The purpose of this project is to conduct a detailed evaluation of the Vancouver Planned Parenthood clinic volunteer program. The primary focus of this study is volunteer recruitment and retention. The simplicity of individual perspectives commonly employed in volunteer theories and research is rejected in this research project. A multi-leveled sociological analysis stemming from an organizational behaviour framework is used as an alternative approach to broaden the scope of this case study. The five levels of analysis used to examine the volunteer program in this study are: 1) individual level of analysis, 2) group behaviour, 3) interpersonal and organizational processes, 4) organizational structure and job design, and 5) organizational environment. Multiple factors are discussed under each level of analysis. A triangulation of methods, comprised of interviews with volunteers, observational analysis, and document analysis, is used to provide a rich analysis of the volunteer program. Interpretations of the findings demonstrate that many factors beyond the individual level influence volunteer recruitment and retention. Results show that this particular volunteer program is operating below its maximum effectiveness, and that high volunteer turnover results in this atmosphere. Practical and theoretical implications of this case study are explored and recommendations are offered. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

Adult volunteer instructor training is an important transaction in the dissemination of community health courses to citizens in schools, worksites, religious organizations, and recreational centers. Yet prior to this study little was known about this process by which an individual was transformed from a willing volunteer into a volunteer instructor. / Ed. D.

It was hypothesized that the personality variable Tolerance for Ambiguity and empathic listening skills would significantly differentiate conscientious from nonconscientious crisis intervention volunteers. A group of 20 conscientious and a group of 20 nonconscientious volunteers from a local crisis intervention center were given a test of Tolerance for Ambiguity and a test of empathic listening skills that measured Interest, Understanding, and Response-ability. Results of t-tests between the groups and correlations between the variables indicated that Tolerance for Ambiguity was not a significant differentiator between the two groups. However, it was found that conscientious volunteers had significantly higher levels of Interest and Understanding. They did not differ in Response-ability. This study suggests that interest in clients and an understanding of their problems may be salient factors motivating crisis intervention volunteers. It was concluded that Interest and Understanding are relevant variables in crisis intervention volunteers. It is suggested that they be utilized in the screening of potential volunteers and in the planning of crisis intervention training.

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / An exploratory-descriptive research design together with a qualitative approach was chosen with the purpose of obtaining knowledge of and insight into volunteer management as a function of social work management, using the Cape Town Association for the Physically Disabled as a case study. The motivation for the study stemmed from personal experience of the researcher being employed at the aforementioned organization. The Cape Town Association for the Physically Disabled is a non-government organization which utilizes volunteers for both direct and indirect volunteer work. The goal of the study is to provide a framework to the social workers of the Cape Town Association for the Physically Disabled for the management of volunteers, to enhance developmental social service delivery. The literature review covered the conceptualization, history and nature of volunteer work in social work focusing on the development of volunteerism internationally and in South Africa. This allowed the researcher to conceptualize volunteerism and also get a better understanding of what happens on an international, national and domestic level. The theoretical framework was social development focusing on the ecosystems perspective. The literature review specifically focused on the history of volunteerism, the management of volunteers including the different models of, as well as guidelines for, managing a volunteer programme. The researcher chose to involve social workers at the Cape Town Association for the Physically Disabled since the social workers utilize volunteers, and in so doing also manage these volunteers. The results of the investigation largely confirmed that the Cape Town Association for the Physically Disabled should refine their volunteer programme policy. Furthermore, the results confirmed that the social workers were not all aware of the process of management of volunteers. The research study also recommends the human resources model of management for volunteers to be utilized at the Association. The recommendations were aimed at the management of volunteers in terms of recruitment, selection, training, orientation and supervision of volunteers according to the human resources model of management.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Zambia is reported to have high levels of maternal morbidity and mortality due to low contraceptive prevalence rates, over 50% of births not being attended to by skilled persons, and teenage pregnancies. A number of organisations (stakeholders) have invested in the training of adolescent reproductive health peer educators with the aim of empowering them to be role models to their peers in reproductive health, but Zambia does not have a generic and locally developed training programme for peer educators. The purpose of this study was to develop a training programme that would produce competent and more effective peer educators for Zambia. The objectives were to determine the characteristics of the ideal peer educator. Further objectives were to ascertain the factors that contribute to or impair the development of the ideal peer educator, and to determine whether training programmes that were being used were producing ideal peer educators and enhancing healthy lifestyle behaviours. Key stakeholders participated in group interviews were they presented and critiqued their training programmes. Emerging out of this process was a draft training programme, developed by the stakeholders. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were held with adolescent peer educators from Lusaka, Kafue, Livingstone and Maheba refugee camp. Data were analysed by triangulating the outcomes of the group interviews (with the stakeholders) with the outcomes of the FGDs and reviewed literature. The FGDs highlighted the characteristics of an ideal peer educator as well as factors that contribute towards his/her competence development. Numerous factors were reported that had a negative impact on the development of an ideal peer educator. The peer educators reported that their training had had a positive effect on their lifestyle behaviours. While they had gained more knowledge on HIV and AIDS, they recommended more training on other health issues. The study found that at community level, peer educators were not being given adequate respect because the concept of voluntary work was not readily accepted and they were regarded as failures in life. Major demotivating factors were the lack of payment of incentives and the fact that peer educators were not certified. Peer educators did not receive sufficient support from programme managers/coordinators to enable them to become more effective at community level. Weaknesses in the way the training programmes were conducted were also discerned. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that more life skills’ development be promoted for peer educators. Training should be contextualised for the communities in which the peer educators work. The developed training programme, which should be used as a guide, should be repackaged to suit the profiles (e.g. values) of the different communities. Adolescents and various social sectors (inclusive of indicated stakeholders) ought to be involved in diagnosing community needs so as to influence both peers and communities in a way that would promote adolescent reproductive health. This study also recommends a more informal way of practising peer education, which would produce trainees who would be peer educators and role models in any given setting. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Na berig word is die hoë siekte- en sterftesyfers onder moeders in Zambië daaraan te wyte dat voorbehoedmiddels nie algemeen gebruik word nie, dat meer as 50% van geboortes plaasvind sonder die bystand van bekwame persone, en dat daar ‘n hoë voorkoms van tienerswangerskappe is. ‘n Aantal organisasies (belanghebbers) het in die opleiding van adolessent- portuurgroep-opvoeders in reproduktiewe gesondheid belê ten einde hierdie portuurgroep-opvoeders te bemagtig om as rolmodelle in reproduktiewe gesondheid op te tree. Zambië het egter nie ‘n eie generiese, plaaslik-ontwikkelde opleidingsprogram vir portuurgroep-opvoeders nie. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n opleidingsmodel en opleidingsprogram te ontwikkel wat bekwame en meer effektiewe portuurgroep-opvoeders vir Zambië sou kon oplewer. Die doelstellings was om die kenmerke van ‘n ideale portuurgroep-opvoeder te bepaal en om die faktore te identifiseer wat óf tot die ontwikkeling van ‘n ideale portuurgroep-opvoeder bydra óf sy/haar ontwikkeling strem. Daar moes ook vasgestel word of bestaande opleidingsprogramme ideale portuurgroep-opvoeders oplewer en gevolglik gesonde leefstylgedrag bevorder. Die navorser het groeponderhoude gebruik en betekenisvolle belanghebbers genooi om hulle opleidingsprogramme aan te bied, te beoordeel en krities te bespreek. ‘n Konsepopleidingsprogram wat deur die belanghebbers ontwikkel is, het uit hierdie proses ontstaan. Fokusgroepbesprekings (Engels: Focus Group Discussions of FGDs) is met adolessente portuurgroep-opvoeders van Lusaka, Kafue, Livingstone en die Maheba-vlugtelingekamp gehou. Data is ontleed deur die uitkomste van die groeponderhoude (met die deelhebbers) met die uitkomste van die fokusgroepbesprekings en die bespreekte literatuur te trianguleer. Die fokusgroepbesprekings het die soeklig op die kenmerke van die ideale portuurgroepopvoeder asook op die faktore wat tot sy/haar bekwaamheidsontwikkeling bydra, laat val. Talle faktore wat ‘n negatiewe uitwerking op die ontwikkeling van ‘n ideale portuurgroep-opvoeder het, is ook vasgestel. Die portuurgroep-opvoeders het bevestig dat hul opleiding ‘n positiewe invloed op hul lewenstylgedrag gehad het. Terwyl hulle genoem het dat hulle meer kennis oor MIV en VIGS opgedoen het, het hulle aanbeveel dat daar ook meer klem op ander gesondheidskwessies behoort te wees. In hierdie studie is daar bevind dat portuurgroepopvoeders op gemeenskapsvlak nie met voldoende respek behandel word nie. Die begrip van vrywillige werk word nie geredelik aanvaar nie, en die opvoeders word as mislukkings beskou. Faktore wat besonder ontmoedigend inwerk is die gebrek aan ‘n aansporingsloon en die feit dat portuurgroep-opvoeders nie sertifikate ontvang nie. Portuurgroep-opvoeders het ook nie voldoende ondersteuning van programbestuurders/- koördineerders ontvang om hulle in staat te stel om meer effektief op gemeenskapsvlak op te tree nie. Daar is voorts swakhede opgemerk in die wyse waarop die opleidingsprogramme uitgevoer is. Gegrond op die bevindinge van hierdie studie, word daar aanbeveel dat die ontwikkeling van lewensvaardighede tot ‘n groter mate bevorder word. Opleiding behoort gekontekstualiseer te word vir die gemeenskappe waarbinne die opvoeders werk. Die bestaande opleidingsprogram, wat as ‘n riglyn gebruik behoort te word, behoort herstruktureer te word om by die profiele (bv. die waardes) van die verskillende gemeenskappe in te pas. Adolessente en verskillende sosiale sektore (insluitend die aangeduide belanghebbers) behoort betrokke te wees by die bepaling van die gemeenskap se behoeftes ten einde beide portuurgroepe en gemeenskappe so te beïnvloed dat adolessente- reproduktiewe gesondheid bevoordeel sal word. Hierdie studie beveel ook aan dat portuurgroep-opvoeding op ‘n informeler grondslag beoefen behoort te word sodat die kwekelinge uiteindelik in enige gegewe omgewing suksesvolle portuurgroepopvoeders en rolmodelle sal kan wees.

This study was undertaken as an explorative, qualitative study to explore the motives for foreign volunteers to volunteer at an NGO in South Africa. Increasing numbers of young adults and adolescent school leavers from developed countries are choosing to take a sabbatical year to engage in volunteer work in foreign, often developing countries. In South Africa, much of this work takes place in the Non-governmental sector, around environmental and humanitarian issues including HIV and AIDS. The incentives underlying this behaviour are of interest to try to understand what motivates altruistic, pro-social behaviour. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The rapidly increasing number of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa has raised much concern. The combination of HIV/AIDS, poverty and associated risk factors place children at risk for developing emotional, social, cognitive and behavioural difficulties. Resilience literature has emphasised the role of psychosocial support in buffering risk and boosting resilience in children. A holistic intervention programme, designed to empower and mobilise communities at grass-roots level, aims to address the psychosocial needs of vulnerable children. Such community interventions rely heavily on the support of volunteers. Previous initiatives conducted in South Africa have experienced difficulties in recruiting and retaining volunteers. The literature points out that understanding what motivates individuals to offer their services to others is crucial for the survival and effectiveness of any community-based programme that relies on volunteer support. Guided by the qualitative methodology of grounded theory, this research explored the motivations of volunteers offering their services to vulnerable children in peri-urban communities in KwaZulu-Natal. This inductive method enabled the researcher to identify motivating factors and interpret the underlying processes within and among these. The perspective of systems theory further explained the categories of motivations in relation to the social context. It was anticipated that the findings of this research would enhance existing training programmes designed for volunteer workers. Recommendations for both research and practice were put forward. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

This qualitative study is an exploratory investigation aimed at understanding the expectations and experiences of volunteers offering psychosocial support to vulnerable children. It serves as an evaluation of one aspect of the Structured Group Therapy Programme (SGTP) implemented within peri-urban and rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal. Volunteers from within these communities are involved in facilitating this community-based programme, and in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of this project, it is important to understand what (i) motivates an individual to volunteer in the programme, and (ii) what keeps them involved. Two groups of research participants were selected to participate in this study. The first group comprised of five volunteers who were more experienced in their work with vulnerable children than the second group of participants. The first group of participants had been involved in the Vulnerable Children's Programme (VCP) for a longer duration, across all the communities in which the programme operates, and were involved in training new facilitators. The second group of participants consisted of eight community facilitators, who were involved in implementing the programme within their local community alone, and were less experienced than the first group. The nature of this study required careful consideration of ethical principles before, during, and even after the study was complete. A focus group was run with each of the groups with the aim of exploring the volunteers' expectations before entering the programme and their experiences within the programme. The focus groups were transcribed and analysed within an interpretive, phenomenological framework. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The welfare of communities depends to a large extent on the successful mobilisation of the voluntary contributions (manpower, time, money) by religious based organisations. Poverty and all the other social problems like unemployment and HIV/AIDS, that are associated with it, can only be addressed effectively if volunteers are empowered by social workers to handle the problems in a sustaining way (Annual report, Unit for Religion Development Research: 2002). In order to empower the volunteers, it is important that social workers understand their role in the empowerment process. The aim of the study is to clarify the task of the social worker regarding the empowerment of volunteers at religious based organisations. This study is a descriptive study, seeing that the empowerment of volunteers are described at the end of the research (Mouton, 2001:54). The study also contains elements of an exploring (investigation) study, seeing that the situation has been explored in practice. After completion of a literate study, an empirical investigation was done with the aim to investigate principles of empowerment in practice. For the purpose of this study, the universe is regarded as the social workers who work at religious based organisations in the working area of the Valcare Trust. Deliberate selection, according to the non-probability test sampling as described by Babbie and Mouton (2001:166-168) was used to obtain the test sample. The type of test sample selection is applicable where the researcher is conversant with the research problem and the universe (Rubin and Babbie, 1993). Deliberate selection is therefore based on the researcher’s judgement and the aim of the study (Rubin and Babbie, 1993). The researcher is well conversant with the universe, seeing that the social workers are working at religious based organisations that are registered on the database of the Valcare Trust. Questionnaires, consisting of structured questions were compiled after completion of the literate study for the purpose of the empirical study. The self administered questionnaires were supplied to the respondents. Thirteen respondents took part in the empirical study.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Department of Occupational Therapy of the University of Stellenbosch has been involved in the development of the Volcano Community Project in the Ravensmead area since 1994. A needs assessment conducted in the area has led to the indentification of the following problems: • there are no after school care services in the area; • limited opportunities for individual attention to learners because of a high learner educator ratio; • high incidence of substance abuse amongst the youth; • children loitering in the streets in the afternoon; and • a quarter of all grade one learners in the area repeat their basis year of school. In order to address the abovementioned problems it was decided to recruit unemployed youth within the community as voluntary workers. This group of volunteers received training in the execution of pre-planned developmental stimulation lessons that they then present to grade one and two learners who have problems. The volunteers undergo a training programme in order to equip them to handle the learners. This project is still in progress and it needs to be evaluated in order to gain information which would help to improve the programme as well as the management thereof. The aim of the research was to establish the impact of programme participation on the voluntary workers and that was done by looking at the following: • what the strengths of the project are; • what the weaknesses of the project are; and • which suggestions there are to improve the project. Qualitative formative evaluation research was the paradigm within which the research was executed. Interviews were conducted with the voluntary workers and the following themes/patterns emerged from the data: Strengths of the project: Turnabout in the lives of the voluntary workers; improvement of self-knowledge; development of skills; work satisfaction; and guidance by the students. Weaknesses of the project: Schools where this project is in progress and facilities available at these schools; management of the project; and the group of voluntary workers. Suggestions regarding the project: Encouragement; management; and other logistics. The researcher took each of these main themes and with the help of process/impact rubrics data was interpreted. From these rubrics factors were identified and recommendations made which may contribute to the improvement of the project for example feedback after completion of the task is very important and should be very specific for an individual. Possibilities for the broader application of findings are also suggested. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Departement Arbeidsterapie van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, is sedert 1994 betrokke by die ontwikkeling van die Volcano gemeenskapsprojek in die Ravensmeadarea. In Behoeftebepaling in die area het gelei tot die identifisering van die volgende probleme: • geen naskoolse dienste is in die area beskikbaar nie; • beperkte geleenthede vir individuele aandag aan leerders as gevolg van 'n te hoë leerdertoedeling per onderwyser; • hoë voorkoms van substansmisbruik onder die jeug; • kinders wat in die middag in die straat rondslenter; en • In kwart van alle graad een leerders in die area herhaal hul basisjaar van skool. Daar is besluit om bogenoemde probleme aan te spreek deur werklose jeugdiges in die gemeenskap te werf as vrywillige werkers. Die groep vrywillige werkers is dan opgelei om vooraf opgestelde ontwikkelingstimulasielesse aan te bied aan graad een en twee leerders wat probleme ervaar. Die vrywillige werkers deurloop In opleidingsprogram om hulle beter toe te rus om die leerders optimaal te kan hanteer. Die program is nog lopend en evaluering is nodig ten einde inligting te verkry wat kan lei tot die verbetering van die program en die bestuur van die projek oor die algemeen. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die impak wat programdeelname op die vrywillige werkers het te ondersoek deur te kyk na: • wat die sterkpunte van die projek is; • wat die swakpunte van die projek is; en • watter voorstelle daar is om die program te verbeter. Kwalitatiewe formatiewe evaluasienavorsing is die paradigma wat in hierdie navorsing gebruik is om die data in te samel en te analiseer. Onderhoude is met vrywillige werkers gevoer en die volgende hooftemas het uit die data na vore gekom: Sterkpunte van die projek: Ommeswaai in vrywillige werkers se lewens; bevordering van selfkennis; ontwikkeling van vaardighede; werksbevrediging; en leiding deur die studente. Swakpunte van die projek: Skole waar die program aangebied word en die fasiliteite beskikbaar by die skole; bestuur van die projek; en die groep vrywillige werkers. Voorstelle ten opsigte van die projek: Aansporing; bestuur en ander logistieke. Die navorser het elk van hierdie hooftemas geneem en met behulp van proses/impakmatrikse is die data geïnterpreteer vir hierdie projek. Uit hierdie matrikse is faktore geïdentifiseer en aanbevelings gemaak wat mag bydra tot die verbetering van die projek, byvoorbeeld terugvoer na afloop van die uitvoering van take is belangrik en moet spesifiek en individueel gerig wees. Wyer toepassingsmoontlikhede van die bevindinge word ook voorgestel.