07 Aug The Magic of Volunteering by Avigail Wonder, Head of Secondary
As parents, teachers and educators, we are always considering what our young people need to thrive as adults—more importantly – what our young people need to do themselves to thrive as adults.
As Jews, we are held to the maxim of כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה – we are responsible for caring for others and our community. One of the most critical ways that a teen can develop is in contributing to their community. At Yavneh, this is core to who we are as Jews, as Australians, as menschen.
The massive neurological and emotional development that takes place in their adolescent years, is where the brain restructures, creating a faster, more efficient system. Neuroimaging studies show that the neural networks that change most significantly during adolescence are the same networks activated by contributing to others.
Our students – as they mature – provide emotional and practical support to their family, friends and – in many cases – to community members and organisations. A significant amount of Yavneh students are regular volunteers and significant contributors to a wide variety of organisations in our community – helping provide food for the disadvantaged, raise funds for causes in Israel and working with children and adults with special needs. Our students are not self-absorbed- they are givers to those around them.
We observe that our students are becoming more aware of the circumstances of others, more invested in their needs and, more willing to get involved. They sign up for volunteering opportunities at organisations such as CCare and Friendship Circle and give of themselves passionately in their spare time on the weekends and in the holidays. They help Beit Rafael and the Posh Opp Shoppe with their weekly packing and sorting needs. While they do so, they learn invaluable skills and lessons that are crucial for their personal and professional adult lives. They learn to listen, to compromise, to be sensitive and tolerant. They learn to be assertive and to communicate. They learn to prioritise their time, collaborate, and provide feedback. They learn to liaise with multiple stakeholders and network with other members of the community.
The most amazing experience in volunteering is what I call the ‘volunteer high’ – the rush of positive feelings that one gets from giving of oneself to help another. The brain area most implicated in adolescent risk taking and seeking that ‘rush’ – can and does drive kind and helpful behaviours, such as volunteering and contributing – leading to the ‘volunteer high’.
Giving benefits the giver. Research has found that participation in voluntary services is significantly predictive of better mental and physical health, life satisfaction, self-esteem, happiness, lower depressive symptoms and lower rates or incidents of psychological distress. Young people benefit in similar ways, and they get their own unique benefits from contributing, as well.
For example, the increased activation of the reward system in the brain may make adolescents value giving more and feel more fulfilled by it. Young people from families in which contributing is a particular value seem to feel this sense of reward even more acutely. Adolescents also report being happier on days when they are helpful.
Studies have shown that students who are helpful, cooperative, and open to sharing tend to be more popular than those who use hostility, unkindness or power to gain status. This is particularly crucial to adolescents who, in the throes of development, are hyper-sensitive to social belonging and connectedness.
Most importantly, volunteering provides young people with the experiences they need to develop into healthy adults: building autonomy, identity, and connectedness. Making meaningful contributions to others allows adolescents to see that they can have a positive effect on the world, giving them the confidence necessary to build autonomy and agency. We are so proud of our Yavneh students – who through their Chessed volunteering – come to understand their place and value in the world, developing their sense of identity and forging strong and positive relationships in their families, school and wider community.