12 Types of Volunteering Opportunities for Humanities Majors

Did you know there were over 550,000 degrees awarded in liberal arts and humanities in 2020? The number of students pursuing degrees in this field continues to grow at over 2% as well. 

If you're considering pursuing one of the many degrees in this field, you'll be happy to know about the many types of volunteering you can do that relate to your major. 

This guide will discuss some opportunities you might be interested in. Keep reading to learn what they are. 

What Are Humanities Majors?

You might be wondering what kind of degrees you can get in the humanities. In a general sense, the field of humanities studies humans as individuals, in society, and culturally. A degree in the humanities will help you understand yourself, others, and the world in a better way. 

Some common humanities majors include history, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, literature, gender studies, and fine arts. The variety of degrees in this field of study offers a variety of volunteering opportunities as well. Volunteering can help you decide between degrees if you haven't decided on a major. 

What Are the Benefits of Volunteering?

One important benefit of volunteering is how it can help you gain experience in a field of work you're passionate about. Volunteer work is a great thing to put on your resume and can lead to future career opportunities within the volunteer organization or in a similar field. Volunteer work can also lead to a variety of scholarship opportunities that can help you pay for school. 

Volunteering will teach you a lot about yourself and the communities you're working with, regardless of whether you decide to pursue a career in this area. You'll build leadership skills that can help you in life and work. 

Getting to help underserved communities is one of the best things about volunteering. Making an impact on humanity and the world is a great way to spend your free time. It can also help build a sense of purpose in your life. 

How Do You Choose the Right Type of Volunteer Work? 

There are many ways to volunteer in your community, but choosing the right type of work will depend on your interests. Finding community service projects and organizations is the first step you'll need to take in this process. 

Joining the Honor Society is a great place to start. This organization isn't just a platform to recognize academic achievement. It provides resources to help you find the right community service projects for you.

To narrow down the list of volunteer organizations you're interested in, you'll need to define the goals and expectations you have. Are you interested in developing a specific skill or helping a specific community? It's important to have these questions answered before moving forward.

You can also choose volunteer work based on where the skills you already have could be best utilized.    

1. Volunteer With Youth Organizations

If you're a college student interested in helping children, there are plenty of youth organizations to choose from. If you're interested in studying children's psychology or another kind of career where you can help the most vulnerable population, you might find opportunities to do that in this kind of volunteer work. 

You may consider reaching out to your local YMCA. This organization focuses on youth development and providing space for a variety of activities to help children thrive. You can help children by providing childcare, serving as a mentor, or helping organize special events for kids. 

You can volunteer with your local Big Brothers Big Sisters too. The organization works on partnering volunteers with children and young adults to create mentoring relationships. You can make a monumental difference in a child's life through this kind of volunteer work. 

2. You Can Volunteer to Teach

If you're pursuing one of the more artistic degrees in the field of humanities, you also have great volunteer opportunities to choose from. The Honor Society provides a platform and resources to people of all fields, including those in the arts. Use the membership resources you have to start searching for the right volunteer opportunity related to your degree. 

As a literature, linguistics, or fine arts major, you can volunteer by teaching classes in your respective field. You can tutor students struggling in their high school English or grammar classes.

You can volunteer to teach English to students abroad too. This is a great way to advance your career if you're interested in teaching. It's the best way to travel and learn about different cultures too. 

If you're getting an art degree, you might be interested in using your knowledge to help spark creativity in the younger generation. You can offer free painting, sculpting, or theater classes to members of your community. 

3. Volunteer in Community Development

Community volunteering is another great choice for anyone majoring in the humanities. Most volunteer work has some kind of community aspect to it, so finding something that fits won't be too hard.

The core beliefs of community development include providing access to health services, providing resources to improve well-being, and opportunities for individual growth. Most community development projects work to improve the lives of all people living in specific cities or towns. 

Volunteering at the YMCA gives you the chance to work with children, but you can help support the well-being of adults in need too. Consider volunteering with the YWCA if you're interested in supporting community members in anti-racism efforts and social justice. 

4. Volunteer in a Women's Empowerment Organization

There are plenty of women's empowerment organizations to choose from if you're a women's studies major looking for volunteer work. While strides have been made in the movement for women's rights, there's plenty of work to do to achieve gender equity in the United States and around the world. 

There are plenty of non-profit organizations working to provide women with a variety of resources and services they might need or ones that focus on tackling one issue within the women's rights movement. You might be interested in helping communities of young girls without access to education or women looking to become financially independent to free them from abusive environments. 

You might also consider working in a women's center where women might need counseling or have housing needs. If you're more interested in the health field, you can work at a crisis pregnancy center that provides pregnant people with low-cost or free prenatal and postnatal care.

5. Volunteer for Your Local Government

What better way to learn about others and how the world works than by working with your local government? There are plenty of volunteer opportunities to choose from, whether you want to work within a specific branch of the government or with a politician running in a local race for office. 

Working in politics allows you to advocate for a lot of underserved communities, so learning how a person runs for a position can teach you a lot about how you can help in your community.

As a volunteer, you might get the chance to interact with the community through door-to-door campaigning. Speaking to community members about the issues that affect them most can help you make a difference in the future. 

6. Get Involved in Refugee Services

If you're passionate about helping vulnerable communities, you might be interested in volunteering in refugee services. You can use and develop a variety of skills working in this area. Humanities majors that might apply include psychology, linguistics, social work, and international relations. 

You'll get a chance to learn about different cultures through your work with immigrants. You can practice another language by working as a translator. Assisting in counseling immigrant communities can give you the experience you need to work in psychology. 

You have the opportunity to connect immigrants to the social services available to them too.

7. Volunteer to Help the Homeless

If you're getting a degree in sociology, psychology, or social work, you might be interested in helping an often-forgotten community. Homelessness is a big issue in the U.S. and around the world. This vulnerable community needs access to a variety of services to help them survive the hardships they're facing.

You might consider volunteering in a soup kitchen to give warm meals to those who need them. You can volunteer with a disaster relief organization to help find shelter and give medical services to the homeless population during natural disasters or other crises.

You can volunteer to fundraise for organizations that help the homeless. These organizations often need money to buy food, toiletries, and clothes to give out to the homeless communities. 

8. Volunteer in Legal Aid

If your humanities degree is a pathway to getting into law school, you might be looking for volunteer work in the legal field. Volunteering with legal aid is the perfect way to learn about how the justice system affects a wide range of communities and how you can help people through legal means. 

You might get the chance to learn about family law, restraining orders, and how to fight against unlawful detention in your volunteer work. You can aid on the marketing side to advertise the legal services your firm offers to communities who might need them the most. 

9. Get Involved in Political Advocacy

Political advocacy is a great way to volunteer with communities in need. The ACLU is an organization where you can get experience in areas like public policy, social work, law, and social justice. 

Through the ACLU you can focus on different areas of interest like women's rights, LGBT rights, and anti-racism work. You can help organize demonstrations, advocate with members of Congress, and help build campaigns on social media. 

10. Volunteer with the Elderly 

According to the CDC, one-fourth of adults over 65 are socially isolated. This social isolation can increase the risk of premature death by increasing the risk of dementia, heart disease, and stroke. 

You can help combat these risks the elderly community faces by volunteering in a nursing home or hospice. Volunteering your time with the elderly can offer a sense of humanity to those in their final stages of life. 

Spending time with residents is what most of your volunteer work will consist of. You may also be asked to plan group activities, social events, and games. 

11. Help Survivors of Abuse

Conversations around sexual abuse can be triggering for so many, especially as an American is assaulted every 68 seconds. 1 in 6 American women will be affected by sexual violence in their lifetime as well as 1 in 33 American men.  

If you want to help survivors of this horrific kind of abuse, you might consider working with an anti-sexual assault organization. RAINN is one of the largest providing aid to those affected by sexual abuse.

As a volunteer, you can be trained to take calls from the crisis hotline. You may also work with staff to offer counseling, medical, or legal services to survivors. 

12. Volunteer With Veterans 

Veterans of the armed forces often struggle to adapt back to civilian life. Many don't know where to go to ask for help. If you're interested in helping those who served and their loved ones, you may want to volunteer with an organization created to help military families. 

You can volunteer with the Department of Veteran Affairs, which provides necessary healthcare services to veterans. You can also volunteer as a counselor within this organization. 

Check Out These Types of Volunteering Opportunities for Humanities Majors

If you're a humanities major looking for a way to enhance some of your skills and learn new ones, there are many types of volunteering opportunities available to you. Depending on your major or the community you're most interested in helping, you might like volunteering for a youth organization or a women's center. 

There are many resources for starting your search for volunteer opportunities but joining the Honor Society is the best way. Check out our page and join today!