A report examined the state of volunteering, and the socio-economic trends that might influence volunteering. It identified the rise of the 'selfish or self-interested' volunteer, who wanted to know as much about what they would get out of volunteering as about what they would put in.
Source: Elisha Evans and Joe Saxton, 21st Century Volunteer, nfpSynergy (020 7250 3343)
Links: Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
Two linked reports said that the issue of risk and liability in relation to volunteers had become a significant concern for voluntary, statutory, and private organizations.
Source: Katharine Gaskin, Reasonable Care?: Risk, risk management and volunteering in England - Results of surveys of organisations and individuals, Volunteering England (0845 305 6979) and Institute for Volunteering Research | Katharine Gaskin, Getting a Grip: Risk, risk management and volunteering - A review of the literature, Volunteering England and Institute for Volunteering Research
Links: Survey report | Literature review
Date: 2005-Dec
A report highlighted the vital role of volunteers in community sport.
Source: Sports Volunteers are at the Heart of our Community, Sport England (0870 5210 255)
Links: Report | Sport England press release
Date: 2005-Dec
A literature review examined the image of volunteering and volunteers held by the public and the media.
Source: Joanna Machin, Volunteering and the Media: A review of the literature, Voluntary Action Media Unit (020 7785 6392)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Oct
A survey of young people in Scotland provided a baseline for monitoring young people s participation in youth work and other activities.
Source: MORI Scotland, Being Young in Scotland 2005: Young people's participation in youth work, arts, culture and sport, Scottish Executive, (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Sep
A survey found that many people on benefits would like to volunteer, but were put off because they thought their weekly income would be cut or stopped if they did.
Source: John Ramsey, The Benefits Barrier: What impact do welfare benefits have on volunteering?, Citizens Advice (020 7833 2181)
Links: Report (pdf) | Citizens Advice press release
Date: 2005-Sep
Researchers found that there were more than 10,000 volunteers working in credit unions. But they said that If credit unions were to grow, volunteers would have to develop as specialist advisors and credit union champions rather then functioning solely as unpaid operational staff.
Source: Paul Jones and Tina Barnes, The Changing Role of Volunteers in the British Credit Union Movement, School of Applied Social and Community Studies/Liverpool John Moores University (0151 231 3941)
Links: Summary (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
A report examined how homeless people viewed volunteering, what benefits they could gain from it, what potential barriers they faced, and how they felt they could be best supported to volunteer.
Source: Kate Bowgett, Homeless People and Volunteering, Off the Streets and into Work (020 7089 2722)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
A plan was published to encourage volunteering by a million more young people - half the 16-25 population. It proposed the creation of up to 12,000 new full-time volunteering opportunities, 80,000 new part-time placements, and 300,000 'taster' activities for young people. The government responded by announcing (in the Budget) the creation of a national community service scheme for young people.
Source: Ian Russell, National Framework for Youth Action and Engagement, Russell Commission, available from Active Communities Directorate/Home Office (020 7035 5328) | Press release 16 March 2005, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Russell Commission press release (1) (pdf) | HMT press release | Russell Commission press release (2) (pdf) | CSV press release | Volunteering England press release | Young People Now report
Date: 2005-Mar
A study highlighted what works in getting older people involved as volunteers. Volunteering could offer a 'structured' means of making a meaningful contribution to society, once the opportunity to do so through work had been cut off. But organizations might need to be more flexible about the activities and time commitment they required, to enable retired people to fit volunteering into their increasingly busy lives.
Source: Justin Davis Smith and Pat Gay, Active Ageing in Active Communities: Volunteering and the transition to retirement, Policy Press for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 0115
Date: 2005-Mar
A research report said that volunteers made a significant contribution to health and social care services in Wales. It documented case studies of volunteering for health and social care partnership projects with both statutory and voluntary organizations.
Source: Helen Jones, Volunteering for Health, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A report evaluated a three-year pilot programme (Active Citizens in Schools), which sought to engage children aged 11-15 in sustained volunteering activities through their schools. Participation in the programme had a significant impact on the young people involved, with all stakeholders speaking enthusiastically about the contribution it had made to their lives.
Source: Angela Ellis, Active Citizens in School: Evaluation of the DfES pilot programme, Research Report 620, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A report highlighted the impact of full-time gap year volunteers on public services, and on the lives of the people they supported - including young offenders, homeless people, adults with learning difficulties, and carers.
Source: Full-time Volunteering: A unique experience, Community Service Volunteers (020 7278 6601)
Links: Report (pdf) | CSV press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Feb
The government launched a programme to raise volunteer numbers among young people by 1 million to 4 million. It said that it wanted half of all young people to volunteer in the community, and planned to extend schemes under which they received public money if they spent their gap year in local voluntary work.
Source: Press release 31 January 2005, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558)
Links: HMT press release | Text of speech | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan