Abstract
The role of voluntary and community sector organizations in the delivery of public services is increasing and these changes bring new responsibilities and benefits to organizations that have the capacity to participate. There are concerns within the sector about the implications for citizenship and participation. The sector is highly dependent on volunteers yet little is known about how organizational change in response to new relationships with the statutory sector impact upon the commitment and well-being of people who volunteer. This paper addresses that gap in knowledge for older volunteers. Drawing upon collaborative research with a voluntary organization in the north of England, the authors explore the meanings and aspirations of volunteering for older people, and explain how and why changes associated with closer engagement with public service delivery and less grant dependency can be disempowering for them.
Résumé
Le rôle des organisations dans le secteur du bénévolat et de la communauté pour l’offre de services publics grandit et ces changements apportent de nouvelles responsabilités et de nouveaux avantages aux organisations qui peuvent y participer. Il ressort des inquiétudes dans ce secteur quant aux implications citoyennes et à la participation. Ce dernier est largement dépendant des bénévoles. Pourtant, peu de choses sont connues sur la manière dont le changement organisationnel, suite aux nouvelles relations avec le secteur règlementaire, influence l’engagement et le bien-être des personnes bénévoles. Cet article traite de ce manque de connaissances pour les personnes âgées bénévoles. Grâce à une recherche en collaboration avec une organisation bénévole du Nord de l'Angleterre, les auteurs explorent les sens et les aspirations du bénévolat pour les personnes âgées, et ils expliquent comment et pourquoi les changements combinés à un engagement plus étroit avec une offre de services publics et une moindre dépendance vis-à-vis des subventions peuvent être désemparant pour eux.
Zusammenfassung
Die Rolle von Dritte-Sektor-Organisationen in der Lieferung von öffentlichen Dienstleistungen wächst und diese Veränderungen bringen neue Verantwortlichkeiten und Vorteile für Organisationen, die die Kapazität haben, sich zu beteiligen. Innerhalb des Sektors gibt es Bedenken über die Konsequenzen für die Bürger und deren Teilnahme. Der Sektor beruht sehr auf ehrenamtlichen Helfern, jedoch ist wenig darüber bekannt, wie organisatorische Veränderung als Ergebnis von neuen Beziehungen mit dem staatlichen Sektor das Engagement und das Wohlergehen der Leute, die voluntieren, beeinflussen. Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit dieser Wissenslücke bezogen auf ältere ehrenamtliche Helfer. Die Autoren, die sich auf eine Recherche, die zusammen mit einer gemeinnützigen Organisation im Norden Englands durchgeführt wurde, stützen, untersuchen die Bedeutung von und die Aspirationen für ehrenamtliche Arbeit unter älteren Personen, und erklären, wie und warum Veränderungen verbunden mit engerer Bindung an die Lieferung von öffentlichen Dienstleistungen und mit geringerer Abhängigkeit von Subventionen für diese entmächtigend sein können.
Resumen
El papel de las organizaciones voluntarias y del sector comunitario en la prestación de servicios públicos tiene cada vez más peso más provocando cambios que traen nuevas responsabilidades y ventajas para las organizaciones con capacidad para participar. Dentro de este sector existen preocupaciones sobre el compromiso de los ciudadanos y su participación, ya que tiene una fuerte dependencia de los voluntarios, si bien se sabe poco sobre la influencia que tendrán en el compromiso y el bienestar de los voluntarios los cambios organizativos que se han introducido para responder a las nuevas relaciones con el sector estatutario. En este trabajo se analiza el vacío de conocimientos de los voluntarios más veteranos. Partiendo de una investigación común con una organización voluntaria del norte de Inglaterra, el autor del trabajo examina el significado y las aspiraciones que en relación con el voluntariado tienen las personas más veteranas, y explica por qué puede ser frustrante para ellos los cambios provocados por las nuevas y estrechas relaciones con los servicios públicos y la menor dependencia de subvenciones.
摘要
志愿和社团部门组织在公共服务提供方面的作用在持续增加,这些变化给有能力参与的组织带来了新的责任和利益。部门内部则关心市民和参与的关联。此部门高度依赖于志愿者,但是对于新关系的法定部门对于志愿者的责任和福利的由组织变革带来的冲击几乎是未知的。本论文为老年志愿者填补了这个认知空白。启用了英国北部一个志愿组织 的合作研究,作者们探寻老年志愿者的志愿行动的意义和渴望,解释了和公共服务提供怎样和变化紧密联系和其原因,以及依靠减少的拨款会怎样让他们失去权力。
خلاصة
إن دور القطاع التطوعي والمنظمات المجتمعية في تقديم الخدمات العامة آخذ في ازدياد مضطرد. وتحمل هذه التغيرات مسؤوليات واستحقاقات جديدة للمنظمات التي لديها القدرة على المشاركة. وهناك مخاوف داخل القطاع عن الآثار المترتبة على المواطنة والمشاركة. ويعتمد تأثير هذا القطاع اعتمادا كبيرا على المتطوعين، إلا انه لا يعرف حتى الآن إلا القليل عن كيفية تأثير التغيير التنظيمي الناجم عن الاستجابة للعلاقات الجديدة مع القطاع القانوني على التزام ورفاهية المتطوعين. وتتناول هذه الورقة تلك الفجوة في المعرفة لكبار السن. ومن خلال الاستفادة من البحوث التعاونية مع منظمة طوعية في شمال انجلترا، يحاول الباحثان تقصي المعاني وتطلعات العمل التطوعي لكبار السن، ويشرحان لماذا وكيف يمكن أن تكون التغيرات المرافقة للمشاركة الوثيقة في تقديم الخدمات والحد من الاعتماد على المنح يمكن أن تؤدي إلى عدم تمكين المتطوعين.
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Notes
Some 2.2% of the UK paid workforce is employed in the voluntary sector; almost two-thirds full-time (Wilding et al. 2006).
This series of surveys collected information about volunteering activity and reasons for volunteering from 1,486 randomly sampled UK addresses. It cannot of course be compared directly with the more recent Citizenship Survey series (2001–2005) which used a different sampling base and asked different questions.
Based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000, ward indices, England.
Mrs Atkinson’s comments reflect some lack of understanding between what constituted a day center and a lunch club before the changes came about. The Supported Groups that she describes tended to replace the day centers whilst the Volunteer-Led Groups replaced the lunch clubs.
Recent changes in funding from the Learning and Skills Council favouring younger adults is however likely to threaten the continuation of this service in its present form.
This is also reflected in the activities of the national federation, see for example the Heyday project launched by Age Concern England, www.heyday.org.uk/
The emergence of the third age (Laslett 1989) and government attempts to encourage work and productivity among the younger cohort of older people has seen a downward drift of the definition of “ageing” to mean “fifty-plus” (Biggs et al. 2006). The consumer market has also cashed in on this with its range of products and services for the over 50s.
Davis Smith and Gay (2005) refer to this as the existence of an “ethical legacy,” informed both by religious and humanistic impulses and a strong history of family commitment to volunteering and service.
Such roles are presently overtaken by professional roles (Turner 2001).
Cooper and Thomas (2002) refer to “communitas” as that idea of a collective or community. Some of their respondents who lived through the Second World War talked about the continuation of the “Dunkirk spirit.”
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Acknowledgments
Our appreciation goes to David Shipley, Volunteer Development Manager at Age Concern Newcastle, and the anonymous referees for their helpful comments on the paper. Most importantly, we would like to thank the UK Big Lottery Fund for funding the project, Professor Jane Wheelock, who led the research team, Age Concern Newcastle for their tremendous support, and all the research participants involved.
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Lie, M., Baines, S. Making Sense of Organizational Change: Voices of Older Volunteers. Voluntas 18, 225–240 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-007-9043-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-007-9043-7