During this National Volunteer Week (15-21 June 2025), we’re celebrating all our wonderful AFS volunteers.
On today’s blog, our young volunteer Callan shares his story – why he volunteers, the different organisations he gives his time to, and why he thinks everyone can benefit from volunteering.
From Exchange Student to Volunteer: My Journey with AFS and Beyond
Kia ora,
I’m Callan and I’m currently in my third year studying law and politics at the University of Otago. I did an AFS exchange to Germany in 2022 and once returning to New Zealand I picked up volunteering with AFS. While I had done a bit of volunteer work before my exchange, it was on my return and through working with AFS that I really discovered my passion for volunteering.
Seeing Aotearoa Through Fresh Eyes: Why I Volunteer
In 2023 I started my volunteer journey with AFS and began by helping to run a stall at a career’s expo as a recent returnee. Since then, I’ve represented AFS at multiple other careers events, helped out at arrival camps and done school visits to inspire students to have the incredible experience of attending high school overseas. My favourite times volunteering with AFS is when I get to fly up to Auckland to help facilitate an arrival camp and I get to see Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of someone who has been in the country less than 24 hours. I feel like I have learnt so much about Aotearoa just by experiencing it vicariously through newly arrived students. Another great experience of these camps is getting to see all the amazing staff of AFS in person again!
How Volunteering Helped Me Find Purpose
Alongside AFS, I’ve also picked up other volunteer positions both in my local Dunedin community and on a national level. UN Youth New Zealand is my largest commitment where I am currently serving as the Vice-President for High Schools of the Otago Region and also sitting on the National Event Committee responsible for organising New Zealand Model Parliament which will be happening in September in Christchurch. This felt like a natural extension of my work with AFS as UN Youth is all about promoting global citizenship and providing students with the tools they need to grow as a global citizen. Outside this I’ve done volunteer consulting, legal education in person and on radio and a slew of one-off events/projects.
Volunteering Changed My Life — Here’s How It Can Change Yours, Too
I initially started volunteering as a way to stay in touch with AFS, an organisation whose mission I wholeheartedly believe in, however as I continued volunteering with all sorts of organisations, I found it was a great way to meet likeminded people and fill time where I’d otherwise be bored or unproductive. Also, volunteer roles where you hold a substantial amount of responsibility, while frequently stressful are often the most rewarding as you get to truly shape and implement your vision. Additionally, volunteering works as an incredible way to show what you’re interested in and your work ethic to potential employers and collaborators. When applying for anything, showing what organisations and causes you choose to give your free time to, and even that you volunteer at all says a huge amount about you.
I would genuinely highly recommend volunteering to anyone, it’s a great way to make a positive impact while also learning more about a field and meeting great people! I understand that it can feel hard to fit in amongst everything else going on in your life. When I was in my first year of university and just starting my volunteer journey, I definitely found it hard to balance my commitments properly, however as I’ve volunteered more, and picked up more responsibilities I’ve had to develop new time management habits to ensure that I stay on top of everything. It’s because of this that I would advise anyone seeking to begin volunteering or wanting to get more involved with volunteer work to become very familiar with their calendar and always keep it updated with their commitments and periods of unavailability as this is truly what has helped me the most in keeping busy while also maintaining quality and consistency in my work.
I hope that with all that said, you’re now thinking about causes and organisations in your communities which you’d like to devote your time and skills to, if none are coming to mind, have a look around! You’d often be surprised at how many opportunities you’ll find around you. As a cheeky plug, AFS is always looking for new volunteers and is one of the most incredible organisations to volunteer for, the sense of community, fulfilment and opportunities are unparalleled. If you haven’t volunteered before or just haven’t volunteered in a while for AFS or any other organisation now’s a great time to start thinking about it!
Interested in becoming an AFS volunteer?
Find out more and get in touch!
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