In our society, young people spend a lot of their time in education and therefore learn about the world we live in primarily through school. However, it should be known that we can learn even more by getting out of our comfort zones to educate ourselves about things we may not get the chance to learn about in school. One way of doing this is by volunteering and indulging in what your community has to offer.

One example of this is the Wimbledon Bookfest that took place from the 4th-14th October 2018 and had a range of activities, talks and shows around many different subjects ranging from fashion and music to politics and philosophy. Alice Skinner the assistant producer said that volunteering at Bookfest is a ‘Wonderful opportunity to watch really interesting events for a wide range of subjects but it is also a good chance to see the behind the scenes of event management. It’s a literary festival that reaches such a wide range of the community.'

Voluntary work at the Wimbledon Bookfest includes tasks such as ushering, taking tickets, handling the mic for when there are questions at an event or generally helping out with setting up and cleaning up. I personally volunteered at the Bookfest and not only will it be great to put on my CV or personal statement, it also allowed me to attend events that I never would have thought to pay for and attend and it has broadened my subject knowledge.

Though academics are very important, there are a lot of skills and experiences that you cannot learn from school or in a textbook. According to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), '38% of people reported that they had formally volunteered at least once a year in 2017-18.' This shows that a lot of people do value voluntary work as you can learn from it but you can also help to work towards a greater cause within and sometimes even beyond your local community. Voluntary work is just one of the amazing ways that you can educate yourself on nonacademic things and learn more about other people and other events or businesses. If you get the opportunity, give it a try.