College Skills You Learn While on a Humanitarian Trip

Public Speaking/Self Confidence

While on a humanitarian trip, you can gain public speaking skills depending on the subject of your trip. Speaking in public can be a big fear of people, and many volunteers have said that other trips have helped them develop the skills needed to speak in front of groups of people. Volunteers have reported being able to speak in front of large audiences effectively and more clearly. They also reported having more self-confidence which is a skill that is needed in everyday life. Imagine going on your trip as one person, and then coming back changed and more confident in yourself. That change in your life can set you up for future success in college and the life you choose to have.

Ability to Adapt to New Environments

Being on a humanitarian trip helps you to adapt to new environments and around new people just like you need to do in college. It is a competitive advantage to be able to adapt because it is good to be able to figure out things creatively and independently. It also helps broaden your perspective, which makes you not as scared to try something new. You can also learn how to deal with your problems, which is important while attending college. We can adapt very well as humans, but we need to be put in challenging situations to be able to do this. This is called the "adaptation curve," in which it will be exciting to adapt to a new culture, then it will be complicated, then it will be exciting again and you will learn how to enjoy new cultures.

Grow as a Person & Learn a New Language

While on a humanitarian trip, the experiences you go through will change you and your way of thinking. It will help you to develop compassion, become a better person, and learn more about the world. You will be more culturally aware, you won't take small things for granted, and you will appreciate more of what you have. Instead of finding so much comfort in material things, you will see that people in different parts of the world are less fortunate and you will be thankful for the important things that you have that you need to survive. You will be more humble and consider basic things you have as luxuries.

Leadership, Communication, and Time Management

You can develop great leadership skills while being on a humanitarian trips because you may have the opportunity to lead others. This is a great skill to have while in college so that you are independent and can lead others during group projects. You will learn good communication skills while communicating with your team to carry out roles effectively. Your skills will also be increased if you are in an area where there are not a lot of English speakers and you have to communicate with them. You will also learn time management because you will try to get certain tasks done within the time you are on your trip. This is an important skill to have in college while getting homework and projects done before deadlines.

After gaining these skills, you may look to have a career where you can use these skills you have acquired. You may excel in programs like emergency management graduate programs, psychology, or entrepreneurship are all fields that use the above listed skills everyday. They will definitely be worth your time to look into.

There are many benefits when going on a humanitarian trip. It is a rewarding and enriching experience that you will not find anywhere else. You get to learn about the community you work in, and you gain both personal and professional skills along the way.