1. Conservation
Do you find nature fascinating and would want to help conserve the environment? You could take up volunteer work in environmental conservation. You don’t have to move mountains for your input to be felt; simple tasks such as cleaning the beaches and nature trails, reforestation, managing invasive species, and even watering plants during the dry season will go a long way.
It is worth noting that some of these roles can be demanding physically, requiring a hands-on approach for days, if not weeks. One of the advantages of taking up these roles/tasks is that the satisfaction and experience gained from such is worth everything. You’ll also learn a lot about endangered species and how to manage/protect them, in addition to getting an opportunity to explore the outdoors. Community projects allow locals to help with the conservation of their local environment, and are a great way to reconnect with their local community.
2. Farm Work
Farms provide an excellent chance and avenue to get back to nature, as well as learn crucial life skills. Some of the things you can volunteer to do on farms include feeding, caring for animals, fencing and repairs, picking, harvesting, and packing. There’s always something to do on the farm – farmers/managers of the same are always searching for fit and reliable volunteers to help.
3. Climate Change
There’s never been a better time to be involved in climate change volunteer work than now. The effects of climate change can be felt almost everywhere, from extreme weather, melting glaciers, heatwaves, floods and droughts, among many others. You can participate by joining like-minded groups looking to make an impact in preserving the environment and climate change in particular. These can be anything from joining/forming a local political group geared to making a change.
Citizen science is a good example of ways you can volunteer for the good of the climate. It entails collecting a mass of scientific information that can help reverse the effects of climate change. You can either do this as a group or individually, depending on what you are good at.
4. Animal Care and Rescue
There’s always something to do in animal shelters. You can certainly help with various tasks here, from walking dogs, feeding animals, cleaning cages, playing with cats, and conducting behavioural training. If uncomfortable working in these shelters, you can take on the less hands-on tasks like helping with accounting, social media, running events, or even fundraising.
You could also request to care for some of these animals in your home or adopt one or two in the process. This is especially possible for those who love being around pets and animals. If looking for adventure and fun when volunteering in animal shelters, you can then request to take part in animal rescue and caring for injured animals. You’ll be surprised how many lizards, possums, birds, and even turtles need your care. These tasks can be demanding, sometimes requiring you to use your car to pick up these animals and transport them to an experienced carer or vet.
5. Wildlife Conservation
Like climate change, many animals today face extinction, especially with their habitats destroyed through human encroachment. If you have the time and energy, you can participate in conservation projects such as counting penguins, protecting turtle eggs, or even helping rehabilitate elephants in Philips Island, Costa Rica, and Asia. Contributing to funds for these projects is one way to do it. You could also take a more proactive approach by participating in local nature volunteer groups to study, conserve, and protect wildlife locally. Tree planning, educating the community on the importance of wildlife, cleaning, and weeding are some of the tasks you can also take part in.
6. Teaching
The demand for teachers, especially language teachers, has always been on the high side for decades. You don’t necessarily need/have to be a trained teacher to teach. You can choose to teach people whatever language you are best at, say English, Spanish, Italian, Swahili, etc. The best part about volunteering as a teacher is that you can do it part-time and virtually. This will, however, mean preparing lesson plans, assigning tasks, giving tests, grading students, and helping them where they don’t understand. This is probably one of the most satisfying volunteer jobs you can take, teaching students from different parts of the globe and seeing them grow.
