Internet-mediated Volunteering in the EU: Its history, prevalence, and approaches and how it relates to employability and social inclusion

Abstract

This is a review of Internet-mediated volunteering in European Union (EU) countries. It assesses the current status of such in EU countries and identifies key actors and stakeholders, drivers and barriers, uptake and usage, and potential challenges and risks for users, donors, policy makers and service operators. It reviews the early history of Internet-mediated volunteering, also known as virtual volunteering, online volunteering, micro-volunteering, crowdsourcing, and various other names, in Europe. This report also reviews possible linkages between Internet-mediated volunteering and greater employability and social inclusion for online volunteers, particularly young people. Finally, it identifies areas for EU policy development, review and refinement, and makes recommendations for future research.