Volunteering? The way to find a job

“Volunteering is a fundamental added value to a professional career”. Anna Maria Darmanin, Vice President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in charge of communication and member of Workers’ Group (Group II), speaks from experience. “I have been able to enter the labour market also because I myself had been a volunteer and I had proven what kind of work I was able to do during my volunteering activity”.

Vita Europe: What kind of experience did you have?

Anna-Maria Darmanin: While I was attending university I worked as a volunteer in Student Affairs. The student’s union is run on a volunteering basis. I dedicated those days to studying and to ensuring that we, as students were able to have what we were supposed to get. I am a Trade Unionist and I can say I started this activity during my university days. For me it was a great opportunity to learn the job and I was allowed make mistakes, because I was not paid

 

Vita Europe: Is there a risk that volunteering might become a substitution for real jobs?

Darmanin: The objective of volunteering is to contribute to society development and it is also very important because thanks to volunteering, young people can gain experience. However there is a very thin line that should not be crossed otherwise it could become an abuse of work, because volunteering shouldn’t replace a real job, it should not be an excuse not to pay for work.

 

Vita Europe: How do you perceive that the EYV is communicated here in Brussels?

Darmanin: I think that it was very important that we actually dedicated this year to volunteering in order to acknowledge the crucial work volunteers do across Europe and everywhere. One of the most important things is that we are talking about EYV both at a national and at a regional level. What is significant is also the major contribution young people are giving to volunteering.

Vita Europe: What will be your message to young people who want to start volunteering? What is the benefit to do that?

Darmanin: They should do something they believe in and have fun doing. Thanks to volunteering you get back much more than you give, in value, in experience, in satisfaction. It is something you carry with you for the rest of your life.

Vita Europe: Do you still volunteer on a regular basis?

Darmanin: I do it periodically on specific projects, so if there is a project I can contribute to, I offer my help. I’m involved with Morning Tears, a small Pan European NGO, which works with children whose parents are in jail. It operates in China, Africa and Russia.