How to Turn Volunteering Experiences to Bigger Opportunities.

You’re not reading this by coincidence.

Every experience you have had has prepared you for the next phase of your life.

In 2018, I was looking to break the barriers of acceptance in the health sector for my business and decided to scout for global opportunities that would probably announce me and my business to larger audiences and it so happened that I applied for the Mandela Washington Fellowship and luckily for me I was selected.

Truth be told, this was the first time I’d set my foot out of Nigeria asides strolling to Cameroun with my siblings shortly after my mother’s burial. Yes, Cameroun and Cross River share boundaries and my mother is from one of those communities (Nsofang) close to the border and that’s how we went there.

Being a Mandela Washington Fellow meant that I would be spending 6 weeks in the US at a University – mine was Drake University and my experience still lingers till date. Phenomenal!

It was difficult for me to go back to my community in Nigeria and just keep all of that knowledge to myself so I decided I was going to start the Yali Network in Bayelsa State.

Yali Network is an initiative of the former president of the US, Barack Obama and the target beneficiaries are young people in Sub Saharan Africa.

As a Mandela Washington Fellow, I had the appropriate support and guides on how to set up one in my state. Oh I loved what I experienced in the United States and helping other young people understand that their little efforts can eventually resolve into big outcomes with commitment and preparedness.

I became the coordinator of the Network and for that period, we had great projects that were directly supported by the US Embassy through the Mandela Washington Alumni Association. I should mention that I also was working as the Southern Coordinator of the MWFAAN at the time.

Being in all of these meant that I had to coordinate projects, trainings and a continuity plan for the Network that grew into over 80 members in the early start. I also sourced for and planned workshops, introduced possible opportunities that members could apply for. At this point, there was a lot more mentorship roles I’d been called to play and I did mentor young persons in groups and individually.

I should also mention that it wasn’t an easy task for me at the time because I didn’t have a People Management skill at the beginning, thankfully, I have that now!

But something has happened lately my friends!

My experience with the Yali Network and mentoring young people in my community is a very minute part of my career, in fact, it appears to be the least of my work experiences listed on my Resume, many times I take it off.

The irony is that this “little experience” of sacrifice at the time has become an additional source of income for me as I am now paid to mentor young people in the UK as well. It means that these knowledge and experiences that I’d gained in the past are still very much valuable!

Now! What would you rather do with the opportunities you have to be a volunteer in projects, organisations or be part of a good cause?

I dare say that as young persons, we need to look beyond the regular and be more intentional about finding opportunities.

What to do?

1. In 2023, attend more seminars, belong to groups and organisations that are of interest to you even if it is for unpaid roles (some may even look like a waste of time to you at that moment).

2. Let people around you know what your interests are in terms of personal and career development, they’ll definitely share opportunities with you when they see them. Just have data to receive!

3. Find a skill or an area of interest and stay committed to it for a long period, don’t waste any experience.

I’ll be sharing more insights on how you can leverage your “not so little” experiences to earn an extra income. or more opportunities.

Share this story with a young person within your network to give them your support.