The Newman Foundation held a volunteer fair on Sunday afternoon in the Newman Hall cafeteria to provide students with post-graduation options beyond going to graduate school or getting a job.

The annual volunteer fair featured 18 different faith-based and secular volunteer organizations. Sister Anna Flanigan of the Sisters of Saint Francis at the University said the fair provides an opportunity for students to explore various long-term volunteer projects.

“The volunteer opportunities are immense and varied,” Flanigan said.

Long-term volunteer projects last approximately a year or more, depending on the program.

Liz Eager, director of Response Ability, a Philadelphia faith-based organization that provides teachers for inner-city Catholic schools and schools overseas, said a lot of their volunteers don’t have a background in education.

“Some people really want to go to med school or law school and do this for a year,” Eager said.

However, Eager said many of their volunteers end up getting hooked and stick with careers in education. Volunteers who want to continue in the education field can get money from the program for graduate school to get a master’s degree in education.

Amy Jobin, a recruiter with Quest, which sends volunteers to Haiti to work on various projects, said volunteering abroad is a life-changing experience.

“If I could wish one thing for young people it’s for them to spend six months to a year in a developing country,” Jobin said.

While Jobin was volunteering in Haiti at a retreat center, she said she saw many people begin to understand the “things people struggle with there.” Jobin said her experience has had a lasting impact on her life.

“It really makes you conscientious about the way you’re living,” Jobin said. “I’m trying to embrace the motto ‘Live simply so others can simply live.'”

Andrea Pearson, a recruiter from the St. Joseph Workers based out of Minnesota, said she got involved with the organization because of its strong social justice focus. The program is geared towards female volunteers between the ages of 21 and 35 and is a one-year program.

“It’s a really cool opportunity to gain leadership skills, especially for young women,” Pearson said.

Pearson said students at different schools have varying attitudes towards volunteerism. Some schools foster a sense of social responsibility, while others encourage their students to gain different life experiences before getting a job, Pearson said. Overall, she thinks young people are becoming more interested in volunteering.

“I think students are getting a little more active and a little more concerned with what they can do for this world,” Pearson said.

But Rick Wojnicki, from the DeSales Service Works based out of Philadelphia, said he recently attended a conference for greater Pennsylvania area volunteer directors, where the general feeling was the number of students signing up for volunteer projects has been going down. Wojnicki thinks this drop might have to do with the economy.

“I think a lot people are worried about getting a job,” Wojnicki said.

Karen Kosinski, a recruiter with Passionist Volunteers International, said she thinks there is a growing interest because not everyone is ready to jump into a career, especially students that want to pursue graduate school. Wojnicki said he has run into many prospective medical school students who are advised to spend a year volunteering before applying.

Eager said the Response Ability program saw a change in the way applications are coming in. In previous years, students that were interested in volunteering applied in the early winter, but this past spring more students were applying after graduation. Eager said this may have to do with the fact that their program starts in the fall and more students need an extra semester or an entire year to graduate now.

Flanigan said she hates to think that some people volunteer simply because they cannot find a job but she accepts the reality of it. She said one of her goals is getting volunteers into projects that involve them with meeting and interacting with people. Sharing life stories and working with people is what makes the experience meaningful personally and will hopefully get more people involved, she said.

“We’re not just volunteering the hours, we’re meeting and sharing hearts,” Flanigan said.