpose of volunteering?

First of all, volunteering improves the lives of many people and benefits society. For example, by providing social and economic support to poor people and the elderly, we can improve their living conditions, even if only slightly. This proves that volunteering should be done sincerely and wholeheartedly. Moreover, by becoming volunteers, we can contribute to improving the condition of our mother nature. There are many ways to do this, such as protecting nature, caring for animals, cleaning streets and canals, and participating in environmental campaigns. By taking part in such activities, each of us should realize our human responsibility. It is not without reason that in Uzbekistan, state and non-state organizations are encouraged to participate in community clean-up activities every Saturday during certain seasons. The main purpose behind this is to awaken humanity, responsibility, and a sense of involvement in social issues among people.

However, there is another side to the issue. Nowadays, many people, especially young people, participate in volunteering mainly for their CVs. They treat volunteering as something done only for appearance’s sake. To put it more openly, many participate only if they are guaranteed a certificate or some other proof that can strengthen their CV. The reason for this is that prestigious universities, international colleges, and famous companies often ask applicants about their volunteering experience. Unfortunately, some people misunderstand this and simply go to events to take photos without making any real contribution. However, those respected organizations are not looking for empty photos or documents; they are looking for genuine individuals who can truly benefit society in the future.

In addition, some people publicly display every good deed they do by posting it on social media. In such cases, their main purpose is not necessarily their CV, but rather gaining popularity and improving their public image.

As for my own opinion, volunteering itself means “doing work willingly,” and from this we can understand that it should be done voluntarily and sincerely without expecting any benefit in return. Even if we do not expect anything, volunteering still provides many advantages. For example, for young people, it can serve as preparation for real life and provide valuable life experience. Modern forms of volunteering, such as translation or interpreting activities, can help us gain useful professional experience for the future. Moreover, volunteering can develop feelings such as kindness, compassion, friendship, and gratitude. For instance, by caring for sick people, we can learn to care about others and appreciate what we already have.

In conclusion, volunteering should mainly be an activity done sincerely and willingly by a person. It offers many benefits, such as gaining experience and developing gratitude. Of course, volunteering is also useful for a CV — that is true — but we should include only the volunteering activities we genuinely participated in, not photos or evidence taken merely to deceive others.