A volunteer doctor from the NGO Casa Alianza treating a street child in Guatemala.
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What
is volunteering?
Ask a group
of people what volunteering means and you’re likely to get a whole range of answers.
For some, it conjures up images of people helping the less fortunate– providing assistance
to children, the ill, the elderly or the blind. For others, it means campaigning
for change—getting involved with a local environmental pressure group or supporting
a global drive to abolish landmines. For yet others, it is about the struggle for
survival—working with friends and neighbours to garner the essentials of everyday
life.
Whatever form it takes, voluntary activity stands apart from paid work or leisure
in three ways. Firstly, it is not carried out primarily for monetary gain. Secondly,
it is carried out freely and without coercion. Thirdly, volunteering must benefit
the community, although it can be rewarding for the volunteer, often in intangible
ways.
While some societies are richer in volunteering than others, we need to be careful
about adopting a league-table approach to measuring this activity. Given the variety
of forms it takes, we run the risk of overstating the divisions between industrialized
countries—which are perhaps richer in formal volunteering—and developing ones, where
the informal tradition of volunteering is often more pronounced.
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Societies
need to recognize and promote volunteerism as a valuable activity. And they must
encourage volunteer action at home and abroad.
Kofi
Annan, UN Secretary General (1938-)
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Governments
are waking up to the economic and social benefits of volunteering, but should not
rely on it as a stopgap for solving society’s ills
In a telling recognition
of volunteering’s place in society, the United Nations General Assembly will meet
this December to debate how governments can do a better job of supporting those who
contribute to their communities without any financial return. It is an apt culmination
to the International Year of Volunteers that has mobilized people in 130 countries.
It is hardly surprising that governments around the world are waking up to volunteering’s
economic and social benefits. In the United Kingdom, for example, volunteering contributes
an estimated £40 billion ($64 billion) to the economy, whilst in Canada its
economic value has been put at $16 billion. A recent comparative study in 22 countries
estimated that volunteers put in hours equivalent to the work of 10.5 million full-time
employees!
But there are dangers in solely drawing attention to these economic justifications,
even though they can raise the status of volunteering, in much the same way as the
women’s movement has long argued in relation to household work.
Governments might be tempted to replace paid workers with volunteers to save money.
For one, this overlooks the fact that volunteering requires investment and training
to yield a return: a recent study in Europe estimated that every dollar invested
in volunteering brought eight in return.
From
gift to exchange
More importantly, growing evidence supports what volunteers throughout the world
have long known, namely that it is good for society. Academics have developed the
notion of social capital to describe the links and connections made by individuals
through volunteering. Some studies have suggested that a society rich in social capital
will tend to have lower rates of crime, lower levels of school absenteeism and inter-racial
conflict, and (coming full circle to economics again) higher levels of economic growth.
While this capital has a role to play in building strong and active communities,
it can only be maximized in certain conditions. Volunteering works best in the context
of a healthy and well-resourced public sector. It is not a substitute for government
services but rather an essential complement—adding value to the services provided
by paid professionals. As an essential ingredient of a healthy, democratic society,
governments have a vested interest in its promotion, even when volunteers are involved
in campaigning activities and speak out against public policies.
The benefits to the volunteers themselves should not be underestimated. It used to
be said that volunteering was based on the idea of a gift relationship. Now, most
people see it as an exchange, where both giver and receiver benefit in equal measure.
Volunteers are quick to cite a rich list of benefits, from meeting friends to learning
new skills and gaining a different perspective on life.
Those suffering from social exclusion are particularly likely to benefit. Disabled
people taking part in volunteering can aid social integration and challenge the negative
stereotypes of themselves as passive recipients of care. For the young, volunteering
offers opportunities for self-development and risk-taking, and provides a valuable
grounding in citizenship.
For senior citizens, it could help the process of ’active ageing’—some research has
even suggested that volunteering is good for health! In short, volunteering provides
a classic win/win situation, benefiting both the volunteer and society.
Removing
barriers
Still, barriers to participation remain: in some countries there is no freedom of
association, while in others, legislation may work against involving certain groups,
such as the unemployed. Organizations may be unable to pay travel expenses for volunteers,
thus penalising those with the lowest incomes. There may also be attitudinal barriers
— some people may reject volunteering as old-fashioned and outmoded — or institutional
ones: organizations may be reluctant to develop opportunities for volunteers to get
involved.
Governments have a role to play in removing these barriers, by creating an environment
— legal, fiscal and institutional — in which people are able to volunteer. The Dutch
government, for example, has decided to scrutinize or “proof” all new legislation
to maximise its impact on volunteering.
Employees
on the go in Japan
Governments also have a key role to play in funding the organization or information
technology infrastructure at the national and local levels, to enable volunteering
to flourish. As major employers, they can encourage staff to play an active role
in their local communities. Taking on board emerging evidence of the benefits of
volunteering on staff morale, team-building and business profile, more and more employers—in
the public and private sectors—are encouraging their staff to get involved in volunteer
activity.
Japan’s Osaka Gas Company, for example, launched a scheme called “Chiisa na Tomoshibi”
or “Tiny Lamplight” in 1981. By 1994, a staggering 13,500 staff were involved in
the volunteer scheme, which entailed employees participating in a range of community
services. The company promoted volunteerism by allowing staff to take leave ranging
from 10 days to 12 months. Retired staff and the families of employees were also
encouraged to participate in social welfare activities.
Though governments have their role to play in endorsing pro-volunteer policies, they
must also recognize their limitations. The volunteering movement rightly cherishes
its independence, and any attempt by the state to control its agenda must be fiercely
resisted. |
