 |
VOLUNTEERING/
DOING WHAT?
source: www.cev.be/facts&figures.htm
www.onlinevolunteering.org
www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/
FactSheets/FS_Volunteering2.pdf
|
|
A volunteer might contribute only one type of activity to an organisation, or undertake a broader range of tasks... - in France, a study made in 1999 estimated the number of volunteers in full time jobs to an equivalent of 716,000 with an average of 8 hours per month per volunteer. In 2002, the repartition of this voluntary work was the following: sports (28.1%); leisure, education for all - the so-called ‘éducation populaire’ -, social tourism (16.0% each); culture (13,5%); social action (13,1%); opinion, expression, defence of interests (10,8%); education, training, social integration (6.4% each); charity and humanitarian actions (5,4%); health (4,2%); defence of economic interests and local development (1,8% each);
- within Belgium, volunteers are involved in numerous activities in a range of sectors concerned with the economy, health, leisure, culture and the environment, etc. There are however some activities that are more popular than others. These fall under the banner of ‘social action’ –17.1% (helping those in difficult situations, for example refugees and the socially excluded) and sports activities (17.2%). Other popular activities include helping the family, childcare and helping out in schools;
- according to the Second Survey on Volunteering, in 2004 most of the volunteers in Germany were engaged in the areas of leisure time activities (sports and recreation, social and cultural activities). There, the most commonly voluntary activities performed range from being a trainer for a football club, organising cultural events, being responsible as treasurer, etc. Areas that comprise fewer citizens are ‘professional advocacy outside the workplace’ and ‘political advocacy’. The major tasks in this area are concerned with providing information or lobbying and are mostly done within a party or a trade union. Providing personal care represented the major task in the ‘health sector’ and the area of ‘social welfare’, this includes for instance support for senior citizens as well as care for disabled;
- in Poland, the main tasks carried out by volunteers within non-profit organisations, according to 78.8% of NGOs surveyed in 2004, are of organisational nature (organisation of meetings, events, etc.). In half of the organisations volunteers work to promote the organisation. In one out of four organisations volunteers play the role of experts. In 41.9% of the organisations on volunteers are used to help in tidying;
- in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor, among the more commonly reported volunteer activities (volunteers could report more than one activity) - during the period from September 2003 to September 2004 - were fundraising or selling items to raise money (29.5%); coaching, refereeing, tutoring, or teaching (27.8%); collecting, preparing, distributing, or serving food (26.4%); engaging in general labour (24.4%); and providing information, which would include being an usher, greeter, or minister (22.7%). College graduates were more than three times as likely as people with less than a high school diploma to provide professional or management assistance.
- in Canada, volunteers in 2000 were less likely to be involved in certain types of activities. Fewer volunteers reported canvassing, campaigning or fundraising (40% compared with 44% in 1997), according to the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP);
- many Canadians show their concern for others, not only by formally volunteering with organisations, but also by providing direct help to others on a one-to-one basis. According to the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP), 77% of Canadians reported helping others, up from 73% in 1997. Over half of those who provided help directly to others (57%) did so by shopping for them or driving them to appointments or stores. Other forms of help included housework (51%), unpaid baby-sitting (51%), yard or maintenance work (49%), visiting the elderly (45%), and providing care for the sick or elderly (42%);
- in Australia, in 2000 the most common type of activities undertaken were fundraising (46%), management (35%), teaching (36%) and administration (33%). Preparing and serving food (30%), transporting people or goods (23%) and undertaking repairs, maintenance or gardening (22%) were the next most common activities. The type of voluntary work people undertook was related to their paid occupations. Managers and administrators tended to be involved in management and committee work (48% compared with 34% of other volunteers). Professionals tended to teach (51% compared with 33%), and tradespersons were more likely to undertake repairs, gardening or maintenance (41% compared with 20%).
- volunteering in China has been rapidly growing. By the end of February 2002, 100 million young people in China Mainland have given 4.5 billion hours of volunteer service since 1993. In 2004, over 40,000 responded to the China Youth Volunteer Service Centre’s appeal for 6,000 graduates to go to the West to help the poor in response to the rural poverty reduction policy. (1)
Connected at home, in school or universities, in the office, or in libraries, thousand of online volunteers are working worldwide... - since its launch in March 2000, some 30,000 people have joined the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme’s Online Volunteering (OV) service, with more than half taking on an assignment. This support has reached more than 600 organisations from the North and South who work to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, empower women, educate children, stop the spread of killer diseases like Aids, and cure other development ills identified as priorities within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals;
- connected at home, in school or universities, in the office, or in libraries, online volunteers complement the work of these organisations by carrying out a multitude of tasks. Examples of engagement include: developing fundraising strategies to expand operations, building networks to generate support for projects, translating documents to achieve greater outreach, and creating websites to publicize and promote. In 2004, more than 700 online volunteering assignments were posted to the service. Most organisations asked for more than one volunteer, with some requesting up to 50. At any given time, there are between 150 and 300 opportunities available on the service’s web site.
(1) [ www.iavenews.org/documents/184.doc]
|
