Forward advocacies while making friends at Go! Volunteer
In our society, help is motivated by the thirst for equality, justice, identity, health and many more reasons. This is a notion that JB Tan, iVolunteer Executive Director, agrees with. “We all started volunteering because of a personal reason,” he shares in a press release. “Either to try an experience or find connections. Volunteering is the perfect way to discover something new for your life.”
This May, despite everyone else’s different reasons, there is a place where the spirit of volunteerism meets. Now, in-person volunteering is back with Go! Volunteer expo!
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iVolunteer, SM Cares, SM Supermalls and Cravewell are bringing back the two-day volunteer exposition on May 6 to 7 at SM Megamall. On its third run, they are also expanding the event to SM City Davao Annex Event Center from May 27 to 28 so that many more can discover new ways to support their chosen causes.
Coming from 28 non-governmental organization (NGO) partners before the pandemic, Go! Volunteer expo aims to increase this number this year. Not to mention, organizers expect to host the “most diverse slate of partner organizations” at these SM malls, as the locations have become an avenue for the youth to make more opportunities. The expo also stands to reignite everyone’s volunteering passion as it again gathers NGOs and volunteers to measure up their interests and needs.
“For us, Go! Volunteer 2023 is significant in a way that it ushers in the start of bringing back physical volunteering,” explains Tan. “We've continued our volunteer activities online during the pandemic when we were locked in our homes; but now, we're saying we can volunteer in person again.”
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“SM Cares is dedicated to supporting communities by empowering the next generation of leaders and actively involving them as champions of our various advocacies,” shares Royston A. Cabunag, Assistant Vice President for SM Supermalls and SM Cares Program Director for Children & Youth. “As the ‘Mall for All', we are thrilled to be an avenue for iVolunteer to welcome and gather organizations and volunteers, creating more meaningful opportunities for the youth to create a brighter, more sustainable future for all,” adds Cabunag.
Event attendees also have the chance to get volunteering insights as different speakers will take the expo stage. Apart from that, games, activities, treats and much more await attendees.
So if you advocate for women's empowerment, community development, education, children, the environment and a lot more, #DiscoverNew head to Go! Volunteer 2023 expo.
P.S., admission is free so see you there!
Words Zhanele Africano
Art Matthew Ian Fetalver