What is volunteering, why do we do it, and how is it changing? Researchers from the Institute for Volunteering Research consider the boundaries of traditional definitions of volunteering, the fluidity of volunteer involvement over time and how volunteering has changed over the past decade.
Abstract Who is a volunteer? Christine Reilly, Research & Development Officer at Volunteer Development Scotland, considers the problems of researching ‘volunteering’ when individuals agree that the activities they are involved conform to established definitions of volunteering, but don’t define themselves as volunteers.
Abstract Volunteering and employability: what is the evidence? John Lee, a PhD student at the University of the West of Scotland, examines the positive roles that volunteering can play for individuals who are out of work, as well as the impact that the use of volunteering as a ‘work-like’ activity has on Incapacity Benefit recipients.
Abstract Does informal volunteering count? Mike Woolvin, a PhD student at the University of Dundee, presents emerging findings from his PhD study, focussing on the nature and extent of informal volunteering in three deprived Scottish communities.
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