Need a New Year’s Resolution? Volunteer at Junior Achievement
It’s only mid January — you still have time to find, start working on and post on social about your 2016 New Year’s resolutions. Let us offer a suggestion: Volunteer with Junior Achievement (JA), which inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy.
Doesn’t that sound more fun than your typical run-of-the-New-Year resolution? Consider:
JA vs. Joining a Health Club
Volunteering can help reduce stress levels and promote a stronger connection to community. In fact, a recent study by United Health Group showed 76 percent of people who volunteered in the past 12 months said it made them feel healthier.
We say save the health club membership money to buy your new friends in JA a latte.
JA vs. Motivational Podcasts
Did you promise yourself endless hours of Tony Robinson motivational podcasts to get your career moving? Go directly to the source and volunteer with JA instead. Volunteering increases your job satisfaction and improves job-related skills. Add in great networking opportunities, and you never know what doors might open.
JA vs. Winning the Powerball
We know if you won the lottery you would spend pretty much all of it doing good in the world. But if that doesn’t happen, we suggest changing the life of a young person through JA. Teach a future leader about managing finances, preparing for work and starting a creative business concept. You have the opportunity to make a huge difference in someone’s life and be the reason behind his or her success. That’s powerful stuff.
JA vs. Skydiving
So you pledged to have more fun this year? JA is a great way to add pizzazz to your 2016 without risking a nasty fall, embarrassment on Instagram or a needless break up.
Based on a survey by True Impact, 99.5 percent of JA volunteers had a satisfying experience. Those are good numbers.
So, set aside those resolutions you know you’ll break. Have fun and bring your enthusiasm and experience to the classroom. With more than 40,000 students in Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas, they can’t do it without you.
This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 9:18 AM.