Volunteering and Adult Learning
"The history of adult education has been a history of voluntary activity and voluntary association" (Ilsley 1989, p. 100).
Today, volunteerism, and the growing field of volunteer management, continue to reflect close associations with adult education. Research and practice in adult education can inform the development of learning opportunities for volunteers. With this in mind, this Digest describes some of the similarities between the fields of volunteer management and adult education and examines some of the types and methods of learning that occur in the context of volunteering.
Volunteer Management and Adult Education
Like adult education, the field of volunteer management shows increasing
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The establishment of standards--both for the profession of volunteer management and for volunteer service itself--is generating debates similar to those among adult educators over purposes and objectives. Ilsley (1989) suggests that professionalization is making the volunteer field more technical and market oriented, similar to the way business language and methods are being borrowed in adult education. The agenda of volunteer organizations, especially those focused on social change, is in danger of being coopted as government and corporations formalize what may have been more grassroots, nonformal efforts (ibid.). Elsey (1993) identifies a similar debate in both the volunteer field and adult education over focus on individuals or society. He envisions the two fields forming a "third way" between government and the free market in the formation of civil society. For Elsdon (1995), voluntary activity is about both individuation and good citizenship, for it is through individual empowerment, achieved by participating and learning from that experience, that service is rendered.
Learning through Volunteering
"Learning is part of the contract between the organization and the volunteer" (McCabe 1997, p. 18). "Volunteering is a powerful source of learning" (Ross-Gordon and Dowling 1995, p. 307). Altruism may be the most obvious reason behind volunteering, but there are many other motivational factors that have an explicit or implicit link to learning. For
When one volunteers, it is not for their personal gain, yet rather for the benefit of others. The volunteering opportunity would enable one to make a direct connection with others. Thus, the volunteers get
I am interested in volunteering this summer especially at Pinnacle Health because I would love to get exposure to the medical world and experience what it has to offer. I would like to give back to the community and provide service for others in the summer student volunteer program. You should select me to be a volunteer for this upcoming summer because I am a very hardworking, dedicated, and organized person. I take pride in what I do and it shows throughout all my work. I am also an intelligent person who would love to expand my knowledge as a student volunteer. If I were to be chosen the volunteer program would positively impact my life because it would help me develop a larger perspective of the world. My horizons would immensely be broadened
THESIS STATEMENT: Don’t you all love the affection in leading the others to feel inspired and help grow their self-esteems from volunteerism? In this speech, I will explain the definition, benefits, and opportunities as volunteers.
Volunteering is often seen as free labor. However, there is a significant cost associated with the recruitment, training, and maintenance of the volunteer force. A full-time staff to oversee the volunteer program is necessary as well to ensure volunteers are being used effectively. The recruitment process varies from advertising to speaking at schools to
Often as we grow our schedules we forget to acknowledge the fact that our name does not read “volunteer needed”. It has been said, and I sincerely repeat, that if we fail ever say no than our yes loses its value. A resounding alarm greeted an early six o'clock sunlight that signaled the end of a sleep cycle. Pulling on clothes and a quick flash of vision directed at a schedule summed up the morning other than the arrival to a National Honor Society meeting, which would be followed by a Leo club lunch meeting and trailed by a Business Professionals of America after school practice. A typical day of a Stephenson High School senior displays in this way. They are involved in many activities, both school oriented and community involved. This leaves little to no time to develop personality traits other than ones that involve servitude. While it is important to be involved in the community, overinvolvement decreases the quality of the rendered services and overwhelms the individual performing these service
Many people don’t realize the true value of volunteering, but I’ve come to understand the incredible impact of volunteering through my experience at Memorial Hermann. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” For me, his words could not be truer.
Recap your service-learning project. What do you do? When or for how long? Where? With what issue did your service-learning project connect? Did you work with others in any way? How? In other words, give full, specific details about your amazing work!
In chapter 5, LeRoux covers how community service and voluntary action fuel the mission of many organizations. Volunteers are an important aspect of non profit organizations especially. It was very interesting to me to read about the research that has been done about volunteering and how to keep and attract volunteers. Better understanding the motivations behind volunteers is an important part of the non profit sector. Many organizations are working hard to figure out ways to make the volunteer experience personalized to each individual and making it a good and inspiring experience for both sides. Making the experience important to the volunteer and the cause or organization keeps volunteers volunteering and keeps the organizations moving. The reading about college volunteering mentions the importance of hands on experience for students and how it can be a great service learning opportunity and way for students to express the causes that they are passionate about.
To combine volunteers and paid staff for service in social care and public services is common in recent years. Though the volunteering is a conception of the idea of goodness, how to organize volunteers to a universal system, till faced with many practical difficulties for non-profit organizations and governments (Brudney, 1993, 2000; Cunninghan and James, 2011). To look forward community-based volunteers’ organizations and even become social care providers, especial focus on elderly service is a hard task.
1. Looking back over the times you have volunteered at BIC , what did you find most surprising? Describe it in some detail. Why were you surprised?
Volunteers are vital to the operation of an organization, as they give credibility and allow for positive communication between the community and the organization (Haski-Leventhal et al., 2010). With that said, volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations throughout the country and many organizations depend on people giving their time to execute their vision and mission. The word volunteer is well known, but it has taken on a more diverse meaning with different types of people who engage in a number of different activities (McAllum, 2014). It is common for people to take on different volunteer roles at various points in their life. Social networks and motivation play key roles in how and when a person volunteers. Whether one is married,
Based on the eight elements discussed in our book, The Lincoln Family YMCA doesn’t meet the criteria of a System of Good Volunteer-Staff Relations. The only element that they followed was “Overall Policy on Volunteer Involvement” being that, they do provide a clear policy explaining why they involve volunteers and have a volunteer program (McCurley, P. 238). In fact, their website indicates that the volunteer program raises funds, supports the youth, influences societal issues, and gives back to the community (http://www.valleyymca.org/about-your-y/support-your-y/volunteer/). The YMCA fails to asses staff capabilities, which is important and can help volunteer and staff interaction be successful. The Lincoln Family YMCA should consider developing a system that evaluates staff’s attitude and previous experience toward volunteers, so they will be able to know how much staff members can contribute to the involvement of volunteers (McCurley, P.239).
“Volunteers are not paid; not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.” This quote stated by Sherry Anderson speaks to individuals who experience a greater reward helping the community or individuals instead of their own financial gains. Although many of us believe these are just “hours” that are essential to graduate, we may fail to witness its profound effects communally and personally.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate my knowledge of volunteer organizations. Twenty years ago I began my volunteer career working for a relatively young faith-based non-profit organization. My initial community beautification responsibilities progressively developed into other areas of service including teaching, fiscal administration, and event logistics coordination. Through my evolutionary involvement as a multidimensional volunteer, I was able to learn about the inner dynamics of volunteer organizations: fiscal pressure, bureaucratic barriers, struggles to build and maintain community engagement, and the pros and cons of an exclusive volunteer labor force. For documentation I am including my letter of resignation (2014) as the financial
In my five years of active volunteer work with multiple non-profit organizations, I have seen firsthand the lack of attendance of my peers in times of great community need and support from its members. Although it has become more complicated to find time to give back to the community, with a full-time school and work schedule, there is always spare time to give back. The rapidly growing demand for volunteers in communities all across America is increasing and it is everyone’s duty, especially college students, to pay their dues to the