Pranatee Shah Week 10: Empowering Others

While volunteering for environmental causes through participating in garden clean ups, picking up trash, or doing coastal cleanups is crucial for the wellbeing of our planet, volunteering that directly impacts people is more important, in my opinion.


I am not saying that taking care of the environment is not important. It is extremely necessary, especially in an age where “more frequent and intense” drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warming oceans “wreak havoc” on people’s “livelihood and communities.” In fact, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2024 Annual Climate Report, the year 2024 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850 at 1.29 degrees celsius, being above the 20th century average of 13.9 degrees celsius. This value is almost 0.10 degrees celsius more than last year’s record, and the lack of action regarding such a serious issue is very concerning.


However, when it comes to volunteering, focusing on the empowerment of underprivileged people both our community and the world as a whole seems to be much more of a pressing issue.


Since freshman year, I have been volunteering with the organizations SEWA and Akshay Patra. A few summers ago I participated in SEWA’s ASPIRE Project, an afterschool teaching initiative to help improve the academic performance of students from underserved communities. Out of many taught subjects, my specific role was leading the elementary schoolers through art projects. I’ve also helped pack meals for the homeless and pack backpacks for children who can not afford school supplies through SEWA. The main goal at Akshay Patra is to raise money to provide meals to students in India who come from socio-economically challenging backgrounds.


Volunteering at the organization Hunger at Home with SEWA

The reason I love volunteering at these organizations, and have continued it for so long, is because I can directly and almost immediately see the impact of my actions. Actually being able to see how the hours I’ve spent volunteering empower individuals and improve their quality of life is extremely rewarding. At the end of the day, the world would be a much better place if we all played active roles empowering others.



Comments

  1. Emily UngFebruary 5, 2025 at 10:05 PM

    Hey Pranatee! I like how you acknowledged the importance of environmental volunteering while valuing human impact. The statistics you included about climate change are quite terrifying, but I understand where you’re coming from.People living in underprivileged communities struggle a lot more and are constantly facing adversities. I think a lot of people want to make a difference but struggle with feeling like their efforts are actually meaningful, so it’s really inspiring that you’ve stuck with organizations for so long. Seeing the impact of your work must be so rewarding, especially when you’re helping kids. I also love that your volunteering involves art, which I also enjoy. It’s cool how creativity can be a tool for empowerment, the world needs more people who think like this.

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