志愿服务，传递温暖

by Tom Green

你是一名志愿者吗？利用空余时间进行志愿活动，不仅能帮助别人，对你的履历也大有好处。如果你希望在某个领域发展自己的特长，不妨参加这方面的志愿活动，熟悉有关方面的操作，锻炼自己的技巧，结交新朋友——最重要的是可以帮助有需要的人。

今年的国际志愿者日（12月5日），你打算用什么方式度过？欢迎到我们的微博来说说哦。

I never really believe people who say that they like giving more than getting.

It is always going to be better to open presents than to watch someone else doing it. It will always be better to find a ￡50 1）note than to lose one. And， personally， Id much rather eat a meal than cook it.

There are some exceptions to this rule and volunteering is one of them.

2）Not that theres anything wrong with receiving someone elses 3）voluntary time—for many people， its a lifeline. But to give your time really is fantastic. Its better than getting presents or finding money. Well， almost.

There is an 4）incredible 5）range of things you can do. Volunteers are 6）involved in pretty much every area of life—from 7）conservation to health advice， football coaching to web design， youth work to hospital radio注. You can find details of volunteering 8）opportunities all across the country.

It 9）tends to be fun （if its not， you can leave）. You meet people you wouldnt normally come across and often get responsibility that wouldnt be offered in paid work.

If youre looking to get into a certain area of work， volunteering can be 10）a foot in the door， giving you the chance to learn about the job and make 11）vital contacts. Even if you dont have a particular career in mind， voluntary work always looks good on a 12）CV or job 13）application.

Many websites have information on all these things， some may even have 14）directories of organisations that run volunteering programmes overseas. Want to map a 15）coral reef in Fiji， or help conserve the 16）ecosystem in Ecuador？ Its all possible. Some overseas volunteering can be expensive （the cost of travel， 17）accommodation and living expenses etc）， but if you can save or get 18）sponsored， youll have the experience of a lifetime. Its a great way to get away from home for the summer （or even longer） and while some programmes do require payments， others are completely free.

Most of us have some spare time. So why not trade it in for something better？

有些人说，比起得到，他们更喜欢给予。我从来不信。

自己拆礼物，总比看别人拆礼物开心；捡到50英镑的钞票，总比丢了50英镑好。就我自己来说，吃饭可比做饭好多了。

不过也有例外，其中之一就是参加志愿活动。

不是因为接受别人的志愿服务有什么错--它是许多人的救命稻草，而是因为把自己的时间奉献给别人的感觉实在太美妙了，甚至比收到礼物或是捡到钱还要好--好吧，几乎比那些还要好。

志愿活动涵盖的范围极其广泛，志愿者们参与的活动几乎遍及生活的各个领域，从环境保育到健康咨询，从足球教练到网页设计，从青少年工作到医院的广播电台等等。你在全国各地都能找到志愿者工作机会的详细信息。

志愿活动往往很有趣（如果没趣，你可以离开）。你会遇到平时不常遇到的人，要承担一些有偿工作中不常赋予你的责任。

如果你想进入某一领域工作，志愿活动可以为你打开一扇门，你可以借此机会了解这份工作，并建立重要的联系。即便你心里还没有确定某个特定职业，参加志愿活动的经历也总会给你的简历和求职申请加分。

很多网站都有志愿活动的信息，一些网站还有境外志愿项目运营组织的名录。你想在斐济标记某块珊瑚礁的地理位置吗？还是想为保护厄瓜多尔的生态系统出一分力呢？这些皆有可能。有些境外志愿活动可能花费不菲（旅费、住宿费和生活费等），但是，如果你能攒起这笔钱，或者得到赞助，你将拥有毕生难忘的经历。这是远离家乡度过夏天（或者更长时间）的绝佳方式。而且，虽然有些志愿项目需要付款，其他则是完全免费的。

我们大多数人都有一些余暇时间。既然如此，为什么不用它来换取一些更好的东西呢？