People choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s to gain valuable work experience while other times it’s to help further a cause they are passionate about.
There are hundreds of volunteer opportunities to choose from in the city. If you search volunteering in Ottawa, you will find pages of organizations who are looking for people to donate their time. One opportunity that comes up often is volunteering in sport. There are many sporting groups in Ottawa that depend on volunteers to hold events and keep their organizations up and running.
So why should you choose to volunteer in sport rather than support the hundreds of other organizations in Ottawa vying for your attention? Here are 3 reasons why investing time in sport is beneficial, not only for the organization itself but for your own well-being.
Developing useful skills
Many sports organizations don’t require any previous experience and will train their volunteers on the job. Volunteering with a specific sporting club or organization will give you the opportunity to learn a sport inside and out while helping to develop it in the community.
By volunteering with a sporting organization, you will also be developing skills that will translate well into the rest of your life. Sport has been proven to build confidence and self esteem and depending on your role you may also learn skills like public speaking, managing accounts and budgeting and event organization.
Builds community
Sport fosters connections between people and creates community that helps make Ottawa a great place to live. When a group of people are working towards a common goal, they make deeper connections and build lifelong friendships. Sport has the ability to unify people in a way that is unparalleled by any other activity. No matter what your role is in the sporting organization you will be a part of something that is helping to build a stronger, happier community.
Promotes healthy living
Being active has been proven to improve health in many ways. It promotes a healthy heart, helps with weight management, lowers cholesterol and improves blood circulation, just to name a few.
Playing organized sports has also been found to improve a person’s mental health. It boosts self esteem, builds leadership skills and promotes mutual respect between teammates and coaches. It has also been proven to foster a positive attitude and help regulate anxiety and depression.
If you are interested in volunteering your time in sport, there are many opportunities to choose from in the Ottawa. The city has successfully hosted several major sporting tournaments, none of which would have been possible without the dedication of many enthusiastic volunteers. The Ottawa Sport Council (OSC) is always looking for Sport Advocates to help further the cause of creating a quality and inclusive sport environment in Ottawa.
Want to volunteer with the Ottawa Sport Council and sporting events in Ottawa? We’d love to have your support!