The children's story We're Going on a Bear Hunt offers a great metaphor for the personal and professional growth gained through volunteering. In the story, the family embarks on an adventure, encountering various obstacles – long grass, rivers, mud, forests, and storms. In life, it’s tempting to avoid challenges by identifying problems the easy way. But what if we embraced the family’s mantra: "We can't go over it, we can't go under it. Oh no! We've got to go through it!". The way family members provide a helping hand to one another in the story mirrors how collective action can address a problem to be solved.
It is often left to volunteers to bring community plights and needs to the attention of decision-makers in response to disaster. But, what if we shifted the focus from highlighting problems to actively shaping solutions to reduce disaster risks and impacts?
Volunteering reveals to professionals a fertile field of problems, alternative viewpoints and unorthodox solutions.
Just as the family must navigate each obstacle, volunteering reveals to professionals a fertile field of (perhaps never-before-thought-of) problems, alternative viewpoints and unorthodox solutions so often born out of necessity.
Volunteering offers firsthand insight into how infrastructure, policies, and systems affect those who depend on them during disasters.
And disasters may in turn become less severe. Professionals, that also volunteer, can also respond with greater insight and empathy in the way policies, systems, or infrastructure is designed and delivered to strengthen community resilience.
Fostering better foresight
Research shows that altruism, a sense of duty, and personal experiences with disasters motivate volunteers. As Albert Einstein said, “...to regard old questions from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances...” Volunteering is a two-way street – you gain as much as you give. It offers professionals a chance to practice lateral thinking, linking resilience to societal strength.
For example, programs implemented by Engineers Without Borders Australia focus on proactive disaster preparation, fostering partnerships that help communities and the environment. By supporting programs rooted in local communities around the world, partnerships build resilience.
In the children's story about going on a bear hunt, the family doesn’t know exactly what’s ahead but keeps moving forward, adapting to each new situation. With volunteering, it also pushes us out of routines, immersing us in diverse environments that sharpen our ability to adapt, anticipate, and navigate ambiguity – skills essential for building resilient economies and communities.
It's a win-win for personal and professional
The journey in We're Going on a Bear Hunt mirrors volunteering's sense of purpose, showcasing how our skills can impact others. Volunteering enriches experiences, enhances professional growth, and benefits communities, volunteers, and companies by fostering networks and meaningful work.
One study found that volunteering boosts mental and physical health, life satisfaction, and social well-being, prompting experts to promote it as part of a healthy lifestyle. This personal growth enhances happiness and skills, which can be applied at work. When combined within a company, volunteering efforts amplify these benefits and scale impact.
Another interesting study revealed that employees often view volunteering as giving, not gaining, and rarely consider the skills it builds. In reality, it’s not a one-way street. Volunteering fosters personal and professional growth, enabling greater contributions. It’s also purposeful business, with a rise being seen in how individuals and organisations use insights from volunteering to apply what they’ve learned for the benefit of their work and clients. So not only does volunteering provide intrepid adventures that may transform us, it also creates business-focused solutions that are far greater than the sum of their parts.
Volunteering is a two-way street – you gain as much as you give.
Far from just being a generous act
Empathy, a major emotional intelligence indicator and sought-after soft skill, is greatly developed with volunteering. Companies like Google, Apple, Toyota and Nike have embraced the human-centric design thinking model proposed by the Design School at Stanford, which states the first step is to look at any problem you’re trying to solve in an empathetic manner. Research also found that empathy helps volunteers connect with the challenges of others, enabling them to better recognise where design and system changes can address root causes rather than surface fixes.
Rather than simply restoring natural and built infrastructure and assets to their pre-disaster state, the experience and knowledge gained from volunteering can help us repair and rebuild back better, making communities and the environment more resilient. At the same time, it can also reap benefits for organisations in opening doors for future partnerships or project collaborations.
Though the family in the story encounters a bear (and retreats!), the adventure itself is transformative. It serves as a playful yet profound reminder that growth comes from stepping outside our comfort zones, embracing challenges, and forging ahead with curiosity, courage, and collaboration – qualities that volunteering helps us cultivate.
