By Hasmik Marukyan
When I was a first year student at Yerevan State University in 2013, my student life seemed quite boring; I had classes during evening time, and my schedule did not allow much involvement in student life; student organizations in my university were more active during the day time which was the only time that I could use to get ready for the evening classes.
This lifestyle was quite demotivating for a young girl who wanted to learn outside of the classroom and make an impact. Volunteering at the Youth Foundation of Armenia was the opportunity that I grasped while searching for ways to get involved in activities outside of my classes. After volunteering in the organization for three years, it gave me my first job as an assistant. But that was never the initial goal.
Volunteering is becoming more and more trendy nowadays among youth. Larger organizations like AGBU, The Armenian Red Cross Society, HUJ Voluntary Service of Armenia and others have their programs set with clear procedures and expectations from volunteers. Other smaller organizations offering such opportunities have an easier access to young people; they may reach them through online announcements on social media platforms and Telegram chats in comparison to 10 years ago, when you really needed to search for a chance to volunteer.
The opportunities offered are more diverse than they used to be, given the changes in the lifestyle of youth with more and more large-scale local and international events happening in Armenia.
Of course, the opportunities differ for youth in the cities and in rural areas; youth living in villages have to travel in order to have a chance for such an experience. A question arises on what the driving force behind one’s wish to volunteer is.
In 2023, the Republic of Armenia, after several attempts in 2006, 2010, 2015, and 2017, adopted a law on volunteering. This law set clear criteria for volunteers, definitions of volunteering work, framework on how the volunteering should be conducted, regulating relationship between volunteers and state and international volunteering organizations. The law mentioned what the objectives of volunteering should be, such as unpaid service to the public, community aiming to develop skills, solve community-related issues, support career goals, foster non-formal education, and more. This law was a public demand, since the idea of volunteerism has become more and more popular in Armenian culture.
Both in my previous and current job at AUA, I have had chances to supervise volunteers, I came to realize that they have motives that are slightly different from mine.
For some young people, volunteering opportunities are pursued in order to make their CV richer and look more professional. Having a long list of such experiences, in their opinion, will make them more competitive in a job market or university admission process, since more and more universities require proof of volunteering from their applicants. Luckily, the current law allows the volunteers to have such proof in the form of a contract with the respective organization, the proof can also be in the form of a certificate or reference letter.
Another reason why young people are volunteering is networking opportunities, exposure to the specialists from the field they are interested in. For this reason, volunteering becomes a way of putting yourself out there and having experiences outside of your comfort zone. This can be highly motivating, and the connections one gains can later have their benefits.
The third reason that I have observed is one’s wish to develop soft and hard skills. Meeting the right leaders with the right attitude can teach a volunteer a lot. Moreover, one can also learn from observing how other people – mentors, supervisors – do things. Therefore, it is not just about doing it yourself, it is also about seeing how other people do it and learning.
The examples brought above seem to show that the relationship between volunteers and organizations is kind of “transactional,” only for the benefit of it, with an expectation of gaining something. If all of that is true, then what about all the emergency situations Armenia has faced in recent 40 years and the instances of volunteer involvement in those.
I remember how my grandparents told me the stories of how they immediately traveled to Gyumri when the earthquake happened in December, 1988. My grandmother was an obstetrician, and my grandfather was a head of a department in a factory. They spent days and nights in the affected area, helping with their expertise and not only.
During the 2020 Artsakh War and 2023 Artsakh Exodus, the drive of people was mesmerizing. Everyone wanted to support, even if the results of the work were not visible, nobody did it in order to get something. They did it because they cared, because they wanted to make a difference, even if the difference was small. Moreover, the volunteers involved in these cases were not just young people with their aspirations, but older people who wanted to contribute with their time and expertise. Surely, there is a reward, but it is not something to be touched or measured.
Work prospects, networking, proof of volunteer experience completion provide grounds for future opportunities and professional growth, but the central force that should guide one to volunteer is a good will and motivation to make an impact and improve lives and conditions around. One should volunteer and help not because they will benefit from it, but because they can.
Views expressed in opinion pieces represent those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of AUA or the MAMJ program.