English VOLUNTEERING IN THE YOUTH ENVIRONMENT DURING A COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The relevance of our topic is that a highly organized and purposeful educational process is impossible without the development of public consciousness in the youth environment. Accordingly, the purpose of the study is to examine and analyze the process of socialization of a person, in particular students, and their involvement in volunteering. Student years are a period of awareness and evaluation of their actions and deeds, the formation of personal concepts. Young people try to look for a reflection of moral qualities in others and begin to project these qualities on themselves. During the forming of the moral potential of students, it is necessary not only to provide an idea of the best human values but also to help them understand, which will motivate the actions of the younger generation. One of the important consequences of the development of civil society in Ukraine was the active development of a relatively new social phenomenon for the country – the volunteer movement. This movement was founded on the tradition of selfless assistance to the needy. It is a historically inherent feature of the Ukrainian national culture. Adopting the experience of a number of advanced Western countries in this area, the domestic volunteer movement is becoming stronger every year, uniting more citizens and attracting significant resources, which requires legislative regulation. Thus, there is reason to claim that volunteer work and the student volunteer movement have been and actually are very relevant. Defining volunteer work, it should be noted that this phenomenon is a social practice that can be mastered by future social workers outside of studying in higher education institutions, but also on the basis of public organizations. Volunteering is based on the ideas of selfless service to humane, the ideal of humanity. It is done without profit, receiving pay, or career growth. Volunteering obtains comprehensive satisfaction of personal and social needs through assistance to other people. It is the basis of public organizations and territorial communities functioning. It is the form of civic activity, as it is low-specialized assistance in various fields. It is also important to keep in mind that a person's values are inextricably connected with motivation and focus. Volunteering contributes to positive changes in the worldview of young people, communicative consciousness, as well as a social and intellectual activity, competence, and ability to act in unusual life situations. The paradox of this work is that by making changes in society, the student rethinks themselves. Therefore, the subject of changes in volunteering is the individual that carries it out. Such work, as well as preparation for it, creates optimal conditions for the development and self-improvement of the personality of a young human, who voluntarily conducts charitable, non-profit, motivating, and socially useful activities. Students are the most mobile social group in the modern world. They take an active part in solving the challenges that are facing the state. The competitiveness of the country at the international level depends on its position in socio-political life, active participation in the socio-economic and cultural development of the country.

Mechanisms adopted by social enterprises for effective volunteer-based operations

Purpose This paper aims to describe an exploratory study aiming to identify the mechanisms adopted by social enterprises for effective operations based on volunteer work. Design/methodology/approach An inductive multiple case study method was used addressing three social enterprises whose operations rely on a volunteer workforce. Findings Volunteer-based operations benefit from the establishment of a formal structure, involving different levels of volunteering complemented with other mechanisms, namely, educate and train, empower and connect. Special attention must be given to first-level volunteers, reinforcing the range of practices to motivate and engage them, as they serve as intermediaries between the paid employees and lower-level volunteers. Practical implications The study provides valuable insights for managers for the implementation of effective operations, building on volunteer work, aiming at the generation of social and economic value. Social implications Due to their innovative character, social enterprises are well-positioned to mobilize more and more qualified volunteers for a significant change in their communities. Adopting a more strategic and structured approach to volunteer management can enable these organizations to take advantage of it. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on social enterprise by identifying a set of mechanisms adopted for effective volunteer-based operations. It also contributes to the literature on volunteer management by addressing an underexplored context.

Effects of Participating in a Volunteer Driving Program on Mental Health in Service Recipients and Volunteers

Objectives To assess the effects of a volunteer transportation program on mental health in riders and volunteers. Methods A cross-sectional study (N=133, age ≥60) compared pre- and existing (≥2 years) riders, pre- and existing (≥2 years) volunteer drivers, and riders (Rs) and pre-volunteers (PreVs), representing general older adults. The cohorts belonged to a large, community volunteer organization. Outcome measures, depression and quality of life, were analyzed using ANCOVA. Percentages of people who wanted to go to specific destinations with available transportation were identified for pre-riders (PreRs) and Rs. Results Rs had better depression scores (p<.001), no longer exhibited depressive symptoms (p=.005), and were better in quality of life (p=.002) than PreRs. Rs were similar to PreVs. PreRs’ major needs were going to medically related places (doctors’ offices – 74.4%, drug stores - 44.2%, hospitals – 37.2%) and basic living (grocery – 60.5%, clothing -37.2%). In Rs, these had significantly lowered, but still 40% wanted to go to doctors’ offices and 30%, grocery stores. Volunteer driver's (Vs)' depression (p=.009), health (p=.006), and social relationships (p=.004) were significantly better than PreVs'. Discussion Although the use of free transportation up to four times a month may not be enough to improve perceived health for Rs, it was beneficial to prevent depression and increase quality of life. Since many PreVs were doing volunteer work other than driving, the type of volunteer work matters. Regularly helping people, in person, with their core needs for living resulted in positive outcomes for Vs.

Nächstenliebe und Selbstliebe

The contribution starts anthropologically, following biblical narratives but also modern anthropological research, by assuming that people are fundamentally related to others and that human cultural development is based on fundamentally cooperative processes. Against this background, love of self and love of neighbour are not understood as competing patterns of behaviour; rather, they are mutually dependent. This is confirmed by empirical results with regard to volunteer work, which show that for most volunteers altruism, sociability and self-development do not denote contradictory motives, but rather interpret each other reciprocally.

Everyday Life Experiences of Swedes Age 70+ During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As many other countries Sweden has been hit hard by the Corona pandemic, with high numbers of dead in the older population. Since march 16, 2020, the authorities have encouraged people 70+ to voluntarily quarantine and avoid contacts outside the household. How has this affected older people’s everyday lives? This study reports on results from a web-survey on the everyday life experiences of Swedes 70+ carried out between May 28 and July 13, 2020 (n=1 926). The presentation focuses answers to an open-ended question: “Describe with your own words how your life has been affected by the Corona pandemic”. A qualitative content analysis was used to investigate changes in the everyday lives of the respondents and their appreciations of these changes. Results show that older Swedes have mostly adhered to public recommendations of self-isolation and withdrawn from social and family contacts, as well as paid and volunteer work. The vast majority (76%) of the respondents describe what they see as negative life changes, such as loss of structure in their everyday life, loss of contact with children/grandchildren and friends, loss of meaningful activities, loss of abilities due to forced unemployment and experiences of ageism. Experiences of loneliness, depression and drop in quality of life are common. Some positive changes were reported. We argue that the experience of the 70+ population during Corona needs to be understood in relation to the promise of the third age, where everyday restrictions are experienced as a forced disengagement into a fourth age life style.

Challenges and benefits: Volunteerism among older adults during Covid-19

Social distancing restrictions and regulations, put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, disrupted the daily lives of active older adult volunteers. One year into the pandemic, we used a mixed-methods approach to explore how these regulations had impacted the quality of life, loneliness, and volunteer behavior of 26 older adults who were active volunteers (i.e., at least an hour a week) prior to the start of the pandemic. All the participants were white and non-Hispanic, and the majority were female (65.4%). The average age was 71, with a range from 53 to 87 years old. On average, participant scores on the UCLA loneliness scale (4.23 ±1.39) indicated a low amount of loneliness and high scores on the Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life (BBQ) scale (83.54 ±10.97) indicated a high quality of life. Thematic findings from the interviews conveyed that, despite the challenges and risks associated with volunteering during a pandemic, participants valued volunteer work enough to make adjustments or seek out new volunteer activities. The research team identified two overarching themes related to participants' discussions of volunteering during the pandemic: Challenges and changes and Benefits of volunteering during a pandemic. Participants' discussions of how volunteer work changed and why they continued to or sought out new volunteer activities during a pandemic can guide organizations seeking to support or recruit older volunteers, particularly as the pandemic continues. These findings also provide further evidence of the important role that volunteerism can play in the well-being of older adults.

Health Education Specialists: Professional Practice During a Pandemic

Authors conducted survey research on Health Education Specialists’ (HES) involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n = 1,837) completed questions on COVID-19 work and job responsibilities, use of the NCHEC Areas of Responsibility and Competencies in addressing the pandemic, education and training, work with populations at risk, and volunteer work related to COVID-19. The majority of respondents reported some work, either professional or personal associated with the pandemic, and the majority felt prepared to do this work, although it caused additional work responsibilities with no additional pay. Many had to work from home during the pandemic, using technology to accomplish their tasks. Most reported conducting education and prevention and designing and implementing communication strategies regarding the pandemic. Those with MCHES certification were more likely to use the NCHEC competencies in their work and more likely to perform listed COVID-19 activities, with the exception of contact tracing and direct care to COVID-19 patients, which were more likely conducted by CHES certified HES. Results of this study show the significant level of involvement of HES in the COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of roles and capacities, despite a challenging political landscape during the time the survey was administered. Many HES reported volunteer work in addition to their paid work, including donating money, distributing food, or making masks. Finally, HES welcomed more training on COVID-19 and use of technology. Results of the study may be used to document the roles of HES during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make recommendations for future emergency preparedness efforts.