Written by Ridhi Verma, a Communications Professional.
“Volunteerism keeps you connected to your values and helps you see people in different life situations. It helps us connect with our emotional intelligence.” – Bill Doern
What better way to start writing about my volunteer journey than to quote something I learned from one of my coffee chats – in fact, my first coffee chat, with Bill Doern, the President & Chief Imagineering Officer of Anamorphiq.
While I was pursuing a Postgraduate course on Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Seneca Polytechnic, I came across the initiative of PRofessionals and Coffee from one of the guest speakers and lecturers, who was Carolina Salinas. As much as it excited me to learn from someone experienced in the field I am passionate about, the idea of volunteering attracted me as I have always contributed to several acts of service during my academic life. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and in the course of those three years, I have volunteered for different causes, including women’s empowerment (for a UN initiative, Girl-Up), social service (National Service Scheme, SGGSCC club) as well as sustainability.
PRofessionals and Coffee has provided me with a breakthrough in my career as I got multiple opportunities to network with some of the best professionals in my field and passionate newcomers like me. Moreover, my contributions to researching, interviewing and managing social media posts helped me enhance my skills. All of these voluntary actions together, helped me work on my soft skills like communication, interpersonal relationships, creativity and time management.
I have learned that volunteering might seem like a one-way street, but it is a two-way meaningful path – where you are helping someone with an act of service, but you are also being helped by feeling a sense of belonging and purpose. When we volunteer, we volunteer with a choice and we intend to contribute to a cause, but we also pave the way to connect with ourselves and learn something new every single day.
During my coffee chats with Bill Doern (President & Chief Imagineering Officer at Anamorphiq) and Andrea Chrysanthou (Senior Director, Corporate Comms. at NATIONAL Public Relations), I learned from their experiences and received valuable advice for newcomers like me. They made me realize how important it is to network, ask more questions, be proactive, and volunteer for my professional and personal growth. Furthermore, watching my peers’ coffee chats with other accomplished professionals helped me expand my knowledge of the public relations field. The coffee chat videos of PRofessionals and Coffee not only help the volunteer connect with professionals but also gives a chance to anyone new to the industry to connect with PR professionals and get some insights into some excellent PR agencies.
As an introvert who used to be afraid of public speaking, I have pushed myself through these networking opportunities and worked on my skills simultaneously. This reminds me of something I learned from Andrea Chrysanthou, the Senior Director at NATIONAL.
“Your first PR client is YOU. Use the tools we use in PR, like social media, and make your portfolio stand out as you would do for a client.”
This advice has stuck with me since the day of our coffee chat and has helped me work on myself from a different perspective.
On the last note, my message for anyone who has never volunteered or wishes to volunteer would be to find something that resonates with them the most, where they feel belonged and connected and to start with 1% of their time and efforts and in no time, they’ll willingly be doing more for the cause. Volunteering should never feel like a task but should be done out of passion and pure intent.
I am grateful to have crossed paths with someone as kind, passionate and helpful as Carolina – she has been a mentor and a great support to me in my personal and professional growth. Her dedication to the initiative PRofessionals and Coffee inspires all volunteers to put in their best efforts.
If you are not a volunteer yet, please join us, and who knows? You might meet someone who can connect with the job you are looking for.
Unlock the magic of Brewing Networking Opportunities with PRofessionals & Coffee. Volunteer today.
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