International Volunteer Day, on December 5, marks a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, share their values, and promote their work among their communities. Qatar University’s (QU) Volunteerism and Community Service center highlights the importance of volunteering work and volunteers’ contributions to society on this day.
The center is keen to ensure that students obtain meaningful experiences in community service. In this context, we review several volunteer specialist opinions about the importance of volunteering.
Mubarak Al-Dosari, Head of the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Section, commented, “Volunteer work is based on achieving the principle of community solidarity by involving a group of community members within a specific organization to provide a service or assistance that is not viewed from the financial aspect. In this community, the recipient of this service feels that he is an important and valuable person in the community.”
Maha Al Marri, Senior Volunteer Program Specialist notes the importance of virtual volunteering. She said, “The Volunteering and Community Service center at Qatar University is one of the most important volunteer centers in the community. In addition, virtual volunteering is part of the center’s policy, especially following Covid-19. The center has emerged clearly in the local community and is responsible for the country's national campaign to stand up to this pandemic under the slogan ‘For Qatar.’ The center is also well-versed in technology and has excellent capabilities, so the use of virtual means was a seamless process.”
Khalifa Al-Yafei, Senior Community Program Specialist, said, “Volunteer work is an essential social pillar in building society. This is due to its developmental role, in addition to its consolidation of the values of cooperation and the strengthening of social ties. It plays an important role in social solidarity, social cohesion and cooperation among members of society for its development and advancement. Moreover, embodying the values of social responsibility and belonging to society. In addition to the extent to which voluntary work contributes to the economic aspect of the development, and investment it provides for human capital.”
“Hence, volunteer work is one of the means of promoting societies and a tool of development, and it is one of the best forms of social solidarity, because of the development of the human side of society and the development of the sense of social cohesion of the individual and strengthening the unity of the individual,” he adds.
Shaikha Al-Kuwari, Senior Volunteer Program Specialist said, “Volunteering is when a person contributes his time, effort, skills and experience to perform a specific task without being paid. The role of the volunteer is to work in teams made up of other volunteers and the organizers responsible for the event. Through various volunteer opportunities, the volunteer gains practical experience, expands his or her own skills, develops new interests and becomes more involved in the community. It also contributes, in turn, to inviting others interested in volunteering through successful experiences and acquired skills, which will benefit the individual and society as a whole.”
Maryam AlKuwari, Volunteer Program Specialist, said, “Volunteering is considered one of the basic tasks that a student should participate in to acquire skills and moral values. This will create cadres of influential leaders in society and its advancement and improves the volunteers resume, which will qualify them to work professionally in this field. Therefore, Qatar University has a major role in consolidating the concept and establishing an integrated approach to volunteering among students, instilling values and skills, encouraging them to innovate and change, and providing assistance in the humanitarian community by offering continuous volunteer opportunities, programs and initiatives that suit their special interests.”
Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY