BULGARIAN YOUNG PEOPLE, VOLUNTEERING AND SOCIAL CAPITAL: TRENDS IN 2019

Abstract

Research on the Bulgarian youth in the last two decades detect disturbing trends of sharp decline in the trust towards different public institutions, preferences towards living in the closer family and friends’ environment, prevailing consumer attitudes. There is a necessity for injecting new energy and positive life attitude which is taken account of in the national youth policies but fails to become reality.Data from the annual government reports doesn’t show significant changes in the attitudes and ways of life of the Bulgarian young people regarding the use of their free time in a positive way like acquiring new knowledge and skills, or widening their net of social contacts. Researches show very small percentage of young people who are volunteers, low levels of membership in nongovernmental, activist or even political organizations, disinterest in civic activities.These disturbing results can be discussed in the light of the social capital theories that outline volunteering and civic activism as crucial methods in building bridging and linking social capital. The latter can help young people in their professional and personal fulfillment and in bettering the quality of their lives.The article studies the results of a research done in the first half of the year 2019 among 240 young people (mostly students). The data is gathered through a structured online questionnaire. It studies the motivation of those young people to take part in voluntary activities; as well as the attitudes of youngsters who have never participated in a voluntary activity. Other researchers in Bulgaria have found that the students are the most active volunteers in the country. The current research verifies that statement. It delves deeper in the reasons why a person would / wouldn’t take part in a voluntary activity, what are the preferred causes, what are the best information channels for attracting young volunteers, what are their expectations.So far governmental policies have failed to produce significant positive changes in the behavior of the young people in Bulgaria. But there is a large number of youth organizations, nonprofit organizations committed to promoting volunteering and international organizations and programmes that slowly are shifting the trends. To add to the portfolio of volunteering forms, an international project started in 2018 is trying to popularize the pro bono programmes and to make them a part of the typical life cycle of the students in Bulgaria and other EU countries.