Barrie Communauté Nouvelles

Well hello summer! You’re finally here, forcing your unyielding heat and lengthy daylight hours on anyone who will listen. As the season rolls in, you are probably contemplating where you should go for your summer vacation. Have you ever considered volunteering abroad?

Part of community impact is engaging in the civic life of communities, and that starts with electing national and local leaders. Holding elections hinges on the help of volunteers, so this area is one that’s ripe for employee involvement.

Voluntourism has a bad reputation. It's supposed to help vulnerable communities, but often it seems like the only people to benefit are the volunteers, who get new content for their resume and photos for their Instagram.

Co-founded by Chad Smalley and Kevin Chua in December 2015, Involver - Social Volunteering is a platform that connects volunteers to social causes and help corporations and non-profits run data-oriented structured CSR programs economically.

1. Older adults who volunteer tend to live longer. Scientists aren’t sure of the causal relationship between volunteering and a longer life span, said Erwin Tan, MD, director of Senior Corps, a program of the CNCS that connects volunteers ages 55 and older with organizations they can help.