If you ask someone why they started volunteering, they will most likely answer something like “I wanted to help” or “it was interesting.”

Both are true. Both are also incomplete. Most people start volunteering for several reasons at once, and not all of them are altruistic. That is normal. This article is about those other reasons that are usually not said out loud.

The fears no one warns you about

Before the first day, almost every volunteer thinks the same thing: will I be good enough? Will I not know what to do? Will everyone else already know each other, and I’ll be left on the sidelines? These fears are so common that they could almost be included in the official orientation.

What matters is that, in most cases, they disappear within the first two hours—not because the situation is easier than expected, but because you are too busy to think about yourself.

What you actually gain

Volunteering provides three things that don’t fit well into a CV format, but in practice, are useful for longer than any line in a document.

First, you understand how you work with people when there is no hierarchy. In school, it’s clear who the boss is. In a volunteer group, that’s not the case, and it reveals something interesting about how you behave when you don’t have to answer to anyone.

Second, you do things you otherwise wouldn’t do for years. You organize events, coordinate people, and solve problems that arise at the last minute. This experience accumulates faster than in any school project.

Third, you meet people with different priorities. Some volunteers work full-time and do their volunteer work in the evenings. Others are students. Others are looking for direction. This diversity is valuable precisely because it is not artificially constructed.

About the CV entry

Yes, volunteering looks good on paper. That is a fact, and there is no point in denying it. But employers who ask about volunteer experience during an interview are usually looking for something specific: whether you can describe a situation where something went wrong and what you did about it.

If you have only worked with theoretical motivation and have never been in a situation where something failed, you have no answer to give. Volunteering almost guarantees that such situations will occur.

When motivation is not purely altruistic

Many people start volunteering partly because they feel stuck. The routine, school, the same people, the feeling that something is missing. That is as valid a reason as any other. Volunteering in Inspiria projects often starts from this very point, and that isn’t a problem. What matters is what happens after the first few times, when you realize that you are doing something that impacts other people—and that feels different from most other things.

How to start

No special experience is needed, and you don’t need a clear plan. All that’s required is availability and the willingness to show up. Inspiria regularly looks for young people for projects in Latvia and international exchanges. Current opportunities can be found in the “Events” section.