Girl Scout volunteers gain time, valuable skills

Volunteering for Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma is a rewarding experience with countless benefits. Not only do volunteers get to help shape girls’ lives but they often improve their own lives in the process. Whether you are a corporate professional or a retired grandparent, there are benefits for volunteers in every stage of life, and the numbers show volunteering is a rewarding activity in many aspects of life. Here are just a few ways volunteering for Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma can positively impact you.

Good for You, Good for Girls

Girl Scouts gives girls lessons in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), the outdoors, life skills and entrepreneurship. While teaching girls these important lessons, you can add the same to your own list. Plus, you’ll gain leadership, mentorship and teaching skills.

Encourage the Girls in Your Life

Girl Scouts helps cultivate the leaders of tomorrow while giving girls once-in-a-lifetime experiences and opportunities. Volunteering for Girl Scouts means you are positively impacting the girls in your community, creating powerful bonding opportunities. 

Girl Scouts get to participate in their own communities, learning how to volunteer and help those around them, while you provide them with those lessons.

But perhaps the most valuable thing gained from that experience is time – time to create, think, inspire and enjoy watching the girls in your life grow. 

Add It To Your Résumé

Volunteering is a great way to boost your résumé and make you stand out in a crowd of applications. That’s for a good reason — volunteering helps build your character and gives you marketable skills. 

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, volunteers are 27% more likely than non-volunteers to find a job after being unemployed. That is a helpful boost in any job market.

Not only that, but volunteers are more hireable according to the Deloitte Developing Leadership Skills through Volunteerism survey. Employers stated that volunteering really does affect who they hire:

• 82% of employers said they are more likely to hire someone who has volunteering on their résumé  
• 80% of employers said volunteers are more likely to move easily into leadership roles

Boost Your Self Esteem

Adding to your résumé is a helpful benefit of volunteering, but it can do more than boost your job opportunities; it can boost your spirits and overall mental health. Those who volunteer are, in general, happier than those who do not. 

The Doing Good is Good for You Study from VolunteerMatch in 2017 showed many emotional benefits to volunteering:

• 93% reported an improved mood
• 79% reported lower stress levels
• 88% reported increased self-esteem by giving back

Volunteering for Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma can be a benefit to your mental health, while also improving the lives of the girls around you. 

Enjoy Your Time Post-Retirement

Those getting ready to retire or already enjoying their retirement may be looking for an opportunity to help use some of their newfound free time. Volunteering adds purpose to your life while giving you new experiences and skills. 

Retired grandparents find it rewarding to volunteer as a Troop Leader or Co-Leader with their grandchildren, as a way to spend more time with their loved ones while giving them life-long memories. Many grandparent volunteers treasure their time with Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma, and they would be happy to share their experiences with you.

As an added bonus, volunteering can even help you improve your memory. New skills and challenging activities can help prevent dementia, according to a study in Psychology Science.

Become A Girl Scout Volunteer Today

There are so many ways to offer your skills to Girl Scouts, from being a Troop Leader or Co-Leader, to offering carpool services, helping with cookie season or helping out with the corporate operations. No matter your stage of life, there really is something for everyone volunteering for Girls Scouts Western Oklahoma. To get involved with Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma or to learn more, visit gswestok.org/volunteer.