Why do students volunteer?

By Jayston (24J11)

In our school lives, volunteering is not a foreign concept. After all, mandatory Values-In-Action(VIA) sessions to “hit” the bare minimum amount of hours required is the most volunteering many of us will ever do. However, there are some among the cohort who go above and beyond for the community and impact countless lives with their selfless acts of service. These are RVians who engage in external volunteering to make Singapore a better place!

Some may question the point of volunteering externally, especially when there are  endless tutorials and lectures to catch up on. Most external volunteering opportunities require commitment on weekends, which is the prime time to catch up on sleep and homework. After all, the class initiated VIA activities are more than enough to clock in your required hours and external volunteering may seem like an unnecessary hassle.

However, that is simply untrue. From a more self-beneficial perspective, external volunteering looks good on your portfolio and demonstrates your commitment to serving the community, thereby helping you secure your spot in more competitive courses in university. 

Yet, most people who volunteer externally do it not for the portfolio but for the love of the people. The act of volunteering and contributing to a cause or event that brings  joy to people is enough reason for them. Helping others and being part of something greater is extremely fulfilling, and it's rewarding to see your constant commitment have a tangible impact on others.

To find out more about their reasons for volunteering, I interviewed two RVians to share their perspectives on volunteering and how it has impacted their lives while they keep up with their work.

Our first interview is with Chua Zhen Yu Brian from 24J06. He currently takes Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Economics, all at the H2 level. He volunteered as a Heartware Network National Day Parade Logistics Volunteer for last year’s National Day.

Our second interview is with Wei Huaijin Andrew from 24J11. He currently takes Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Economics, all at the H2 level, as well as H3 Physics. He volunteered under the Heartware Tuition Programme as a volunteer leader.

I talked to both Brian and Andrew to learn more about their experiences.

With the National Day Parade being such a large-scale event, Brian had to travel to the Padang every Saturday to prepare, with some bonding and training sessions held at another office earlier on.

“I had to ensure volunteers were hydrated by handing out refreshments such as sports drinks, snacks, and ice cream. We even had to take care of their bags,” Brian said.

“Not only that, I also had to set up metal benches to ensure the administrative matters were well handled.”

Fireworks display during NE show

As a volunteer leader, Andrew was required to organise lessons and take attendance for the children. This was on top of his teaching responsibilities, which involved tutoring primary school children in subjects such as Mathematics and explaining concepts in an easy way they could understand – similar to a tuition teacher. 

As the liaison between parents and the programme, he was also responsible for answering inquiries and ensuring that parents knew what was going on.  

When prompted about why they decided to volunteer, Brian said volunteering was extremely fun for him. He gained a broader perspective on the amount of effort involved in such a widely viewed event and developed a newfound appreciation for the hard work behind the scenes. 

One example he quoted was how all the performers travelled daily in the weeks leading up to the performance.

“I also partially did it to add it to my portfolio,” Brian added sheepishly.

On the other hand, Andrew was inspired by many of his friends who were also volunteering. He was also motivated by a genuine passion to help the children involved in the programme, many of whom come from lower income families and could not afford standard tuition. Since tuition can significantly boost grades, Andrew decided to help out.

“Now that I’m in JC, I feel like I can actually help out with primary school content and teach the kids better compared to last time,” Andrew said.

Hearing about their experiences, I wondered if there were any memorable moments that stood out.

Brian chuckled, “Dumpster diving. I had to literally dig my bare hands into piles of food waste to retrieve plastic utensils and wrappers so the food waste would be separated properly. My hands would stink after the ordeal but it was a unique experience and I managed to make a few new friends.”

He also shared how the performers had to stand in the hot sun and perform thousands of times in their thick costumes while coordinating their movements.

Andrew recalled, “When their end of year examinations were coming up, we all stepped down from teaching. However, some students took the time to write messages to thank their tutors for teaching them throughout the year. The parents were also very nice and appreciative. It was definitely a sweet memory!”

Finally, I asked them about how their experiences volunteering has affected them.

Brian said, “I feel like it was such an epic experience. I almost wanted to volunteer again this year even though there’s A levels. I met so many unique people I didn't know existed. In fact, almost half of my group were from RV, so I managed to make new connections too. It made me want to meet different people, so I volunteered again with Heartware for Apple Packing on Teachers' Day. I met individuals from all walks of life there and had fun the whole time, even though we were just cleaning the apples and drying them!”

“Well, after volunteering, I understand how to deal with children better, and it also helped me manage people in general. I now realise how hard teaching is and it really made me respect teachers even more. I definitely feel more patient and organised now, especially since  I had to manage a lot of materials when tutoring the kids,” Andrew explained.

Brian taking a team picture before the parade

From the interviews, it’s clear students don’t just volunteer for the portfolio. Volunteering enables them to learn more about themselves. It impacts countless lives and brings a great sense of achievement when you contribute to something much bigger than yourself. 

I hope the interviews have provided some insight as to why students volunteer— and encouraged  you to go out there and volunteer yourself! Let’s all work towards achieving our goals while serving the community!