We’re all community members. Our circles may vary in size and number and their members may be near or far, but we all have a community around us. Our community supports us on our career paths, gives us a feeling of belonging and introduces us to new people and new ideas. But what happens when we pull up stakes and move to a new country?
The concept of community is often taken for granted by many of us until we find ourselves living and working in a foreign land. Developing a support network from scratch is challenging but it is important, doubly so if you are a freelancer or independent consultant.
You may consider yourself a solitary soul, a free spirit that relishes solitude, but the most seasoned—and successful—freelancers know that the key to personal and professional success is having a solid network.
And, maybe you don’t even realize something is missing until you want to head to the mountains for a hike on the weekend, but no one is around to join you, or when you attempt a new professional venture and don’t know who to turn to for guidance.
The idea of starting anew is often daunting, but it can be much easier than you think. One of the most powerful ways to make connections in a new city is through volunteering.
When you volunteer, you not only build community, you also:
- Reduce stress
- Make new friends
- Connect with your community
- Learn new skills
- Build meaning and purpose
Volunteering can be as simple as finding a worthy cause and dedicating a few hours of your week to it, or you could invest more of your time in an organization and really build something meaningful.
Volunteering has many incredible benefits. Let’s comb through some of the most interesting.
A Wise Use of Time
The research does not lie. As humans, three of our most important core needs are feeling part of a wider community, giving and receiving attention and a sense of competence and achievement.
When the London School of Economics looked at the relationship between volunteering and wellbeing, they discovered that the more people volunteered, the happier they were.
When you volunteer your time, you get many things in return:
- You have new opportunities to build skills your job does not give.
- You introduce new people into your life that you connect with differently from other friends, colleagues and clients.
- You feel that sense of achievement that comes with delivering a project with a team you are excited to be part of.
- It is also a great way to get involved in activities happening right here in Barcelona.
Why take a volunteer trip to help rebuild communities in a far-off land when you can volunteer for organizations like Esperança and be there for the homeless of your adopted city?
According to Forbes, “Volunteering builds empathy, strengthens social bonds and makes you smile,”—a trio of great reasons to volunteer!
Hone Your Skills
It is not just your job or business that helps you build new skills.
In fact, it can be difficult to add another arrow to your quiver when you are in a job or business long term. Your activities are limited to what is good for the business, and company-wide volunteering initiatives can often be quite narrow in scope because they are defined specifically to fulfill the needs of the company's corporate culture.
You may want to go for a promotion and lead a team—volunteering your time to lead a team will get you the experience you need to demonstrate you have the skills for the job.
When you have a skill that is transferable—like digital marketing, copywriting, events management or anything else—you can use this skill in a volunteer role and fulfill your need to give back to a cause you believe in.
The VP of Marketing for PWN Barcelona, Hilary Strong, did exactly this.
She is a marketing and branding expert, and leads her own company—The Brandbean. Passionate about gender balanced leadership, Hilary uses her marketing skills at PWN Barcelona to not only lead the marketing team, but to ensure all emails, social media and in-person marketing materials are delivered on schedule and attract new members, sponsors and partners to the organization.
Or perhaps you have a passion that you do not get to explore in your day job. Volunteering will help you build on it and give you a sense of fulfillment.
VP of Events for PWN Barcelona—Nina Bellamy-James—does this. She has a passion for events management and fulfills it through volunteering—her day job is something entirely different!
What skills do you want to build, or what skills do you have that you want to dedicate to a worthy cause? The answer to this question will lead you to a volunteer organization that is looking for someone just like you.
It’s All About Who You Know
When you are looking for a new job, or new friends, where do you go?
There are countless networking events and clubs you could join in Barcelona that will get you there. Many of these can come with the basic offer of: Let’s have a drink and get to know each other.
A more powerful way to build your network is to get involved in an activity that creates lasting memories. You are more likely to bond with your volleyball team than you are with people you met once for July rooftop drinks.
When building a strong social circle or finding a new professional opportunity is your goal, volunteering can help you achieve it. You will work with a team that gets to know you and your skills. Because you work on projects together, you end up socializing together because—shock!—you like each other! When you volunteer, you are part of a community that shares your interests, your values, your aspirations. These are the building blocks for strong personal and professional relationships.
There’s one more piece to this. The audience the organization serves also gets to know you. So when you are ready for a new professional challenge, both your volunteer teammates and the audience you serve could potentially introduce you to someone in their wide-reaching networks that has the perfect opportunity for you.
Need new friends or new career opportunity? Volunteer!
Your Volunteering Journey Starts Here
To give you a head start on local organizations to volunteer for, here are just a few:
PWN Barcelona
The Professional Women’s Network (PWN) Barcelona is the only organization exclusively focused on promoting and accelerating diverse and gender balanced leadership within the Barcelona corporate community. In the spirit of diversity, both the PWN Barcelona team and member base is made up of men and women from over 15 different cultural backgrounds. To build your network and start developing your professional skills, connect with PWN on community@pwnbarcelona.net.
Esperança
Esperança is an English-speaking volunteer group co-founded by Julie Stephenson. The volunteers go out twice a week and distribute food, clothing and chat to the homeless in Barcelona. For more on how you can support this cause, join the Facebook group.
Barcelona Global
Barcelona Global is a private, independent and non-profit association made up of 191 of the city’s leading companies, research centers, entrepreneurs, business schools, universities and cultural institutions, and more than 700 professionals aiming to make Barcelona one of the world’s best cities for talent and economic activity. Head to the website for more on how you can get involved.
BWN
The Barcelona Women’s Network (BWN) is a social group with a social purpose. When you want to make friends and socialize, the BWN is the perfect place to be—even more so as a volunteer. Check out its website for more info.