| Author: | Fan, Yiu-cheun Sunny |
| Title: | Youth volunteering of children and youth centre : factors of the sustainability of volunteers |
| Degree: | M.A. |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Youth volunteers in community development -- China -- Hong Kong Voluntarism -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies Youth centers -- China -- Hong Kong |
| Department: | Department of Applied Social Sciences |
| Pages: | iii, 69 leaves ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Volunteers are valuable resources of non-governmental organizations and typically important in children and youth (C&Y) centre services. Good volunteer management is vital but difficult as there are many occasional volunteers shopping around. This study tries to summarize some volunteering patterns through focus groups and individual interviews to understand the motives, obstacles and catalysts in continued volunteering. Qualitative methods are used to explore and discover the participation considerations and patterns of different volunteers. Two focus groups composing of eight volunteers with different volunteer experiences and duration were organized. The volunteers include active experienced volunteer (serving for the unit over five years and still volunteering), detaching volunteers (serving for the unit over five years previously and now detaching), active fresh volunteers (serving for the unit over two years and still volunteering) and occasional volunteers (join some short volunteer projects and leave, or maintain occasional volunteering). One centre manager was interviewed to understand her volunteer strategies and views on volunteer participation. There is a great debate on the motives of volunteerism to be altruistic or self-interested. Three dominant models try to explain the participation and sustainability of volunteering, namely Volunteer Process Model, Role Identity Model and Prosocial Personality Model. The study reflects the reality that youth volunteering correlates much with self-interested elements and self-oriented process which matches much the first two models. The volunteer process model stresses more on the motives, social connectedness, self-development, satisfaction and achievement in volunteering. Role identity model points out continued volunteering depends much on the role identity in the organization. When one values his personal importance and privileged role in the organization, he will sustain his involvement. This study concludes some possible strategies, reflections and insights in sustaining volunteer participation to catch the occasional and detaching volunteers to be active and high-role volunteers. It also pinpoints the characteristics of C&Y centre to be an educational step-stone to train up volunteers. Leaving the centre may not really mean abandoning volunteering but may be another start of self development and volunteering exposure. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b16431777.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.39 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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