“Volunteering has really surprised me!”

“It was one of the most enjoyable summers I’ve had in a long time,” Vanessa says. Last May, she decided to follow her curiosity and try out various volunteer tasks. “One week I was in a museum with the elderly, the next week at a festival or in Artis. I don’t only rediscovered my own city, but also myself. It kept pulling me out of my head and gave me a feeling that I had missed for a long time.”No content to translate.“I was always so critical of myself. Everything had to be perfect. At some point, it got to me. After my last job in journalism, I really didn’t know anymore. I always wanted to go one step higher, better. But what was that? I decided to travel, hoping to discover what I wanted. When I came back, I thought: okay, let’s get back to it. I applied for jobs, talked to people, but it all didn’t feel right. Like I was running, but didn’t know where to. One day, my job coach asked: ‘You have quite a bit of free time, why don’t you do some volunteer work?’ I never thought of that. But I thought: yes, why not after all?”

Google for adventure

“So I just googled ‘volunteer work Amsterdam’. That’s how I found the website of Volunteer Center Amsterdam. So many possibilities: You can do something with the elderly, children, animals, festivals, theater, nature… Wow, what a world opened up for me. The first thing I saw was a call to give media training – exactly my field of expertise. It felt like a sign right away. I responded, but since that was a one-time job, I wanted more.”

Anxiety can be kept so small

“My eye fell on the SoundColorFestival, a small classical music event. Three days later, I was already there. I had no idea what to expect. But it was so much fun. I was behind the bar, serving drinks, talking to people I would never have with otherwise. In between, I could listen to the music myself and have something to eat. This didn’t feel like work at all, but light and relaxing. I didn’t get paid for it, but something much more valuable: joy, peace, and not being stuck in my head. And that was so good for me.”

“It left me wanting more. I also started working at the care institution Amsta, where I took elder people outside with a few other volunteers – to a museum, to Artis, or just for a cup of coffee. Simple things, but they made a difference. Some residents hardly ever went outside. You could see it in their eyes: that they enjoyed it, that someone took the time for them. That touched me. With one lady, 77 years old, I immediately connected. She talked about her life, about choices that had an impact. That she had a miscarriage during her first pregnancy and ultimately never became a mother out of fear of another miscarriage. And afterwards, she regretted not daring to try again. That made me think: wow. Fear can hold you back so much. And I decided: I don’t want that. I don’t want to be led by fear.”

Life on the edge

“Volunteering not only brought me beautiful encounters but also sharp insights. In that care institution, I saw how young some residents were: sometimes 65 years old, and already so ill that they could no longer live at home. I found that intense. It made me aware that life is not a given. I want to stay healthy, exercise, eat well, take good care of myself.”

Dare to exist

“Through volunteering, I spent my summer in an unexpected beautiful way. I was in the Netherlands the whole summer, but never felt bored. One week I was in a museum with the elderly, the next week at a festival or in Artis. I rediscovered my own city — and a bit of myself too. It even gave me the push to start something for myself. I was always afraid to take the leap, but now I thought: I’ll just do it and go for it, even if it’s scary. And once I did that, opportunities naturally came my way. I still want to do cool things, but now in my own way. Relaxed. In Vanessa’s way.

Volunteering has truly given me something. It has given me back confidence in myself. Now I think: perfection doesn’t exist. Sometimes it’s enough to just be. Just to exist. That felt so liberating.”

Do you also want to discover what volunteering can bring you?

View theonline possibilitiesor makean appointment for personalized advice– maybe your ‘sign’ is already waiting there.Photos: Kitty de Jong
Text: Linda Slagter