Volunteering Still Matters — Even When Life Feels Overwhelming
Let’s be honest. Being an early-career public health professional right now is a bit overwhelming. The job market is tight, workloads are heavy, and most of us are juggling multiple responsibilities just to get by. When you are constantly switching between job responsibilities, meetings, job applications, and personal tasks, volunteering can feel like a burden or something you will consider doing “one day”.
But here’s the thing: volunteering should not just be an extra add-on. It’s one of the few ways we can stay connected to the heart of why we got into public health in the first place. Between 2022 and 2023, an estimated 75.7 million Americans volunteered through an organization which is nearly 23% of the adult population [1]. There is also strong evidence that volunteering supports personal wellbeing. Volunteers consistently report better mental and physical health outcomes, including lower stress levels, a greater sense of purpose, and improved overall life satisfaction [2–4]. Even with how busy and unpredictable public health work can be, giving a few hours a week or month to your local or national level communities is beneficial.
Volunteering doesn’t have to mean signing up for a big, formal commitment. You can volunteer through a national organization if you want structure and scale, or you can try locally where the impact feels more immediate. Local volunteering has a unique advantage because you see exactly how your time strengthens the community you live in. You witness the needs, the gaps, the strengths, and the people behind the policies we talk about so often in public health spaces. In a field that can feel abstract or bureaucratic, volunteering is a reminder that public health is ultimately about the people.
Once a week, I volunteer with the Plainfield Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), and this experience has reshaped the way I think about community responsiveness and preparedness. Emergency management is one of those areas we discuss in public health coursework, but seeing it in action through planning responses, understanding communication channels, observing how different teams coordinate during crises, really brings an entirely new perspective. It is truly hands-on, people-centered, and rooted in real-time decision-making. PEMA is teaching me technical skills that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise, especially when it comes to responding in a real emergency.
Thus, even if your schedule is tight, even if you’re juggling applications, interviews, or full-time work, a small weekly or monthly volunteer commitment can make a meaningful difference. Not only in public health, but anyone from any field can benefit from this. If you have any thoughts or places where people can volunteer, please comment below!
References:
Bureau, U. C. New U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps Research Tracks Virtual Volunteering for First Time. Census.gov https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/11/civic-engagement-and-volunteerism.html.
Ford, S. Volunteering Linked to Better Physical, Mental Health. America’s Charities https://www.charities.org/news/volunteering-linked-better-physical-mental-health/. (2013).
Nichol, B., Wilson, R., Rodrigues, A. & Haighton, C. Exploring the Effects of Volunteering on the Social, Mental, and Physical Health and Well-being of Volunteers: An Umbrella Review. Voluntas 1–32 (2023) doi:10.1007/s11266-023-00573-z.
3 health benefits of volunteering. Mayo Clinic Health System https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/3-health-benefits-of-volunteering. (2023).
