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Students Offering Support (SOS) raises money through chapters at post-secondary schools across Canada to create sustainable education projects in developing nations on annual outreach trips. Since 2005, over 200 SOS volunteers have tutored more than 3,000 students and raised over $160,000 for various communities in Africa and Latin America.

In Part 2 of my interview with Greg Overholt, executive director of Students Offering Support, (check out Part 1 here) he explains how SOS is thriving thanks to student volunteers, why students should volunteer to help their careers, and why SOS is the ideal place for students to volunteer.

Q. Why did you decide to be involved in the physical building of the sustainable development projects that SOS supports?

A. We decided to take this part of our mission in order to have input in the direction of the projects we were supporting. Also, since we’re funding the projects, we wanted to be able to ensure the efficiency of the project and to ensure that our money is being used in the best way possible.

Another important reason we did this was because we really wanted to provide the opportunity for SOS student volunteers to travel and take part in the seeing the impact they can have. By being actively involved in the projects we fund, there is more accountability to ensure our projects will be sustainable and supported in the communities.

Q. Why is volunteering while in school so important?
A. University classes are the perfect place to learn theory, critical thinking, and the fundamental principals of your discipline. However, students can gain equal or potentially even more valuable experiences outside the classroom.

If you volunteer for a cause you support, the experience gives you context out of the classroom where you get the chance to apply your skills as well as learn new ones.

Volunteering is also an arena for you to see what you are capable of doing, and a medium to show employers/graduate programs what you are capable of doing. Saying you can achieve your goals means nothing to an interviewer unless you have things to back that claim up with.

Q. Why have you chosen to work with student volunteers?
A. Students are bright, socially engaged, and highly motivated. Gen Y students are also known for our results-driven and short-term mindset, as well as our stereotypically larger egos.

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