The rapid ageing of Japan’s population is occurring in the midst of accelerating social change, causing a rethinking about what it means to grow old. Some older Japanese are pioneering new models for ageing through their involvement in groups known as time banks. These are non-profit organisations which trade time, a universal possession, rather than conventional currency for services. Time given in volunteering is banked for future redemption as assistance for the giver, with points paid per hour. This first study of the impact of time banks on the lives of older Japanese members aims to chart how such groups can help both their senior members and society as a whole.¶ Time banks now exist across the globe but the world’s first time bank was established in 1973 by a Japanese woman. She aspired to create a new form of currency that could give people greater control of their lives and foster warmer community links. The benefits that older time bank members derive include formation of new friendship networks to replace those lost by retirement and the chance to use old skills and learn new ones. Time banks can generate a new form of social capital that fosters traditional Japanese reciprocity and has ikigai or ‘sense of meaning in life’ as one of its main pillars.¶ This research is based on both three-months of fieldwork in Japan and an extensive literature review in Japanese, English and Chinese. It has been by aided by accessibility to the thoughts of the founders of four major time banks through their books and also by their group web sites. My study follows on from an MPhil thesis that compared ageing in China and Japan and draws on my experience living in Japan for 10 years between 1979 and 1991 in both Kansai and Kanto.¶ The literature indicates that social participation is a crucial component for maintaining both psychological and physical health in the later years. While this is a qualitative study and there is yet to be a qualitative review of the effects of time banks in Japan, feedback I received from older members of the first time bank shows that time banks can foster a meaningful later life. ¶ The 21st century has been dubbed that of the aged as greater mass longevity boosts their numbers to unprecedented levels. This thesis questions whether organizations such as time banks can make a significant difference to the quality of life that older people enjoy in this new era. The theoretical framework examines whether the social exchange that these groups nurture can enhance the social capital of their communities, creating a positive image for ageing.

Volunteers are essential for the success of almost any organized event. However, volunteering has undergone a process of modernization, in which altruistic or collective forms of volunteering, motivated by intrinsic behaviors, have been replaced by more egoistic or reflexive ones, which are extrinsically motivated. The purpose of this master’s thesis, following qualitative methodologies in the form of semi-structured interviews and my personal observations, the factors of motivation and satisfaction of nine volunteers from the 2021 Lahti Ski Games, as well as how their previous volunteering satisfaction could have impacted their motivation to engage in volunteering action this year have been analyzed. Furthermore, given that the event took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, the implications of the virus on the motives to volunteer and its consequent events on the volunteering experience have been investigated.Results demonstrate that despite both types of motivation to volunteer are shown among participants, modern forms of volunteerism seem to have a higher presence. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that previous volunteering satisfaction has a clear influence on the intentions to volunteer in the future. Finally, it is stated that the event taking place during the Covid-19 pandemic did not influence the motivation as much as the satisfaction of the volunteering experience. Thus, this thesis generates unique knowledge on the topics of volunteering motivation and satisfaction. However, the implications of Covid-19 have not been yet deeply investigated and it suggests that further research could be conducted on the topic.

The diploma thesis deals with the theme of volunteering of seniors in the community. The work focuses on the specifics of volunteering of seniors, emphasizing the benefits of volunteering for participating seniors and how to identify them with other groups of people. Using a qualitative research work, it examines on a sample of eight respondents how these senior volunteers perceive the benefits of volunteering, how they relate to the geographical location in which they work, and what communities they form through volunteer participation. Key words: Volunteering, volunteering of seniors, benefits of volunteering, senior, old age, community, collective identit

Thesis advisor: Michael Malec / American universities provide undergraduate students with seemingly endless opportunities for civic engagement. According to a recent report released by Boston College, students volunteer more than 444,000 hours of community service throughout the year (Community Benefits and Service Programs). This honors thesis offers a critical exploration of students’ attitudes towards civic engagement and how they make meaning of the change-making processes in which they choose to engage. The research was designed to explore how students feel about civic engagement divided into two main categories: service and politics. Declining political participation has become a characteristic identifier of young adults today. How, then, does this generational trend fit into the civic engagement story of Boston College? By exploring students’ civic and political attitudes, one can make sense of the decisions students make regarding how they can best produce social change in a democratic society, namely whether they select a service-oriented or political path. First, this research aims to highlight the crucial intersections and interdependencies between involvement in both service and politics. In other words, the change-making capacity of either service or politics is limited when the two are considered mutually exclusive. Second, this research aims to assess whether students draw parallels Boston College undergraduates between service and politics. Ultimately, this research aims to inspire undergraduates at Boston College and elsewhere to develop civic identities, which incorporate service-oriented and political ideals. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Sociology.

This thesis explores the interaction between well-being and environmental volunteering. Focusing on five case study groups across Scotland, the emotional, social and physical well-being impacts of active environmental volunteer work are examined. Through an extensive ethnographic approach incorporating in-depth interviewing, participant observation and focus group work the thesis highlights the importance of studying the initial and continuing motivations for individuals to participate in environmental volunteering. This retains a particular focus on emotional and embodied volunteer experiences, exploring the importance of tasks and landscapes on the volunteering encounters. In considering the meaning of volunteering, the thesis also explores linkages of community and citizenship and how individuals frame and understand their volunteering, especially in relation to the environmental aspects of the work. This speaks directly to academic themes of embodiment, human-nature interactions, emotional geographies and social capital. The studentship was an ESRC-CASE funded project, with the CASE partner being Forestry Commission Scotland. The research takes place within a dynamic political context that encompasses current research and work on volunteering and natural environment encounters within Scotland and the UK as a whole. The thesis looks to inform ongoing policy relevant debates on environmental volunteering within both the Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Government.

This thesis uses data from The Survey of Texas Adults, 2004 to analyze the giving and volunteering patterns of various groups focusing on the role of several relevant social and demographic characteristics and also focusing on whether or not an individual was asked to participate in these various activities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis is performed to test for statistical relationships between selected factors and giving and volunteering rates. In each of the analysis, logistic regression models are estimated to assess how factors such as race, education, citizenship, gender, age, income, and being asked affect the outcomes of money given to religious organizations, money given to other organizations, being asked to volunteer, and solicited for money. Findings suggest that, overall, Latinos are not significantly different in their odds of giving to religious organizations when compared to their white counterparts. The results of the next set of logistic models, however, show that Latinos have lower odds of giving to other groups or organizations. In terms of who is asked to volunteer or solicited for money, the results suggest that Latinos are not asked to volunteer at the same rate as whites; therefore, limiting an important avenue of participation. These finding confirm the hypothesis that Latinos are just as likely to make financial contributions to their local church, but they have lower odds of giving to other, nonreligious organizations. In addition, the findings confirm that Latinos are less likely to be asked to volunteer when compared to other groups.

Trenden att hjälpa andra ökar i takt med att samhället blir mer individualiserat. Brottsofferjouren är en förening som bygger på frivilliga krafter och engagemang och huvudsyftet med verksamheten är att fungera som medmänniskor samt informatörer när det gäller rättsprocessen och försäkringsfrågor. Syftet med studien var att lyfta fram centrala motiv till det ideella arbetet och även ge en inblick i dessa människors uppdrag inom brottsofferjouren. Detta skapar en förståelse och fördjupning i vad som motiverar dessa människor att ge av sin tid och sitt engagemang. Metoden för studien var induktiv tematisk analys och åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med 6 pensionärer och 2 högskolestuderande låg till grund för analysen. Resultatet visade att betydelsen av en meningsfull sysselsättning, viljan att hjälpa andra, social interaktion samt att ta till vara på sin kompetens var viktiga komponenter i motivbilden. Resultatet visade även att det fanns skillnader gällande motivbild mellan yngre och äldre volontärer.

Der Begriff „Ehrenamt“ stammt aus dem 19. Jahrhundert, als der Staat von seinen Bürgern die unentgeltliche Übernahme gesellschaftlicher Aufgaben erwartete und sie dafür mit Ehre und Amt, mit Ansehen und Würde belohnte. In unserer heutigen demokratischen Bürgergesellschaft denken wir mehr an Freiwilligenarbeit, die für ein funktionierendes Gemeinwesen unverzichtbar ist und deshalb wie früher von den gewählten Repräsentanten des Gemeinwesens, z.B. in Form von Verdienstorden, Preisen und anderen Auszeichnungen, anerkannt und gewürdigt wird. Mit einigen Literaturtipps will dieser Beitrag dazu ermuntern, dieses große Zukunftsthema weiter zu vertiefen.

Wer kennt das nicht, diese ungewollten Geschenke unter dem Tannenbaum, oder diese gut gemeinten Büchergeschenke an Bibliotheken? Seit vielen Jahren diskutiert der Berufsstand der Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, ob das Ehrenamt eher als Lust oder Last zu betrachten ist. Die Befürworter können zahlreiche Beispiele für die Bereicherung der Bibliotheksleistungen aufzählen, die ablehnenden Stimmen vor allem die Gefahren für die professionelle Bibliotheksarbeit. Wie so oft, haben beide Aussagen einen Wahrheitsgehalt. Deshalb muss es bei der berufspolitischen Diskussion nicht darum gehen, ob, sondern wie ehrenamtliche Tätigkeiten in Bibliotheken ohne Qualitätsverlust zu integrieren sind.

Im Freistaat Bayern werden rund 21 Prozent der Bibliotheken in kommunaler Trägerschaft rein ehrenamtlich geleitet. In diesen ehrenamtlich geleiteten Büchereien sind 559 Personen tätig, in anderen Bibliotheken sind weitere 1.024 Personen im Ehrenamt aktiv.