April is Global Volunteer Month

Global Volunteer Month is a celebration held in April each year to recognize and honor the millions of people who donate their time, skills, and resources to volunteer work all over the world.

It is a time to encourage more people to get involved in voluntary services and to appreciate the significant contribution that volunteering makes to societal development and well-being.

It may involve various activities ranging from community services, environmental conservation, teaching, and healthcare support among others.

There is for instance Points of Light. It is a global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. 
Points of Light provides numerous opportunities for you to contribute and make a positive impact during Global Volunteer Month. Whether you choose to participate through individual action or pledging to volunteer in your community, thanking and recognizing volunteers, becoming a sponsor, planning a volunteer or community event in April, and much more – we have resources to get you started. Visit the official website of Point of Light if you like.

I for myself act as volunteers / as paramedic at the German Red Cross. I do have two main focus area the Mental Health part patients and victim of an accident but as well for emergency personnel, and on the other hand as paramedic on a motorcycle, motorcycle ambulance is part of medical rescue service in Germany.

But in context of the Global Volunteer Month and my voluntary work - I like to stress the Importance of First Aid and that First Aid is hard to overestimate.

First Aid is vitally important because it can be the first and often crucial step in a chain of survival during a medical emergency. It can literally mean the difference between life and death in some situations. Proper first aid care can not only save lives, but also reduce recovery time and ensure that swelling, infection or lasting damage is minimized. By knowing and applying first aid procedures, you can help ensure that an injured or ill person is stabilized and cared for until medical professionals arrive on the scene, increasing their chances of a successful recovery. Overall, First Aid is a fundamental skill to have, not just for oneself but also for the welfare of others around you.

The benefits of first aid are far-reaching and impactful. Here are some of the most substantial:

• Life Saving: This is arguably the largest benefit of first aid. It's the immediate assistance given to any person suffering a sudden illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life and minimize the consequences until professional medical help arrives.
• Reducing Recovery Time: Timely and effective first aid can help reduce a person's recovery time significantly, especially when it's initiated immediately after the injury occurs.
• Preventing Further Harm: It can help prevent the condition from worsening, limiting the risk of lasting damage or complications.
• Increasing Comfort: First aid also includes comforting and reassuring the injured person which can reduce pain and keep them calm until help arrives.
• Promoting Safety Awareness: By educating people about first aid, it helps foster overall safety consciousness, enabling them to avoid accidents or handle them better if they occur.
• Encouraging Healthy Living: Some first aid programs also educate people about nutrition, hygiene, and healthy habits, leading to improved health and wellbeing.
• Boosting Confidence and Assertiveness: Knowing that one has the ability to save lives can boost self-confidence and assertiveness, making it easier to handle challenging situations.
• Creating a Safer Society: When a larger proportion of a population is trained in first aid, the community as a whole becomes safer, as potential health hazards are handled more efficiently and effectively.

All these benefits highlight the importance of having proper first aid knowledge and skills.

A Quote I like to share in this context and a final thought:

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama

We often find ourselves constantly seeking reasons to postpone taking action or implementing changes. We tell ourselves we'll wait for the next month, or until someone is available to guide us. There will invariably be a reason or someone we wait for, but the perfect time will never present itself.
Ask yourself what you can do as individual, as couple, as family, as team - make the change happen.