Volunteerism Research Articles

Implementation of Service Learning in Malaysian Higher-Educational Institutions: A Literature Review

Service Learning activities are increasing in Malaysia and have been implemented by many parties. Many higher education institutions (HEI) contribute to the communities by organizing service-learning programmes. The service learning activities measure students' personalities who do community voluntary work with total commitment without demanding rewards. The implementation of service learning needs to comply with the elements of service learning: personal growth, civic learning and academic enhancement. In Malaysia, higher education institutions include universities, colleges, and teacher training institutes. There are various methods of implementing service learning, such as community services, volunteer activities, and charity programmes that involve students during their studies. Service Learning frameworks are guidelines for planning and doing the Services Learning activities. This study will clarify the implementation of Service Learning by higher-educational institutions in Malaysia involving universities and Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG).

The Role of Social Media in Spreading the Culture of Volunteer Work Among University Students

This study explores the role of social media - especially social networking sites - Facebook, in spreading the culture of volunteer work among young people, especially university youth in Saudi Arabia. The study used the descriptive method and developed a questionnaire to collect data from 414 students from different universities in Saudi Arabia, who were chosen by the random sampling method. The results indicated that Facebook effectively promotes volunteer work campaigns and contributes effectively to introducing students to more aspects of volunteer work. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the responses of the respondents about the role of Facebook in promoting the culture of volunteer work due to gender. The findings also revealed that the statistical differences between the responses of the participants were not statistically significant because of the difference in the student's faculty.

Implementasi Hot Pack Untuk Peningkatan Suhu Tubuh Pada Pasien Hipotermi Pasca Operasi

Introduction: As a kind of therapy, surgery involves cutting into the patient in order to reach the targeted location of the body. The risk of hypothermia is a potential consequence of anesthesia. A dangerous drop in core temperature, below 36 degrees Celsius, causes hypothermia. One way to alleviate cold symptoms is using a warm compress. An alternative to using hot packs to raise core temperature is a warm compress. Hot packs have many advantages over buli-buli, the most notable of which is that they can be reused and never run out of steam. Objective: This community service activity is to implement hot packs on hypothermic patients. Method: As part of their community service, volunteers take patients' temperatures using electronic thermometers. Including thirty individuals who were found to have hypothermia. Result: Impact of Volunteer Work Hypothermia after administration of a hot pack, with a pre-package average temperature of 35.20 degrees Celsius Average core temperature before administration of the hot pack: 36.50 °C Body temperature values ranged from 34.10C before implementation to 36.70C thereafter, with a low value of 35.10C and a high value of 35.90C before and after, respectively. Conclusion: This proves that there is an increase in body temperature in hypothermic patients after implementing Hot packs.

Determinants of Participatory Intention in Autism Volunteer Work for Improving Quality of Life of Persons with Autism (PWA) and their Caregivers

Evidence-based psychosocial interventions can enhance communication and social abilities, leading to a favorable effect on the overall welfare and quality of life for individuals with autism and those who care for them. Despite the importance of volunteers in supporting individuals with autism and their families, there is limited research on the factors influencing individuals' decisions to participate in autism-related volunteer work. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating the various factors that shape individuals' intentions to participate in volunteer activities related to autism. A cross-sectional study design with a purposive sampling technique was conducted. Data obtained from a survey questionnaire polled ninety-nine university students’ attitudes regarding the factors influencing their participatory intention in autism volunteer work. Descriptive statistics show that the participation intention level among university students was high (M=4.47, SD=0.52). There was a statistically significant strong and moderate relationship between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy and religiosity toward participation intention. The regression analysis revealed that subjective norms, perceived behavior control and religiosity affected participatory intention. This study provided practical implications for designing and implementing effective interventions and programs to recruit and retain volunteers, as well as to promote positive social change and inclusion for people with autism.

Do community needs affect the decision to volunteer? The case of refugees in Germany

I study the relationship between changes in community needs and the supply of voluntary work. I present basic theoretical considerations, which suggest that the relationship between voluntary work and an increase in community needs is ambiguous. Then, I test the relationship empirically by proxying community needs with the number of needy people, i.e., refugees, in a county, and by exploiting the quasi-random allocation of refugees within Germany. I find that doubling the number of refugees increases the probability of volunteering by about 2 percentage points. These estimates imply that 1.45 million people additionally volunteered during the refugee crisis, i.e., more than one person per refugee.

Expectations of Immigrant Women and Older Adults on Encountering each other in Volunteer Work

Expectations of Immigrant Women and Older Adults on Encountering each other in Volunteer Work

Occupational Participation Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic led to abrupt occupational disruption for all people. However, some populations, like older adults, were disproportionately impacted particularly in the earlier waves. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand how the occupational participation of community-dwelling older adults was experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the Canadian Model of Occupational Participation (CanMOP) to contextualize findings. Method. Sixty-seven older adults participated in semi-structured interviews from September 2020 to May 2021, 37 of which also participated in a follow-up interview one-year later. Findings. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were generated: (1) experiences of loss are complex and layered for older adults, (2) technology as a medium for occupational participation, (3) risk perception influences return to occupation, and (4) age-related challenges for older adults resuming volunteer work. Conclusion. Increasing frequency and severity of influenza pandemics and other disasters are a global concern, and OTs can use their skillsets to foster participation and expand occupational possibilities for older adults. The CanMOP was a helpful tool to understand the nuances underlying the participation of older adults in this context.

Can inclusion of different levels of participation effort improve volunteer diversity and retainment in a citizen science project?

ABSTRACT Citizen science is becoming increasingly popular and important due to the benefits it provides scientists, society, and the environment. However, challenges still exist with the recruitment and retention of demographically diverse volunteers for the success and growth of environment-based citizen science programmes. This study used an avian monitoring citizen science project to investigate (1) the effectiveness of different recruitment methods in obtaining different demographics (gender, age, education), (2) how demographics affect the amount of “participation effort” volunteers were willing to contribute, and (3) whether the amount of “participation effort” influences the intent to undertake future volunteer work. Volunteer demographics did not vary amongst different recruitment methods (aim 1), nor did the level of participation effort influence the intent to volunteer in the future (aim 3). However, older volunteers and those having only completed secondary education were more likely to contribute higher levels of effort, in time spent and additional travel (aim 2). Findings suggest that providing multiple roles that differ in level of effort may be beneficial for future citizen science projects by facilitating the needs and restrictions of different demographics.

Reasons for admission and rehabilitation rates of various wildlife species in Finland.

Wildlife rehabilitation is a common part of animal-protection work. In Finland wildlife care is usually based on volunteer work and no licensing or training is required. Wildlife casualties are also treated professionally in some contexts such as zoos. The species of wildlife casualties may influence treatment decisions. Our anonymous online survey examined wildlife caregiving practices in Finland (n = 78), focusing on the care provided to various animal species and the outcomes of rehabilitation efforts. The survey was sent to both veterinarians and volunteers caring for wildlife, and it was part of a larger survey. Questions were mainly closed, and opinion-related questions were applied on a Likert scale (1-7; where 1 meant strongly disagree and 7 meant strongly agree). Most respondents primarily cared for mammals and birds. Reptiles, amphibians, and fish received less attention. Injuries and overwinter survival, especially in the case of hedgehogs, were the primary reasons for wildlife admissions. The training background of the rehabilitators varied and was related to the animal species being treated. Those caring mainly for hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) were the least likely to have animal-related training or long-term experience in wildlife care. We show a notably high rehabilitation rate of approximately 80% of commonly treated species, significantly surpassing figures from other countries, which raises concerns that animals are admitted or released on too light grounds, leading to animal welfare problems. It is also noteworthy that only one-fifth of respondents said they kept records of animal admissions. Less than 40% of respondents emphasized the need for further education on any specific issue, which may indicate overestimation of personal skills. In conclusion, our study raises concerns regarding the ethics and potential harm associated with wildlife rehabilitation.

Recommendations for Psychosocial Support for Long-Distance Caregivers of Terminally Ill Patients

ContextThe provision of appropriate psychosocial support has a significant impact on quality of life for informal caregivers of terminally ill patients. Long-distance caregivers have specific wishes and needs for psychosocial support. ObjectivesTo date, no formal support measures for long-distance caregivers of terminally ill patients have been developed in Germany. The national Delphi study aimed at systematically and empirically generating recommendations for psychosocial support measures, tailored to this population. MethodsRecommendations were formulated on the basis of qualitative interviews exploring the support experiences and unmet needs of long-distance caregivers of terminally ill patients. Experts from hospice and palliative care rated the relevance and feasibility of 10 recommendations using two 4-point Likert-type scales. Additionally, suggestions for improvement were captured via free text fields. Recommendations were deemed to have achieved consensus when ≥ 80% of participants indicated “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” for both relevance and feasibility. ResultsA total of 26 experts completed two Delphi rounds. Following the first round, eight of the 10 recommendations were revised according to participant feedback. After the second round, consensus was achieved for five of these revised recommendations. Three recommendations were rejected, as participants regarded them unfeasible due to a perceived lack of personnel resources. ConclusionThe consensus-based recommendations represent the first empirically grounded guidelines in Germany aimed at addressing the psychosocial needs of long-distance caregivers of terminally ill patients. The recommendations seek to raise awareness among both professional and voluntary workers regarding the specific support requirements of this understudied population.

Impact Of Relational Leadership on Effective Services of Church Volunteer Workers

The church thrives on the effective engagement of volunteer workers who give their time, money, and talents to promote the gospel through cooperative work with the church pastors and other church staff. Upon this assumption, the writers intend to promote relational leadership theory that can help pastors and other church staff engage and maximize their potential. In achieving this singular purpose, the writers explored the relational leadership theory and described who volunteers are in the church context. The research also discusses relational issues among volunteer church workers, while impacts that implementation of this theory could have on church workers were finally explained. The article reveals that relational leadership would help leaders prioritize interest in the church volunteer workers’ personal life; encourages formal and informal communication; inspires teamwork; and guides church volunteer workers toward achieving their job descriptions.

The Role of Nutrition in Maintaining the Health and Physical Condition of Sports Volunteers.

Nutrition plays a key role in maintaining health and physical condition, particularly for active individuals, including athletes. It can therefore be assumed that individuals performing physically demanding tasks during the organization of sporting events, such as volunteers, should also pay attention to their nutrition. While the importance of diet for athletes has been widely studied, the impact of nutrition on sports volunteers remains under-researched. Volunteers often have to cope with varying degrees of physical and mental exertion, which may affect their nutritional needs. A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth individual interviews (IDIs) with 17 sports volunteers who had experience in organizing various sporting events. Participants were purposefully selected based on specific inclusion criteria, which included active involvement in sports volunteering (with a minimum of two years of experience in volunteer activities) as well as volunteering experience at sports events of various scales. The interviews aimed to understand the eating habits, dietary awareness, and impact of nutrition on health and physical fitness. The data were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis, focusing on coding responses and identifying recurring themes. Most participants did not place much importance on their diet, making random food choices due to a busy lifestyle and lack of time. Only a few volunteers consciously adjusted their diet when they had knowledge of the physically demanding tasks they were expected to perform during their volunteer work. The majority of volunteers relied on less reliable sources of nutritional information, such as blogs or social media, rather than credible sources of knowledge. This study revealed that many individuals involved in sports volunteering are unaware of the impact of diet on their fitness and health. There is a need for nutritional education for this group to improve their awareness of the importance of a balanced diet in the context of increased physical activity. It is also advisable to provide better nutritional conditions during sporting events and to promote the use of professional sources of information about healthy eating.

Contradictions, dilemmas, views and motivations of volunteers in two community food support schemes in two London boroughs

The voluntary and charitable sector is responsible for much food support in the UK, in the absence of direct government action. A rise in food insecurity (FI) places additional importance on the work of unpaid volunteers, instrumental in food support schemes. Their perceptions, views and experiences are essential contributors to maintaining and enhancing such provision. Semi-structured interviews were held with 51 volunteers at two food support schemes in neighbouring London boroughs. Most volunteers were white and middle-aged and almost half were in paid work. Generally high levels of empathy towards clients were expressed, although some were concerned about possible abuse of the support. Contradictory views were expressed in relation to both personal responsibility for FI and the pay-as-you-feel model; training on both is needed. Major motivators for involvement in volunteering were the perceived value of the work and alignment of projects with personal interests, skills and beliefs. Benefits were viewed as wider than solely nutritional. Ethical difficulties described included the appropriateness of using surplus food to address FI, allowing supermarkets to effectively ‘greenwash’ and failing to address underlying drivers of both FI and food overproduction. Volunteers were also concerned that their involvement allowed the government to abdicate responsibility.

Uncovering through a Mixed Method Lense: The Perceived Leadership Styles and Employees Job Satisfaction in Higher Education

The objectives of this research are to identify leadership styles and job satisfaction among non-academic employees who support the teaching faculty of the University of the Punjab. There are two variables: perceived leadership styles (PLS) and employee job satisfaction (EJS). The quantitative and qualitative methodology was used for an estimated sample size of 300 non-academic employees. Data was analyzed using descriptive analysis and thematic analysis methods. Frequency tables, percentages, means, and standard deviation were used for data presentation and analysis. The study suggested that there was a positive significant relationship between perceived leadership styles and employees’ job satisfaction. The literature stresses the social exchange cycle and reciprocity rules in the relationships of leaders and their members. In this cycle, if the leaders care about their members and if members perceive that the leaders are supportive, they feel satisfied to behave positively, take voluntary extra work of colleagues in time of need, perform better, and help the higher education universities to reach their goals and objectives. If they don’t perceive leaders' support, they don’t care about the educational organization either.

Bridges for Transgression: How Community Engagement Strengthened My Conocimiento

This article is an expansion of the Feminist Lecture that I gave at the Sociologists for Women in Society Meetings in April 2021. I map my journey toward conocimiento, highlighting the centrality of my volunteer work with asylum seekers, traveling to their sponsors after being released from ICE detention, for the development of my identity as a scholar activist. I rely on two theories, intersectionality and spiritual activism—both developed by women of color scholars to guide our efforts toward social change—to illustrate how scholars can reconcile their roles as community activists with their roles as scholars in academia. I bring intersectionality and spiritual activism together, as distinct (albeit complementary) resistant knowledge projects that, in tandem, support my critique of sociology’s competing commitments to objective empirical research and social justice. I chronicle how strengthening my conocimiento has served as a tool in my efforts to transgress the discipline and ultimately how it helped me find a more authentic existence within the academy.

Digital emotions and emotional labour among professionals supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children

This article examines the intersection between voluntary sector work, emotions, and remote service provision among frontline staff supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children online during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the findings of two interrelated projects, we consider how frontline workers experienced and managed digital emotions and emotional labour. Like professionals in other sectors, staff in the refugee sector experienced stress and overwhelm due to challenges faced during the rapid digitisation of the sector at a time of crisis. The findings also highlighted nuanced emotional experiences that were distinct to staff working remotely with unaccompanied refugee children, such as role dissatisfaction and empathy. Emotional labour was particularly intense for staff working in the refugee sector who needed to establish online boundaries with the young people due to their heightened vulnerabilities. The study also demonstrated that training on how to cope with digital emotions was beneficial to staff’s self-esteem and knowledge.

Lithuanian laborers in Nazi-occupied Austria 1942–1945

The theme of forced and voluntary labor of Lithuanians in Nazi Germany has been nearly forgotten and not studied by Lithuanian historians in recent decades. Even less examined has been the forced labor and imprisonment of Lithuanians in Nazi-annexed Austria. Up to 70,000 Lithuanians could have been deported to Germany during World War II. This is a fairly significant part of the Lithuanian population, which has affected Lithuanian Poles, Roma and minority Lithuanians most severely. When assessing the types and scale of Nazi violence, apart from the genocide of the Jews, the conclusion is that it affected people in Lithuania most who suffered from forced labor and forced removal from residential areas. At the current stage of research, we can predict that at least a thousand Lithuanians, forcibly or voluntarily, ended up in Nazi-annexed Austria during World War II. The national composition was made up predominantly of Lithuanians, Poles and Russians. Lithuanians were transported to Austria en masse from 1942 to almost until the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The vast majority of Lithuanians brought to Austria worked in industrial and transport companies. The overview of the workplaces shows that the majority of the Lithuanians was concentrated in Vienna, Kapfenberg and Marktle. A smaller number of Lithuanians were employed by farmers in the villages. Part of the Lithuanian population came to Austria as political prisoners or for racial reasons (Jews). Another part was imprisoned while staying in Austria for disciplinary violations or attempts to flee to Lithuania. The imprisoned residents of Lithuania were mainly held in the Mauthauzen concentration camp and its branches (Guzen, etc.). At the current stage of research, it can be predicted that at least one hundred inhabitants of Lithuania of different nationalities were imprisoned in the Mauthauzen concentration camp. The revised List of 68 Lithuanians who died in Mauthauzen concentration camp (some persons may be Latvian residents) listed below in appendix 1 (list clarified by LGGRTC employee Stanislovas Buchaveckas).

“Have we lost a part of our soul … [to] the result on the bottom line”? Reconfiguring professional spaces and the development of lawyers’ pro bono work as a professional project in Denmark

ABSTRACT Danish lawyers have long positioned themselves as fundamental pillars of the Rechtsstaat, portraying their independence and adherence to professional ideals as central to serving the public good. However, this traditional image has been increasingly challenged by the rise of large law firms taking advantage of deregulation and globalization. This has placed lawyers under a cross-pressure forcing them to compromise on their traditional defining characteristics. Large law firms, serving as advisors to clients such as major corporations and organizations, have distinguished themselves from the rest of the legal field with new professional projects. To regain some of the lost credibility, the largest law firms reformulated voluntary work as a professional project from being legal aid to individuals to US models of pro bono directed at NGOs and charity leading to further differentiation between lawyers. This article examines this dilemmatic cross-pressure between the differentiation of professional spaces in Denmark and the development of voluntary work as professional projects to regain the lost credibility as a profession working for the common good. It is based on a qualitative document analysis of 632 issues of the Danish Bar and Law Society's trade magazine for the period between 1976 and 2018 and qualitative interviews.

Social Competencies of Students of Science and Social Majors for Volunteer Work

The article discusses the recognition of social competencies of students of science and social majors to do voluntary work. The theoretical concept on which the research is based is the concept of social competencies by J. Skrzypczak, who sees them as “the ability to do something, depending on the familiarity of knowledge, skills and abilities included in it, as well as on the degree of conviction about the need of using that ability.” The main purpose of the research is to diagnose the social competencies of students of science and social majors to do voluntary work and to identify the differences between groups in this respect. The method of diagnostic survey was chosen for the purposes of the study. Research has shown slight differences between the students of science and social majors. They only concern the assessment of one's own level of motivation to help.

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.