Let's face it - we're all super busy with our day to day lives, but somehow we always find time to do what we enjoy. But what if I told you that you can add an additional activity to your schedule that wouldn't require too much of your time, and will allow you to enrich your life as well? This activity is giving back to your community - a very important thing we all should do more of because
it's healthy for us, will not only
make us feel good but also empower others, and it will
pay off for some of us job hunters. Here are the 3 easy ways I have found to give back to my community and hopefully they will give you some ideas:
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| Fun times with these incredible creative ladies at the She Says Chi networking event |
1. Attend events that promote social activism and advocate for a good cause while you network. While promoting my new blog, I've been attending a bunch of events in Chicago. Some are just networking for bloggers and tech people, but there are a ton of events for those of us interested in giving back. This past week, I attended an event hosted by
She Says Chicago (an organization that combines networking for creative professional women with giving back to a good cause), where we donated art supplies to underprivileged teens. How did I find out about this event? I have the
Eventbrite app on my phone and every Sunday I check what events are happening in my city, playing close attention to organizations that are doing good in our communities. I also scope out twitter and Facebook posts, and trust me, people are always posting events like this. Attending an event is an easy way to contribute because it won't take that much time in your schedule, while you're connecting with other folks and working on your job hunt or promoting your business. This article explains
7 reasons volunteering can lead to a job and this one is all about how it will
improve your resume!
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| A panorama shot I took at the Greencorps after school program in South Shore |
2. Use your interests to contribute to good causes. I'm very passionate about documenting people, so I always offer up my services to take photos of organizations doing good for the world. On Wednesday, I shadowed my friend
Pete Kalenik, who is the Chief of Staff at
Leave No Vet Behind, a non-profit organization employing veterans to keep kids safe in tough Chicago neighborhoods. For an entire day, I met and documented the phenomenal veterans in blue caps standing around schools, keeping watch over Chicago's youth. We then proceeded to the organizations'
Greencorps program, where the teens in South Shore were harvesting and working on building solar panels and a green house. The teens were really happy to be photographed and expressed their excitement in being a part of this program, which is keeping them off the streets. Using my photo-documenting skills allowed me to contribute to these two causes, and I was extremely thrilled to be involved. According to this
article, several studies show how giving back improves your health by stimulating the release of endorphins, which has been linked to improved nervous and immune system functions, not to mention improvement in one's self-esteem.
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| This is me filming in San Vicente during my Winter Term Cabo Verde Project in San Vicente |
3. Little things count too - contribute, travel, donate & offer your services to food drives, a mentoring program, or your city's community service programs. I was reading an interesting article a couple of weeks ago about what
nine world leaders were doing in their 20's, and I loved how Barack Obama helped rebuild his local community on the south side, volunteered at his church and then went back home to visit his relatives in Kenya. All of these things helped build his people skills, and I'm sure influenced his political decision to pursue the presidency. In Oberlin College, as part of my participation in the
Bonner Scholars Program, I volunteered to go back home and take photos of the poverty in Cabo Verde. I documented the lives of families and children, then came back to my school and did a fashion show/ fundraiser benefitting the people back home. It was a fun adventure that allowed me to reconnect with my roots while simultaneously giving back. If you don't have the chance to travel, you can donate to a
food drive. Do you live in a high rise building? Every holiday season I'm sure you've seen the collaborations between
toys for tots or a similar toy drive organization you can contribute to as well. If you'd like to mentor a young teen or child,
Mentoring.org has a list of organizations based on where you live. I also like
Chicagocares.org where you can volunteer doing anything you'd like.
As you can see, the options are endless and giving back is a seamless activity that doesn't have to involve offering up too much of your time. In fact, it can be fun, healthy and amazing for your career. It's just the little things that add up to a big thing because you can impact someone else's life in a huge way!
