Participation In Volunteer Work Research Articles

Impact of Volunteerism on the Mental Health and Academic Performance of Medical Students: A Saudi-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction The term "volunteering" refers to any endeavor in which one's time is devoted voluntarily to the benefit of another individual, group, or organization, and without the expectation of receiving compensation. Several studies have discovered that engagement in volunteer work is substantially predictive of improved mental and physical health, self-esteem, diminished depressive symptoms, and psychological distress, in addition to having a positive correlation with mental well-being. Aim The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between medical student participation in volunteer work and their mental well-being. Subject and methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, involving medical students enrolled in Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University and Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, both of which are government institutions, as well as Almarefah College, a private medical school. The students were provided with a self-administered questionnaire. Sociodemographic information, prior volunteer experience, and an evaluation of the mental health status of medical students are all components of the questionnaire. Results A total of 827 medical students participated; 798 (96.5%) of them fell between 18 years and 25 years and only 29 (3.5%) were between 25 years and40 years. Themales accountedfor 594 students (71.8%) and girls accounted for 233 students (28.2%). Among the students, 387 (46.8%) fell within the age range of 21 to 22 years, and 401 (48.5%) had a prior engagement in voluntary activities at school or college. Significant factors that influence participation in volunteering activities consist of attending a governmental institution, 616 students (74.5%); maintaining a grade point average (GPA) ranging from 2.75 to 3.74, 337 students (40.7%); and expressing a preference for participating in medical-related endeavors, 455 students (55%). There is no statistically significant correlation between medical students' engagement in volunteering activities and their mental health state (p>0.05). Conclusion A significant proportion of medical students actively engaged in volunteer work.Contrary to earlier findings, this study establishes that there is no correlation between engaging in volunteer work and the mental health conditions of medical students. Additional longitudinal studies are necessary to establish the correlation between engagement in volunteer work and the mental health of medical students.

Volunteering and instrumental support during the first phase of the pandemic in Europe: the significance of COVID-19 exposure and stringent country’s COVID-19 policy

BackgroundThe COVID-19 control policies might negatively impact older adults’ participation in volunteer work, instrumental support provision, and the likelihood of receiving instrumental support. Studies that quantify changes in these activities and the related factors are limited. The current study aimed to examine the level of volunteering, instrumental support provision and receipt before and during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and to determine whether older adults’ volunteering, instrumental support provision and receipt were associated with individual exposure to COVID-19 and the stringency of country’s COVID-19 control policy during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional survey using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Corona Survey 1 was designed to focus on community-dwelling Europeans aged ≥50 years. History of participation in volunteering work and instrumental support provision or receipt was assessed from the previous SHARE Wave data. The country’s COVID-19 control policy stringency index (S-Index) was from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker database. A total of 45,669 respondents from 26 European countries were included in the volunteering analysis. Seventeen European countries were included in the analyses of instrumental support provision (N = 36,518) and receipt (N = 36,526). The multilevel logistic regression model was fitted separately to analyse each activity.ResultsThe level of volunteering and instrumental support provision was lower during the pandemic, but instrumental support receipt was higher. The country S-Index was positively associated with support provision (OR:1.13;95%CI:1.02–1.26) and negatively associated with support receipt (OR:0.69;95%CI:0.54–0.88). Exposure to COVID-19 was positively associated with support receipt (OR:1.64;95%CI:1.38–1.95). COVID-19 exposure on close ones positively associated with volunteering (OR:1.47;95%CI:1.32–1.65), support provision (OR:1.28;95%CI:1.19–1.39), and support receipt (OR:1.25;95%CI:1.15–1.35).ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic impacted older Europeans’ volunteering, instrumental support provision, and instrumental support receipt from outside their household. When someone close to them was exposed to COVID-19, older Europeans were likely to receive instrumental support and to volunteer and provide instrumental support. A stricter country’s COVID-19 control policy might motivate older adults to provide instrumental support, but it prevents them from receiving instrumental support from outside their households.

The State of Voluntary Work by Jordanian Youths in Jordanian Families: A Field Study on Volunteers in Voluntary Work Centers

The aim of the study was to identify the familial factors that reinforce volunteering culture and support the participation of Jordanian youth in voluntary work. It also aimed to discover the obstacles posed by families affecting youth’s participation in voluntary work that can be attributed to the following variables: gender, age, place of residence, occupation, income level, the educational level of the father, and the educational level of the mother. This study followed a qualitative approach. A descriptive approach was utilized to collect the data. Three hundred and five participants were recruited using the snowball technique. The overall results showed that the role of families in enhancing volunteering culture is major and positive. They revealed that families believe that volunteering helps develop abilities and skills in youths and that families are proud when children participate in voluntary work. Families also believe that volunteering increases their children’s sense of responsibility. As for the obstacles posed by families on voluntary work, the results show that families prefer their children to engage in work that earns money. They also worry that volunteering may affect the youths’ education. Moreover, bad financial circumstances limit families’ encouragement of their children’s participation in voluntary work. Another hindering factor is the absence of former volunteers in the family.

Why Are General Moral Values Poor Predictors of Concrete Moral Behavior in Everyday Life? A Conceptual Analysis and Empirical Study.

Within moral psychology, theories focusing on the conceptualization and empirical measurement of people’s morality in terms of general moral values –such as Moral Foundation Theory- (implicitly) assume general moral values to be relevant concepts for the explanation and prediction of behavior in everyday life. However, a solid theoretical and empirical foundation for this idea remains work in progress. In this study we explore this relationship between general moral values and daily life behavior through a conceptual analysis and an empirical study. Our conceptual analysis of the moral value-moral behavior relationship suggests that the effect of a generally endorsed moral value on moral behavior is highly context dependent. It requires the manifestation of several phases of moral decision-making, each influenced by many contextual factors. We expect that this renders the empirical relationship between generic moral values and people’s concrete moral behavior indeterminate. Subsequently, we empirically investigate this relationship in three different studies. We relate two different measures of general moral values -the Moral Foundation Questionnaire and the Morality As Cooperation Questionnaire- to a broad set of self-reported morally relevant daily life behaviors (including adherence to COVID-19 measures and participation in voluntary work). Our empirical results are in line with the expectations derived from our conceptual analysis: the considered general moral values are poor predictors of the selected daily life behaviors. Furthermore, moral values that were tailored to the specific context of the behavior showed to be somewhat stronger predictors. Together with the insights derived from our conceptual analysis, this indicates the relevance of the contextual nature of moral decision-making as a possible explanation for the poor predictive value of general moral values. Our findings suggest that the investigation of morality’s influence on behavior by expressing and measuring it in terms of general moral values may need revision.

Media Coverage of the Activities in the Field of Culture and Public Resonance (on the Material of the Republic of Mordovia)

Introduction. The relevance of the research lies in the study of the media coverage of cultural events of the national project “Culture”. The purpose of the research is to analyze the work of the mass media of the Republic of Mordovia to cover events related to the implementation of regional projects in the field of culture, and to study the public response to these events in order to improve them. Materials and Methods. Based on materials in regional mass media, including those in native languages and posted on social networks: a monitoring methodology was developed, including a summary table on information sources, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of events and responses to them; comparative and quantitative analysis of the activity of consumers (participants, readers, Internet users, etc.) was made and the quarterly dynamics of public interest in media materials was shown. Results. The prerequisites for successful media coverage of cultural events in epidemiological conditions, which are related to the speed of news release, easy navigation of electronic media versions, lack of strict moderation in social networks regarding users’ comments, were found. The dependence of the population activity to cultural events on external circumstances related to the situation of complete lockdown and other restrictions was revealed. Recommendations to improve the coverage of the national project activities were proposed in order to attract a wider public audience to cultural events. Discussion and the Conclusion. The conducted research contributes to the formation of favorable conditions for effective communication between cultural institutions and society in order to enhance digitalization and intensify social and cultural potential. The theoretical significance of the work consists in the methodology of monitoring the materials of the regional media in order to: increase attendance of cultural events; motivate participation in volunteer work; expand opportunities for self-realization and development of talents; educate a socially responsible person on the basis of values, historical, national and cultural traditions of the peoples of the Russian Federation. The practical significance of the study consists in recommendations how to improve the communication process between organizers of activities of the national project “Culture” and the consumer audience, as well as to use the regional projects potential (including digital) to improve the quality of life in the region.

Expanding Opportunities for Work and Citizenship: Participation of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Voluntary Work

This article discusses the findings of a study into how voluntary work provides opportunities for work inclusion and citizenship for people with intellectual disabilities. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 12 people with intellectual disabilities engaged in voluntary work in Iceland and Norway. Based on collective qualitative analysis, opportunities for meaningful social relations, competence, contribution and belonging were identified as key aspects of the participants’ experiences of volunteering. The study indicates that voluntary settings offer work that recognises the diversity of preferences, expectations and skills among people with intellectual disabilities. The study’s findings point to the importance of rethinking the meaning and boundaries of work, as participation in voluntary work provides opportunities for both inclusion and citizenship in addition to the participants’ participation in other work settings.

Effects of mandatory military and alternative community service on wages and other socioeconomic outcomes

AbstractIn this paper, we estimate the effects of mandatory military and alternative community service by exploiting the post‐cold war decrease in the need for soldiers causing a substantial number of potential conscripts not to be drafted into the German military. The study is based on retrospective survey information for 655 men from the 1970 to 1984 birth cohorts collected in 2009/10 and after, using previously unavailable information on degree of fitness in the military's medical exam as a control variable. We test for the effects of mandatory service on wages, employment, volunteer work, marriage/partnership status, and satisfaction with various aspects of life. Whilst many estimates are not statistically significant, for the younger birth cohorts 1976 to 1984, we find some evidence of a lower hourly wage due to mandatory military service, which shows a negative point estimate of −15% with a large confidence interval of between −30 and −0.2%. This interval estimate is consistent with previous findings for the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands. However, we also find statistically significant estimates for both military and alternative community service to increase participation in volunteer work, a hitherto rarely explored effect.

The Role of Voluntary Work in Raising the Level of Ambition among Students of the University of Jordan

The study aimed to reveal the role of voluntary work in raising the level of ambition among students of the University of Jordan among a sample of (354) male and female students from various scientific and humanitarian disciplines in the second semester of the academic year 2017/2018, who were chosen by random method, they responded on the scale of the study, and the descriptive correlative approach was used. The study results showed that participation in voluntary work and the level of ambition among the study sample members were moderate. Nevertheless, the results showed a positive role for voluntary work in raising the level of ambition among students of the University of Jordan. In light of the study results, the researcher presented recommendations.
 
 Received: 18 November 2021 / Accepted: 31 January 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022

Factors determining individuals’ participation in volunteer work: A study of the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana

Person-organisation fit is the compatibility between individuals' and the organisations' attributes. Researchers have used a variety of dimensions to measure this compatibility. In measuring the similarity between the individual and organization, this study has focused on goal and value congruence. The current study aimed to investigate the person-organization fit factors that influence individuals' participation in volunteer activities. A 16-item scale that consisted of two 8-item subscales was constructed to measure the individual and organization congruence. About 404 respondents completed the questionnaire in the Cape Coast Metropolis in Ghana. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross tabulation and principal component analysis. The study revealed that diverse group of people were involved in NGO volunteer activities. The factor analysis show a two-component solution that explained a total of 61.83 ​% of the variance, with component 1 (person factor) contributing 54.57 ​% and component 2 (organization factor) contributing 7.26 ​%. The high communality values of the individual items for the person and organization factors, ranging from .413 to .766, are indicative of the similarity of the goals and values. The strong positive correlation between the two subscales (r = .63) shows that fit exists between the individuals and organizations' factors might have a positive influence on the study respondents’ participation in volunteer activities. It is imperative that NGOs, especially those in the Cape Coast Metropolis pay particular attention to specific person-organization fit factors to attract, recruit and retain potential volunteers in the future.

Knee Extensor Muscle Strength And The Depressive Status Among Older Japanese Women: A Cross-sectional Study

Depression is commonly regarded as a crucial public health issue because of its detrimental effect on increased mortality and its huge economic burden. Although physical function is generally related depression symptoms, it remains controversial whether lower-extremity muscle strength is a risk factor for geriatric depression symptoms among older women. PURPOSE: To investigate the cross-sectional association between knee extensor muscle strength and geriatric depressive status. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1258 older Japanese women (mean age 71.8 years [standard deviation: 4.3]) who lived in the metropolitan area of Tokyo and were recruited from the basic resident register. They completed an isometric knee extensor muscle strength measurement (newton per kilogram of body weight) and responded to an interview-based questionnaire on their smoking and alcohol consumption habits, history of lifestyle-related diseases (hypertension, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, and cancer), working conditions, hobbies or lessons, participation in volunteer work, living alone status, sleep time, and dietary pattern. Depressive symptoms were defined as a 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score ≥ 6 points. Multivariable odds ratios (OR) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CI) for the presence of depressive symptoms were obtained using a logistic regression model after adjusting for age, body mass index, and the above-mentioned confounding factors. RESULTS: A total of 112 women (8.9%) had geriatric depressive symptoms. After adjusting for various covariates, OR (95% CI) of the depressive symptoms was 1.11 (0.66, 1.89) for the second quartile of knee extensor muscle strength per body weight, 0.38 (0.18, 0.73) for the third quartile and 0.70 (0.38, 1.29) for the fourth quartile, using the first quartile as a reference category (p for trend = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that low muscle strength is associated with geriatric depressive symptoms in older Japanese women. We need to further explore its longitudinal association in the future.

Develop a proposed scenario for developing the role of educational institutions in enhancing the values of Palestinian youth participation in volunteer work

The study aimed to develop a proposed scenario for developing the role of educational institutions in enhancing the values ​​of Palestinian youth participation in volunteer work. The study used the descriptive and analytical approach, and a questionnaire consisting of (28) paragraphs was applied to the study sample consisting of (833) respondents from the governorates of Gaza They are (North Gaza, Gaza, Central, Khan Yunis, Rafah), and they were chosen randomly. The results revealed that the overall arithmetic average of the role of educational institutions in promoting the values ​​of Palestinian youth participation in volunteer work reached (3.55), with a percentage (71.1%) to a large extent. (70.99%) to a large degree, and the average score for the field of awareness and counseling reached (3.26), with a percentage (65.33%) with a medium degree, while the average score for the supervisory field reached (3.86), with a percentage (77.25%) to a large extent. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the average estimates of the sample members of the areas of the role of educational institutions in enhancing the values ​​of Palestinian youth participation in volunteer work due to the variable of sex and educational level, while there were statistically significant differences between the average estimates of the sample members attributed to the variable of age groups. For the benefit of young people in the age group of 19-35 years. The study presented the proposed scenario, including recommendations and suggestions.

Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes Towards Volunteer Work – Survey of Students of King Abdulaziz University –: اتجاهات الطالب الجامعي نحو العمل التطوعي – دراسة مسحية على طلاب جامعة الملك عبد العزيز –

The study aimed to identify the main components of the attitude that the student has throughout his university studies which motivate the student to practice volunteer work. The researcher used the descriptive approach which is to describe and analyze data derived from the research sample of 410 students from King Abdelaziz University- Faculty of Arts and Humanities, using the social survey method and the questionnaire tool based on Likert scale methodology. The most important results of the study were first: There is awareness among Undergraduate students of the concept of volunteer work by 67.6%, second: The undergraduate student’s feeling towards volunteer work drives him towards helping others by 90.7%, third: University student participation in volunteer work has emerged in volunteering in the area of ​​specialization by 61.2%, fourth: One of the most important obstacles that limit the undergraduate student's participation in volunteer work is that the advertising for volunteer work is weak by 70% and fifth: One of the most important proposals to enhance the undergraduate student's attitudes towards volunteer work is to work with individuals who specialize in volunteer work by 87.6%.

Volunteering and loneliness in older adults: A parallel mediation model

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between participation in volunteer work and loneliness among older adults, and to explore the mediating role of perceived control and perceived social self-efficacy in this association. Method: This study was developed as a secondary data analysis using the data sampled from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study in USA. The sample comprised 9,944 individuals aged between 65 and 107 years (mean = 75.94, SD = 7.70; 59.4% females). Using a multi-item survey questionnaire, frequent participation in volunteer youth work and charity work, loneliness, perceived control, and social self-efficacy were assessed. To examine the mediating effects of perceived control and social self-efficacy on the association between volunteer work and loneliness, the bootstrapping technique was performed. Results: Two forms of volunteer works, namely, volunteer youth work and charity work, significantly predicted perceived control, social self-efficacy, and lower levels of loneliness. Perceived control and social self-efficacy appeared to significantly mediate the relationship between volunteer activities and loneliness. Conclusion: The study’s findings put forward a need to develop policy provisions that facilitate supporting systems and organizations for life-long education and recruitment of older volunteers. Community-based organizations should create and promote volunteer opportunities in older adults, thereby alleviating later-life loneliness

معوقات المشارکة في العمل التطوعي لدى طلبة کلية التربية الأساسية بدولة الکويت

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى التعرف على درجة معوقات المشارکة في العمل التطوعي لدى طلبة کلية التربية الأساسية من وجهة نظر الطلبة أنفسهم، ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة، قام الباحث بتصميم استبانة مکونة من (44) فقرة وموزعة على أربع مجالات لقياس درجة معوقات المشارکة في العمل التطوعي، وتطبيق الأداة على عينة عشوائية قوامها (811) طالبا وطالبة من طلبة کلية التربية الأساسية بدولة الکويت. وأظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن معوقات المشارکة في العمل التطوعي لدى أفراد عينة الدراسة جاءت بدرجة عالية في مجال المعوقات المتعلقة بالبيئة الجامعية، ومتوسطة في مجال المعوقات المتعلقة بالطالب، ومجال المعوقات المتعلقة بمؤسسات العمل التطوعي، ومجال المعوقات المتعلقة بالمجتمع، وعلى الدرجة الکلية للأداة. کما أشارت نتائج الدراسة إلى وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا في درجة معوقات المشارکة في العمل التطوعي لدى أفراد عينة الدراسة في الدرجة الکلية للأداة، وفي جميع مجالات الدراسة، ما عدا مجال المعوقات المتعلقة بمؤسسات العمل التطوعي، تعزى لمتغير النوع ولصالح الإناث، ووجود فروق دالة إحصائيا في درجة معوقات المشارکة في العمل التطوعي في الدرجة الکلية للأداة، وفي جميع مجالات الدراسة، ما عدا مجال المعوقات المتعلقة بالمجتمع، تعزى لمتغير المشارکة في العمل التطوعي ولصالح غير المشارکين. The study aimed at exploring the obstacles to participation in voluntary work among students of College of Basic Education in Kuwait from the point of view of students themselves. To achieve the objective of the study a questionnaire of (44) items was developed by the researcher, covering four domains to measure the degree of obstacles to participation in voluntary work. The questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of (811) students at the College of Basic Education. Results showed that the degree of obstacles related to the domain of university environment was high, while it was medium in the domain of obstacles related to students him/herself, the domain of obstacles related to volunteering institutions, the domain of obstacles related to society, and in the total score. Furthermore, results showed that there was statistically significant differences in the degree of obstacles to participation in voluntary work in all domains and in the total score, except for the domain related to volunteering institutions, attributed to sex and in favour of female, and there was statistically significant differences in the degree of obstacles to participation in voluntary work in all domains and in the total score, except for the domain related to socity, attributed to volunteering variable and in favour of students who didn’t volunteer.

Who Is in Charge? Social Inequality in Different Fields of Volunteering

Volunteering in civil society organizations (CSOs) is sometimes idealized as welcoming arena for everybody. Prior research, however, has shown that participation in volunteer work depends on gender, wealth, education, and social networks, suggesting that CSOs are not in fact open to everyone. Inequality within different fields of volunteering combined with the factors that put actors into more powerful positions has rarely been scrutinized. Besides identifying the characteristics and resources relevant for promotion, we primarily investigate how these patterns differ between four subfields: politics, social services, religion, and sports. We analyzed a large database created from the Austrian micro-census. The findings reveal significant relations between the actors’ gender, their occupational and educational status, and their hierarchical positions in CSOs within each of the subfields. Our results indicate that the extent to which social inequality spills over to volunteering depends on field characteristics: In the fields of sports and politics, occupational status plays a major role, while in the fields of religion and social services, educational status is more important. We explain these differences through organizational and individual factors that characterize these social fields.

Volunteering Served as a Transitional Role That Enhances the Well-Being and Cognitive Health Among Older Adults With Cognitive Impairments.

We examined whether volunteering among older adults with cognitive impairments serves as a transitional role that can enhance these older persons' well-being and cognitive health. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we selected older adults with cognitive impairments (N = 472) and developed linear mixed models to assess associations between volunteering and health outcomes. Volunteers in our sample were mostly females, non-Hispanic whites, those with higher income, and those with a high-school diploma. Volunteering was associated with higher levels of self-rated health, and consistent participation in volunteer work was related to stronger feelings of purpose in life. Cognitive health slightly improved over time only among those who volunteered. We demonstrate that cognitive impaired older adults' participation in the volunteer role can benefit cognitive health while strengthening their late life resilience.

Social inclusion in an alternative food network: Values, practices and tensions

The paper explores the challenges faced by a consumer food cooperative to combine social inclusion and embeddedness in its urban environment with the standards of food quality it targets. While the difficulty to make alternative food networks (AFN) socially accessible is well documented in the literature, little is known about the organizational practices to foster inclusion in AFNs. Based on over 100 participant observations of meetings held at the cooperative and food activities with members of community organizations, our research has produced understanding on how a participative process - through collective decisions, exchange of knowledge and commitment to workslots - could facilitate or restrain social inclusion. Results suggest that the promotion of the value of sociocultural equality in access to quality food for the largest number is hindered by differences of food, consumer and participation cultures between members and non-members of the cooperative. The value of sociocultural equality in access to quality food is pragmatically challenged by the practice of social inclusion regarding the food supply and the participation in voluntary work.

Social isolation, loneliness, socioeconomic status, and health-risk behaviour in deprived neighbourhoods in Denmark: A cross-sectional study.

The importance of social isolation and loneliness on our health is widely recognised in previous research. This study compares loneliness in deprived neighbourhood with that in the general population. It further examines whether social isolation and loneliness are associated with health-risk behaviours (including low intake of fruit or vegetables, daily smoking, high-risk alcohol intake, and physical inactivity and their co-occurrence) in deprived neighbourhoods, and whether social isolation and loneliness modify the associations between socioeconomic status and health-risk behaviours. Cross-sectional data from 5113 residents of 12 deprived neighbourhoods in Denmark were analysed using multiple logistic regression. Data on 14,686 individuals from the nationally representative Danish Health and Morbidity Survey 2010 were used as a comparison group with regard to loneliness. Cohabitation status, frequency of meeting with family and friends, participation in voluntary work were used as an indicator to measure social isolation. A question on feeling often unwillingly alone was used as an indicator to measure loneliness. Compared with the general population, residents of deprived neighbourhoods had higher odds of loneliness. Both social isolation and loneliness were significantly associated with higher odds of health-risk behaviour. When social isolation and loneliness were combined with low socioeconomic status, strong associations with health-risk behaviours were found. Social isolation and loneliness did not significantly modify the associations between socioeconomic status and health-risk behaviour. The findings in this study have important implications for the future planning of health promotion intervention programmes aimed to reduce health-risk behaviour in deprived neighbourhoods.

Reattached: emerging relationships and subjectivities when engaging frail older people as volunteer language teachers in Denmark

AbstractAs a response to an ageing population, and to benefit from senior citizens’ resources and improve their quality of life, European countries are increasingly engaging older volunteers in the old-age sector and care environments. Older Danes’ participation in volunteer work is high; however, nursing home residents and home care recipients are typically not part of these initiatives as volunteers, but as the receivers of volunteer care. We investigate an initiative that engages frail older people as volunteer language teachers for foreigners learning Danish in an endeavour to utilise their resources as volunteers and to engage the language teachers socially. Through participant observations and semi-structured interviews with older volunteers, Danish-language students and care personnel, we explore what constitutes good social relationships in this specific initiative, how these relationships are created and the kind of subject that appears through Elderlearn. We are inspired by the sociology of attachment as we describe how frail older people emerge as engaged subjects by becoming reattached to their life histories, interests, abilities and relational skills. In this regard, good social relationships surpass the immediate volunteer–recipient bond and create a ‘blurry volunteering’ with less distinct divisions of who gives and who receives. This generates constructive relationships created through interlinguistic competences, international consciousness, and use of materials, objects and the local community. We argue that this arrangement reattaches the language teachers to their life histories, thereby enabling the emergence of a different kind of international and engaged old-age subjectivity.

Do English Skills Affect Muslim Immigrants’ Economic and Social Integration Differentially?

This paper estimates the returns to English‐speaking fluency on the socioeconomic outcomes of childhood immigrants. We further investigate whether Muslim childhood immigrants face additional hurdles in economic and social integration into the host country. Motivated by the critical age hypothesis, we identify the causal effects of English skills on socioeconomic outcomes by exploring the differences in the country of origin and age at arrival across childhood immigrants. We first document that all childhood immigrants who migrate from non‐English‐speaking countries at a younger age attain higher levels of English skills. We also find that acquiring better English‐language skills improves the educational attainment and labour and marriage market prospects of non‐Muslim childhood immigrants significantly and increases their participation in volunteer work. However, our results show that while a good command of English enhances the educational attainments of Muslim childhood immigrants, it shows no positive return in either the labour or marriage markets. Our results also show that progress in English fails to improve Muslim childhood immigrants’ engagement in voluntary work, meaning that the opportunity for social cohesion is missed.