Volunteerism

Governmentality and Youth Volunteering Policy

by Jon Dean

Presented at the Voluntary Action History Society 2010.

Young people are increasingly encouraged to volunteer, perhaps as a panacea to combat personal and social problems... more Young people are increasingly encouraged to volunteer, perhaps as a panacea to combat personal and social problems (Sheard, 1995). This paper will explore why volunteering policy has developed this instrumental tendency in recent history. It will analyse Michel Foucault’s theories of governmentality, and use these as a frame to consider the advances made in youth policy over the last half century, but with particular regard to volunteering policy in the last 15 years. Using governmentality as a tool of analysis, it will argue that volunteering policy has become a device to responsibilize younger generations; a method to improve the authority of the young over their own lives and their local areas, whilst moulding behaviour which brings about individual and collective wellbeing. It is also argued that this follows a natural progression of youth policies to tackle the ‘problem of youth’.

The Importance of Informal Volunteering

by Jon Dean

Paper at the NCVO/VSSN Conference 2011. Themed panel on 'Challenging Narratives: Towards an Understanding of the History of Volunteering', with Georgina Brewis, Anjelica Finnegan and Nicholas Deakin.

This working paper seeks to highlight two issues. Firstly, that the research community often ignores the importance of... more This working paper seeks to highlight two issues. Firstly, that the research community often ignores the importance of informal volunteering, and secondly that to do so causes most harm to working-class communities.

Partnership lessons from the Global Programme for Health Promotion Effectiveness: a case study

by Hope Corbin

Reconstruire ses souvenirs : le nettoyage des photographies emportées par le tsunami à Kesennuma

by Coralie Castel

Published in Ebisu n°47, the Journal of Japanese Studies from the Maison Franco-Japonaise in Tokyo, 2012

In Kesennuma, a city affected by the tsunami, an association of inhabitants undertakes the washing of thousands of... more In Kesennuma, a city affected by the tsunami, an association of inhabitants undertakes the washing of thousands of personal photographs found in the ruins, in order to return them to their owners. This collective action of “saving memories” is supported by volunteers from all the country, and eventually contributes to the reconstruction of the local society.

Firewise forever? Voluntary community participation and retention in Firewise programs

by Michele Steinberg

Published in proceedings of second conference on the human dimensions of wildland fire.

Firewise Communities/USA® is a national program designed to encourage residents of wildfire-prone areas to take action... more Firewise Communities/USA® is a national program designed to encourage residents of wildfire-prone areas to take action to reduce wildfire risks to their homes and neighborhoods. Residents of homeowner associations and small communities who are interested in improving their wildfire safety work with state forestry and fire professionals and follow a simple, flexible process to become recognized as Firewise. To maintain their status, they must conduct annual mitigation work, hold a Firewise Day, and document their activity. This paper examines the successes and challenges of the program, taking into account the voluntary nature of participation, and explores challenges to program adoption, particularly factors that lead to loss of interest in pursuing ongoing Firewise activity.

S.Ashley - Museum Volunteers: Between Precarious Labour and Democratic Knowledge Community

by Susan Ashley

Editorial proof, in Jonathan Paquette (ed.) Cultural Policy, Work and Identity, Museum and Heritage Management series, Ashgate Publishing, UK. 2012
NO PREVIEW, DOWNLOAD ONLY or CONTACT SUSANLASHLEY@TRENTU.CA

From High Skill to High School: The Social Organization of" Canadian Work Experience" for Immigrant Professionals

by Bonnie Slade

My Doctoral Thesis completed at the University of Toronto in 2008.

This thesis examines the concept of Canadian work experience to explore its origins as an ideological construction... more This thesis examines the concept of Canadian work experience to explore its origins as an ideological construction whose constituent work practices can be traced. Canadian work experience has no stable inherent meaning; its meaning is relational, contingent upon processes of gender, race, ethnicity, and their interconnections. Employing Dorothy E. Smith‘s (2005) institutional ethnography, I begin with the experiences of immigrants in a school board co-op program and investigate the policies and work practices of people that give shape to the meaning of Canadian work experience. The vibrancy of the participants‘ life stories are conveyed through a Reader‘s Theatre, an arts-informed research tradition. Within the taken-for-granted ideological frame of Canadian work experience, volunteer work is posited by many as a good strategy for immigrants to get established in the labour market. Immigrants often obtain volunteer experience though co-op programs, a large number of which are operated by school boards.

The co-op programs operationalize the absence of Canadian work experience as an individual deficit, and in so doing, position immigrant professionals in precarious employment relations. My research reveals that immigrant professionals with graduate degrees and years of international work experience are put through curriculum designed for adolescents with limited work experience, and, as part of the co-op program, often perform over 400 hours of unpaid work in private manufacturing companies, banks and other for-profit ventures. I argue that the co-op programs contribute to the stratification of the labour market along racial and ethnic lines as many co-op courses explicitly restrict eligibility to immigrants who speak English as a second language, and 75 per cent of immigrants are people of colour (Statistics Canada, 2008). The co-op program is one site where immigrants learn how their differences with respect to language and work experience are made to matter. Their past experience is not considered relevant, their educational achievements are downplayed and the value of their labour is eradicated. This repositioning – treating highly skilled immigrants, specifically non-native speakers of English as inexperienced high school students – is itself a process of racialization, but one that is cloaked behind the ideological construction of Canadian work experience.

" Can Volunteer Work Help Me Get a Job In My Field?": On Learning, Immigration and Labour Markets

by Bonnie Slade

This paper was delivered at the 2005 Work and Lifelong Learning Conference at the University of Toronto.

Often times, new immigrants to Canada are encouraged to perform volunteer work in order to gain sufficient 'Canadian... more Often times, new immigrants to Canada are encouraged to perform volunteer work in order to gain sufficient 'Canadian experience' to improve their access to the Canadian labour
market. Many of these immigrants experience the paradox of '“occupational skidding.” Canadian immigration policy makes a priority in attracting highly educated and highly skilled immigrants to Canada, but they end up working in a different field to which they have training, talent and expertise. This leads to a lose-lose-lose situation, as it is a net loss for the country of origin, for Canada, and for the migrants themselves.

This case study is part of a larger research on the connections between informal learning and volunteer work, which in turn is part of the WALL (Work and Lifelong Learning) research
project. It was conducted in partnership with A Commitment to Training and Employment for Women (ACTEW). The methodology for data collection included interviews and focus groups with 45 immigrants from 17 different countries. It also included a focus group with representatives from social agencies serving new immigrants. This paper focusses on the
learning dimension of the volunteer experience. It examines what was learned through the volunteer placements, how that learning was acquired, and what impact the learning had on their ability to find paid employment appropriate to their education and work experience. Particular attention was paid to issues of de-skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling.

Geven van tijd: vrijwilligerswerk

by Rene Bekkers

Co-authored with Edwin Boezeman. Paper in Dutch / artikel in het Nederlands.

In 2010 doet 41% van de Nederlandse bevolking vrijwilligerswerk. In vergelijking met voorgaande jaren laten de cijfers... more In 2010 doet 41% van de Nederlandse bevolking vrijwilligerswerk. In vergelijking met voorgaande jaren laten de cijfers een vrij stabiel beeld zien. De vrijwilligers die actief zijn besteden gemiddeld ongeveer 19 uur per maand aan vrijwilligerswerk. Het aantal uur is
ongeveer gelijk gebleven. Vrijwilligers zijn het vaakst actief in de sector sport (12%), gevolgd door religie en levensbeschouwing (7%), gezondheid, recreatie/hobby en scholen (elk 6%). Bestuurswerk en fondsenwerving zijn minder populaire taken onder vrijwilligers in 2010 dan in voorgaande jaren. Er is een stijging te zien van het aandeel van de vrijwilligers dat bezig is met vervoer bieden, training of scholing en verzorging, en een daling bij informatie of advies geven en persoonlijke raadgeving.
Vrijwilligers zien vaak voordelen van hun vrijwilligersactiviteiten die liggen op het terrein van leren, waarden en zelfbevestiging. Minder vrijwilligers (34%) vinden dat vrijwilligerswerk een prettige afl eiding is van de eigen problemen en dat vrijwilligerswerk goed staat op het CV (32%). Vrijwilligers zijn wat vaker trots op hun vrijwilligerswerk dan twee jaar geleden.

Vrijwilligerswerk wordt in Nederland vaker gedaan door hoger opgeleiden, door personen zonder betaald werk (vooral gepensioneerden), door kerkelijke mensen, vooral met een
protestantse achtergrond, mensen met kinderen en door ouderen. De meeste vrijwilligers zijn gevraagd om actief te worden. Zij ervaren ook een grotere sociale druk om vrijwilligerswerk te doen dan niet-vrijwilligers. Daarnaast zijn Nederlanders vaker actief in het vrijwilligerswerk wanneer zij het belangrijker vinden om anderen te helpen. Nederlanders beginnen vaker aan vrijwilligerswerk wanneer ze hoger opgeleid zijn en een
protestantse achtergrond hebben. Inwoners van grote steden en mensen die persoonlijk gevraagd worden om vrijwilligerswerk te doen stoppen minder vaak. Hoger opgeleiden stoppen even vaak als lager opgeleiden. Protestanten stoppen minder vaak met vrijwilligerswerk dan onkerkelijken. Een sterker gevoel van verantwoordelijkheid voor de samenleving als geheel vermindert eveneens de kans om te stoppen met vrijwilligerswerk.

Geographical Differences in Blood Donation and Philanthropy in The Netherlands: What Role for Social Capital?

by Rene Bekkers

The key question addressed in this paper is whether geographical differences in blood donation and philanthropy... more The key question addressed in this paper is whether geographical differences in blood donation and philanthropy reflect differences in social capital. We do find considerable spatial variation in blood donation and philanthropy between municipalities in the Netherlands. But we do not find that blood donation and philanthropy have strong or even moderately positive relations with each other or with indicators of prosocial norms and engagement in voluntary associations. However, voter turnout is strongly related to both blood donation and philanthropy. We conclude that the spatial variation in blood donation and philanthropy is not due to differences in social capital.

And who is your neighbor? Explaining denominational differences in charitable giving and volunteering in the Netherlands

by Rene Bekkers

We study differences in contributions of time and money to churches and non-religious nonprofit organizations between... more We study differences in contributions of time and money to churches and non-religious nonprofit organizations between members of different religious denominations in the Netherlands. We hypothesize that contributions to religious organizations are
based on involvement in the religious community, while contributions to non-religious organizations are more likely to be rooted in prosocial values such as altruism, equality,
and responsibility for the common good, which are socialized in religious traditions.

Data from the first wave of the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey (n=1,964) support the hypotheses. We find higher levels of volunteerism and generosity among members of Protestant churches than among Catholics and the non-religious. Higher
contributions to church among members of Protestant churches are mostly due to higher levels of church attendance and social pressure to contribute. In contrast, higher contributions to non-religious organizations by members of Protestant churches,
especially charitable donations, are mostly due to prosocial values.

Trust and Volunteering: Selection or Causation? Evidence From a 4 Year Panel Study

by Rene Bekkers

Participation in voluntary associations is often believed to make citizens more trusting of others. This paper reports... more Participation in voluntary associations is often believed to make citizens more trusting of others. This paper reports longitudinal analyses of a time intensive form of participation—volunteering—and generalized social trust using data from three waves of the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Study spanning 4 years (2002–2006; n = 692) refuting this belief. Trust is relatively stable over a 4 year period (0.73). Changes in volunteering are not related to changes in trust. Trust is higher among volunteers mainly because of selective attrition: persons with low trust are more likely to quit volunteering.

Explaining Differences in Philanthropic Behavior Between Christians, Muslims, and Hindus in the Netherlands

by Rene Bekkers

Co-authored with Christine Carabain.

Using survey data from the Netherlands, we find that Muslims have relatively high levels of religious philanthropic... more Using survey data from the Netherlands, we find that Muslims have relatively high levels of religious philanthropic behavior and relatively low levels of secular philanthropic behavior, whereas Hindus have relatively low levels of religious philanthropic behavior and higher levels of secular philanthropic behavior. Results indicate that the community explanation and the conviction explanation of the relationship between religion and philanthropic behavior are both valid to some extent when it comes to differences in philanthropic behavior between Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. In addition, we find a relationship between group orientation in worship rituals on the relation between religion and philanthropic behavior. The more group-oriented the worship rituals, the stronger the relation between religion
and philanthropic behavior. The results suggest that Durkheim’s theory on suicide may only be valid in a Christian context.

And Who is Your Neighbor? Explaining the Effect of Religion on Charitable Giving and Volunteering

by Rene Bekkers

We study differences in contributions of time and money to churches and non-religious nonprofit organizations between... more We study differences in contributions of time and money to churches and non-religious nonprofit organizations between members of different religious denominations in the Netherlands. We hypothesize that contributions to religious organizations are
based on involvement in the religious community, while contributions to non-religious organizations are more likely to be rooted in prosocial values such as altruism, equality, and responsibility for the common good, which are socialized in religious traditions. Data from the first wave of the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey (n=1,964) support the hypotheses. We find higher levels of volunteerism and generosity among members of Protestant churches than among Catholics and the non-religious. Higher contributions to church among members of Protestant churches are mostly due to higher levels of church attendance and social pressure to contribute. In contrast, higher
contributions to non-religious organizations by members of Protestant churches, especially charitable donations, are mostly due to prosocial values.

Intergenerational Transmission of Volunteering

by Rene Bekkers

Participation In Voluntary Associations: Relations With Resources, Personality, and Political Values

by Rene Bekkers

Participation in voluntary associations is explained by different theories in sociology, psychology, and political... more Participation in voluntary associations is explained by different theories in sociology, psychology, and political science. Sociologists have emphasized the effects of resources such as human and social capital. Psychologists have demonstrated the role of empathy and extraversion as aspects of personality. Political scientists have considered political values and attitudes. This paper investigates the predictive value of personality characteristics, political values, and social conditions for civic engagement. Data from the Family Survey of the Dutch Population 2000 (n = 1,587) show that active citizens have more human and social capital available to them, they are more interested in politics, have more post materialistic
value orientations, prefer leftist or Christian political parties, are less conscientious persons, and show more empathic concern with other people. Relations of personality characteristics with civic engagement were partly intermediated by church attendance and the level of education and varied in complex ways with hourly wages. My results show how social, political, and psychological characteristics are jointly related to civic engagement.

Helping Behavior, Dispositional Empathic Concern, and the Principle of Care

by Rene Bekkers

Co-authored with Mark Ottoni Wilhelm

This research investigates the relative strength of two correlates of helping behavior: dispositional empathic concern... more This research investigates the relative strength of two correlates of helping behavior: dispositional empathic concern and a moral principle to care about others. The empathy–helping and care–helping relationships are investigated using data from the General Social Survey, a nationally representative random sample of the U.S. adult population. Ten helping behaviors are investigated. The results show that the care–helping relationship is stronger than the empathy–helping relationship for most helping behaviors, and that the empathy–helping relationship is mediated by the principle of care. That dispositional empathic concern is mediated by the principle of care requires new theoretical interpretations of the empathy–helping relationship, and suggests new directions for research on helping behavior.

Using Psychological Contract Theory to Explore Issues In Effective Volunteer Management

by Simon Darcy

Taylor, T., Darcy, S., Cuskelly, G., & Hoye, R. (2006). Using psychological contract theory to explore issues in effective volunteer management. European Sports Management Quarterly, 6(2), 123-147.

Psychological contract theory is used here to explore the set of expectations and obligations that community sport... more Psychological contract theory is used here to explore the set of expectations and obligations that community sport club volunteers regard as part of their volunteering experience. In the first phase of the research, focus group interviews were conducted with 98 community sports club administrators about the methods used to manage volunteers and the organisational expectations of the volunteers. In phase two, 48 general volunteers were interviewed about their expectations and perceptions of the club's volunteer management practices. The findings indicate that club administrators and volunteers place different emphases on the transactional, assurance of good faith and fair dealing, and intrinsic job characteristic components of the psychological contract. Notably, club administrators had substantial expectations of volunteers in relation to adherence to professional, legal and regulatory standards. Volunteers were primarily concerned with doing rewarding work in a pleasant social environment that was able to fit within their often tight time restrictions. The implications of these findings for volunteer management processes and practice in community sport clubs are discussed.

Voluntariado y apoyo emocional a la familia cuidadora

by Nuria Garro-Gil

Volunteering below the radar? Informal volunteering in urban and rural Scotland

by Mike Woolvin

This paper was given at the NCVO/VSSN 'Researching the Voluntary Sector' conference, London, September 2011. It won the Campbell Adamson Memorial Prize for best paper.

Increasing policy interest in the third sector has been well documented. Whilst more formal third sector and voluntary... more Increasing policy interest in the third sector has been well documented. Whilst more formal third sector and voluntary activity has received increasing attention, a focus on ‘below the radar’ activity has only recently developed. This has generally, however, explored groups and organisations that can be understood as ‘below the radar’. Research gaps exist regarding the nature of volunteering ‘below the radar’, and the nature and extent of such activity in more rural areas. This paper highlights a number of findings from a three year PhD study of informal volunteering - participation ‘below the radar’ - throughout the lifecourse in more deprived urban areas of Scotland. It then examines the implications of this for more rural areas. It concludes by suggesting the implications of these findings for academics, policy makers and practitioners, and outlining possible future research