An article examined the rationale for citizen engagement in the delivery of public health programmes by exploring the perspectives on volunteer roles in two case studies. Citizen engagement in public health was not a superficial response to welfare deficits: it should be framed as an appropriate strategy to address health inequalities at community level, within a citizenship framework.
Source: Jane South, Peter Branney, and Karina Kinsella, 'Citizens bridging the gap? Interpretations of volunteering roles in two public health projects', Voluntary Sector Review, Volume 2 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
The coalition government published a 'strategic vision' (following consultation) for promoting the use of volunteers in health and social care services. It highlighted the potential of volunteering in terms of improving health and well-being and addressing health inequalities.
Source: Social Action for Health and Well-Being: Building co-operative communities, Department of Health
Date: 2011-Oct
A think-tank report examined how the engagement of older people in the coalition government's 'Big Society' project could be maintained and increased.
Source: Antonia Cox, Age of Opportunity: Older people, volunteering and the Big Society, ResPublica
Links: Report | Summary | ResPublica press release
Date: 2011-Oct
A literature review examined evidence for the impact of volunteering in the areas of health, public health, social care, and broader health and well-being.
Source: Jonathan Paylor, Volunteering and Health: Evidence of impact and implications for policy and practice – A literature review, Institute for Volunteering Research
Links: Literature review
Date: 2011-Oct
An article examined the experiences of volunteers in a programme established as a legacy of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Volunteering provided social inclusion benefits beyond employability, by enriching volunteers' lives and empowering them to make new choices. Recognizing and valuing this would enable 'social inclusion' programmes promoting volunteering at major events, such as the 2012 Olympics, to broaden their objectives.
Source: Geoff Nichols and Rita Ralston, ' Social inclusion through volunteering: the legacy potential of the 2012 Olympic Games', Sociology, Volume 45 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Oct
A paper expressed a number of concerns regarding the use of volunteering to tackle poverty in Europe.
Source: Volunteering and the Fight Against Poverty, European Anti-Poverty Network
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Sep
The European Commission announced plans to further improve recognition and promotion of cross-border volunteering in the European Union.
Source: Communication on EU Policies and Volunteering: Recognising and Promoting Crossborder Voluntary Activities in the EU, European Commission
Links: Communication
Date: 2011-Sep
A new book examined the role of unpaid voluntary action – how it was organized, the social role expected of it, and the experiences of individual volunteers.
Source: Irene Hardill and Susan Baines, Enterprising Care? Unpaid voluntary action in the 21st century, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
Researchers sought to identify the key drivers of volunteering in the sports, arts, heritage, and museums/libraries/archives sectors, and to develop a typology of individuals who did volunteer.
Source: John D Souza, Natalie Low, Lucy Lee, Gareth Morrell, and Julia Hall, Understanding the Drivers of Volunteering in Culture and Sport: Analysis of the Taking Part Survey, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Aug
A new book examined the history of voluntarism over the previous century, and drew lessons for the coalition government's 'Big Society' project.
Source: Matthew Hilton and James McKay (eds.), The Ages of Voluntarism: How we got to the Big Society, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Aug
A report examined the contribution of volunteering to the development of young people's employability skills, contacts, and qualifications; and to relieving the negative consequences of unemployment or inactivity.
Source: Becci Newton, Joy Oakley, and Emma Pollard, Volunteering: Supporting Transitions, V – The National Young Volunteers Service
Links: Report
Date: 2011-May
A study examined the long-term impacts of youth volunteering. Youth volunteering was associated with positive outcomes in the social/political and economic spheres later in life, particularly in respect of higher education qualifications.
Source: Joana Lopes, David Kerr, and Julie Nelson, Measuring the Impossible? Making a start: exploring the impact of youth volunteering through existing longitudinal research data, V – The National Young Volunteers Service
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-May
An article examined the impact of individualization on volunteering in western European societies.
Source: Lesley Hustinx and Lucas Meijs, 'Re-embedding volunteering: in search of a new collective ground', Voluntary Sector Review, Volume 2 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A paper examined the different ways in which 'volunteering' had been defined.
Source: Angela Ellis Paine, Matthew Hill, and Colin Rochester, 'A Rose by Any Other Name ' Revisiting the question: 'What exactly is volunteering?', Working Paper 1, Institute for Volunteering Research
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined volunteering and unpaid work activities in the European Union. Just over 20 per cent of Europeans took part in voluntary and charitable activities: but there were wide differences between member states.
Source: Patrick McCloughan, William Batt, Mark Costine, and Derek Scully, Participation in Volunteering and Unpaid Work: Second European Quality of Life Survey, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2011-Feb
The Court of Appeal ruled that volunteers without contracts were not covered by anti-discrimination legislation relating to workers. The judgement was made in a case involving a volunteer who claimed that she had been discriminated against on the grounds of disability when she was asked to stop volunteering for a citizens advice bureau.
Source: X v Mid Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau and Others, Court of Appeal 26 January 2011
Links: Judgement | People Management report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jan