Many believe that volunteering should cover the first years of their career path and lead toward the real door of opportunity. In other words, volunteering is for the youth only. But what about volunteering after your 50s and having a completely different experience?
Mature volunteers are highly appreciated in the world, as they are a walking encyclopedia with vast knowledge and experience. The reasons are numerous why they should embark on such a journey — the urge to experience something totally new; the need to share their experience with a younger generation; or just a wish to discover another country. While you are thinking it through to uncover the very roots of your inspiration, let’s see what the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) has to offer to you in the first place.
We have no age limit
Our oldest volunteer has been 86 so far and believe us you are never too old to volunteer. Remember that you are only as old as you feel, and you can experience fun moments at any age — just allow yourself to do so. Moreover, you have advantages on your side — more free time, more wisdom, and more self-awareness to enjoy everything that surrounds you. Don’t allow these advantages to pass you by.
Volunteer in your field of expertise
Many of us perceive volunteering only in terms of community services or helping in humanitarian organizations. At AVC, we offer unique volunteering opportunities in more than 1000 partner institutions and organizations, where you can volunteer in your field of expertise from one month to one year. For instance, if you are a drone engineer, we can find a job place suitable for you, where you can run training in the respective field or lead a short-term project, inputting all your knowledge and skills into it.
For you to imagine the range of vacancies we filled during the previous year, now we have art therapists, business mentors, drone engineers, editors, doctors, lawyers, among others.
Volunteer in more than one place
We can imagine how much experience you have accumulated over all these years. It would be a shame to let you share your skills with one company or institution only. What about volunteering in several places, if you wish so? You can even choose completely opposite fields (some people may have more than one profession) or incorporate your hobby into your volunteering experience. For instance, if you are an amazing musician who has also been taking good photos for many years as a hobby, we can find a volunteering vacancy in a musical school for you and, at the same time, you may capture good photos during your weekly excursions and share them with a traveling agency in Armenia.
Join a Community Service Project (CSP)
Still, if you want to furnish your stay with some community service work, such as joining a harvest to be closer to nature, or helping renovate the only kindergarten of a remote village to picture a smile on children’s faces, we are there to make your wish come true. Very frequently, our volunteers join a CSP and take part in such activities once a week. Currently, some of them are renovating a school in Lanjik, in Shirak region, and soon the children of Lanjik will have a new school to attend.
Discover Armenia through numerous activities
Even if you visited Armenia several times as a tourist and you think you experienced Armenia at its full, you are wrong. You will learn a lot about Armenia from different angles and perspectives with AVC. Let’s see, how so!
Join weekly excursions, forums, and havaks
Through our weekly excursions, you will uncover the beauty of Armenia for yourself. This treasure unknown to most has a lot to offer to you — an unprecedented landscape, monuments, churches, a huge historical heritage, unique local customs and traditions, and more. During the excursions, you will interact with the locals, live a village life, taste Armenian traditional food and drinks, and hear a lot of legends and old stories.
Throughout the week, these experiences will be spiced with a lot of havaks (meetings) and forums where you will discuss different topics, learn Armenian dances, get to know the Armenian folk music, instruments, and costumes, etc.
Live with a host family
You still think that you can experience all these as a tourist with an experienced private guide? We have one more thing to offer to you. You can find your Armenian family and live with them during your stay. Though most of our mature volunteers prefer staying alone, believe us, a stay with an Armenian host family is an exceptional opportunity to experience the real daily life of an Armenian, have warm conversations with your Armenian family members, and simply fully feel at home. Most of our volunteers go back home having in mind that they have left a family here, which is true.
So? It’s the high time to experience the second stage of your youth, as we offer a true adventure to you. You will let so many colors into your life with just a single click. Simply apply to our program and start your self-discovery of endless youth.
By Lusine Minasyan, Armenian Volunteer Corps