Young people are a key factor in society and play an important role in creating a developed and successful society for all members. The current situation is such that there is a high level of disinterest and distrust in state institutions. The other side of the problem is the large number of young people who do not know why volunteers are important, as well as the organizations and institutions that solve the problems that young people face. Volunteerism should be understood as a key factor in creating a society based on equal rights and opportunities for all its members. Volunteering should become part of the nation’s culture, not depend on the humane decision of individuals to help others.
Within the project „What you give is what you get: Interpersonal Development and social Impact through youth participation in local and international Volunteering/DIVE” co-financed by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme, and implemented by NGO IMPAKT in partnership with PVN organizations from Albania, Global Analitika from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mladiinfo Montenegro from Montenegro, Kreator from Northern Macedonia, InnovActive Center for Social Improvement (ICSI) from Kosovo, AzBuki from Serbia, System and Generation from Turkey, Voluntary Service International, VSI from Ireland, Asociatia Babilon Travel (ABT) from Romania, Stowarzyszenie Jeden Swiat, OWA from Poland, conducted a survey on the perception of young people about volunteerism.
The NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro conducted a survey for Montenegro in August 2020, in which 366 young people aged 15 to 30 participated. Of the total number of respondents, 66.8% have experience in volunteering, while 33.6% do not. Most of them volunteered locally. Many respondents, as many as 46.9%, volunteer several times during the year, and 16.6% of them volunteer every week.
When it comes to the benefits of volunteering, respondents who want to volunteer believe it is the best way to make new acquaintances, learn new skills as well as travel opportunities.
Respondents see volunteering as providing help and services to people who need it most, and stated that volunteering is work that contributes to society and the environment. They also said that the volunteers were “a group of people who are engaged in volunteer assistance and philanthropy, without any financial compensation”. They most often see volunteering as helping the community, developing skills, gaining new experiences and acquaintances. And this is how some of them defined volunteering:
“I think that volunteering is the voluntary provision of help and services to the part of the population that needs them the most, it is work that contributes to society and the environment.”
“Providing any kind of help to people and the environment, without making any personal profit, but doing activities voluntarily.”
“Volunteering is a set of activities and projects that aim to selflessly help others and create a better world for all of us.”
“Helping other people, animals and everyone who needs help, without asking for anything in return. Gaining new experiences. ”
“Any engagement of an individual that aims to help another individual or group, a public good, gaining experience and skills, without material compensation for the engagement.”
The percentage of respondents who stated that volunteering contributes the most to personal and professional development, as well as community development is 77.6%, and 66.8% believe that opportunities for volunteering exist in their country and neighboring countries, and that most opportunities for volunteering exists within NGOs and humanitarian actions.
Respondents believe that through volunteer work they learned more about themselves and teamwork skills, as well as that they developed communication skills. Many said that volunteering made them happier and more independent.
A significant percentage of respondents, 60%, are very satisfied with their volunteer work because it helped them think and make a better career decision, while a small percentage of respondents have a negative experience with volunteer work. Respondents, all over the country, are very interested in volunteering, mainly to make new acquaintances and opportunities to contribute to change.
When asked if they were familiar with anything from the legal framework that prescribes voluntary activities, 57% of respondents answered that they were not familiar at all, while 43% of them were.
Volunteers who are satisfied with their experiences in organizations believe that the main reason for this is the fulfillment they feel when helping others, a sense of usefulness and acquiring new skills, as well as appreciating the opportunity to implement their ideas. Most would volunteer for a period of one day to a month (43.6%).
On the other hand, a small number of respondents, 0.7%, do not have good experience with volunteering, and the main reasons for this are the lack of clear distribution of roles, responsibilities and activities within organizations, it takes a lot of time and work under pressure. The most common reasons why individuals do not volunteer are lack of free time, lack of serious response from institutions, lack of information about organizations in their environment in which they could volunteer, as well as lack of interest if it is not a paid job.
Respondents are most motivated to volunteer by the desire to acquire a better education and improve human rights, and the target group for which they would volunteer are mostly young people and children.
Based on the answers received, the main incentive for young people to volunteer would be the recognition of the importance of volunteering by institutions, and if it would increase their chances for employment. Paid costs and reduced transportation costs would also encourage respondents to volunteer.
Conclusions:
Young people are interested in volunteering and helping others. They see it as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and further develop personal skills. The problem is that young people do not know much about the work and activities of volunteer organizations, which leads us to the conclusion that something needs to be done to increase the visibility of everything done within each of the communities, as well as involving people of different profiles in future projects. different fields of life that should be improved.
In order to interest as many people as possible to volunteer, you should use the social networks that are used the most. Thanks to interesting campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, young people can get acquainted with the values that certain organizations represent, and then apply them to fulfill a goal, which is important to them personally, in the fight against social injustices.
As mentioned earlier, the world remains on the young people and that is why their voice needs to be heard more. When asked how they felt in the organizations in which they volunteered, some of them answered that they felt undesirable and exploited as a workforce, which is exactly the opposite of what volunteerism represents. Young people need to feel respected, in order to bring about changes that directly affect them.
What volunteer organizations need to put into practice is to provide young people with a safe and stimulating environment in which they will feel comfortable, as respondents said. They should have pleasant communication with people from the organization when they ask about volunteering.
Volunteerism should generally be promoted more at the state level, so that as many people as possible join the organizations. We should never forget the main reason why we volunteer, and that is that by helping others and fighting for our goals, we become more involved and aware members of society. With the changes we are introducing today, we are creating a better future for all of us tomorrow.
Therefore, volunteerism should be understood as a factor of the greatest importance for the creation of a society based on equal rights and opportunities for all members. Volunteering should become part of the nation’s culture, not depend on the humane decision of individuals to help others. Volunteerism should become a lifestyle by which we help, encourage and develop our communities. Any help we give to others makes us happy and contributes to our psychological well-being.
As no initiative can be realized overnight, we have a long way to go to create a society with a developed awareness of volunteering, but even the smallest changes introduced, we are approaching a better future for all of us.