Volunteering is a process that shouldn’t pretend to do everything at once, but we have to take the first step. How? Making our voice heard, sharing ideas, showing the importance of the SDGs -- and social networks are the perfect platform to do so.
We live in a world influenced by social networks, and people invest more time in them every day. Through social media we have the opportunity to share our everyday lives with others, and at the same time get inspired by other people and their posts.
When I became aware of this situation, I also realized that having a computer, internet connection and the will to transform the world, can be the start of a project that achieves great impact in the lives of other human beings, and that is why I decided to become an online volunteer.
The UNV Latin America and Caribbean Portfolio gave me the opportunity to be part of the social media campaign about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). During my assignment I wrote articles, news and reports about the SDGs, which were published mainly on my blog and on the virtual newspaper Medio Lleno. I made videos that thoroughly explained each one of the Goals, and I designed different images and posters with messages that showed their importance.
My volunteering also included a research component since it was important to me to show other people’s opinions. This is how I got to know the work carried out by organizations in different areas, especially in the field of quality education. Furthermore, I interviewed youth volunteers that work for poverty reduction, social inequality and development, among others.
One aspect of this experience that encourages me is knowing that many of my friends learned about the SDGs. While posting articles on my social networks I realized that some themes caused diverse opinions, and people shared what they thought.
Without a doubt and for many reasons, I would volunteer online again. First, because I am convinced that volunteerism can change the world and transform peoples’ lives. Second, because a message on social networks can achieve great reach in little time, which has an immediate impact.
Volunteering is a process that shouldn’t pretend to do everything at once, but we have to take the first step. How? Making our voice heard, sharing ideas, showing the importance of the SDGs -- and social networks are the perfect platform to do so.
I am very grateful to UNV and the Latin America and the Caribbean Portfolio for letting young people live experiences that create impact in the world.
Bio: Cindy Fabiola Alfaro (El Salvador) is 22 years old and is completing her Bachelor’s degree in Communications. She has worked in television, radio and written press and is responsible for the design and content of her own blog. She recently finished an internship at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington DC. She has been volunteering since she was 16 years old, mainly making use of her skills in Communication. In January of 2016 she started her first online volunteering assignment, for the project “Development of opinion contents on Social Networks about Social Development Goals (SDG)”.