Do you remember the Sani Kaita red card against Greece? I have tried as much as possible to forget that unforgivable scene in Nigeria’s football history. Was it worse than the Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s miss? Not sure there is an answer for that. However, I can’t forget because it marked a special day for me. I had earlier chosen to forfeit a pivotal encounter for that match, but the red card gave me a chance to run back to the Engineering LT in the then University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD).

Without knowing much about what they are and what they do, I agreed to attend the ‘open session’ of the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) because the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture insisted it was a must attend event. Who cares? Nigeria was playing in the World Cup. 

I found my way to the meeting after all. It took two meetings to confirm that I was in the right place, and I was certain I’d dedicate myself to the organisation; the rest they say is history.

Coming into a new community – a university community - with little or no known support system on campus and being a member of a family that preaches communal living and engaging socially in activities that help contribute to the general good, I needed a place to find rest and expend my energy. It was certain that I would not be able to do much in the many other options I had been offered.

As a member of SIFE, I learned experientially and through engagements with older members who had gone through some sets of trainings and were gracious to lend a helping hand. My learning cut across project management especially ideation but more importantly, designing a project that is a ‘pull’ and not a ‘push’. Knowing the difference between both was all I needed to begin the understanding of having the input of beneficiaries in designing a solution that works for them. In today’s world, you’d call it co-developing with the community or say, participatory approach that harvests indigenous voices in designing a workable solution.

While we worked assiduously off the camera, what many people saw was the glamour of being a member of SIFE/ENACTUS. The ‘official dressing’ and the unhindered access to the school management. They liked the way we could impact the examination timetable in favour of bringing honour and glory to our school. They loved the ability to brag about being members and targeted our ‘ladies’ because being a member of SIFE/ENACTUS UNAD/EKSU means you are more than just the average student. 

What they didn’t see? They didn’t see Suco teaching us how to make biogas as me mixed cow dungs with our hands (we had protective gloves), they didn’t see late night struggles of those who present our work, and they didn’t see Banji sleeping in Igbemo-Ekiti with his crew just to understand the rice farmers in that blessed community. They saw the glamour, but we were more than that. And for those who were fixated on the glamour, they barely added anything to themselves.

It’s the same everywhere. People volunteer for different reasons and mine was to have a family – a community I could be proud of. And that meant that I needed to be true to the community, give it my best and ensure that I was a great ambassador of that community. 

Today, many take volunteering opportunities because they don’t have the requisite skills to break into a particular workspace, thinking that the easiest route is to target such places and sneak their way up top or just volunteer out of boredom. While it is not inappropriate to do so for work experience and networking, it is important to ensure that you give value to the organisation.

In its truest form, volunteering gives a sense of purpose. It teaches you in a real sense and helps to build a better persona – exposes you to a work culture and if done properly, allows you to improve on the knowledge you have. Its massive impact on your CV is unquantifiable. This is what many fixate on and slightly cause them to think that they do not need to ‘work hard’ as a volunteer. 

As a volunteer, a commitment that is matched with value, learning, and continuous development does not only improve the CV, but the experience also helps when transitioning into a ‘full-time’ job that pays the worth of the work you have done – a compensation for the value you gave without financial incentives as a volunteer.

In my work in advocating for Healthy Food Policies in Nigeria and youth mobilisation for sustainable development, I draw from the experience I had while volunteering as well as build upon some of the works I did in those beautiful communities in Ekiti with my teammates.

When volunteers get it right, it becomes the building block for a successful career that is synonymous with value, efficiency, and impact. When employers/organisations do it right, we have the opportunity of building a community of exceptional leaders through an efficient volunteering programme. On all fronts, volunteering is critical to the sustainable development that we seek and the future we have dreamt of.

What is your volunteering experience? It will be nice to hear about it.