Sociological analysis of volunteer activity as a mechanism for the development of civil society in foreign countries

The active development of the volunteer movement in modern Russia encourages a comparison of the practices of organizing the volunteer movement in different countries, in order to study positive experiences and partial borrowing, as well as to analyze the phenomenon of volunteerism in a broader scientific context - as one of the mechanisms for the development of civil society. The article presents a sociological analysis of volunteer activity in seven developed foreign countries in such categories as historical features of formation, typical areas of volunteer activity, common goals, values and motives of volunteers, state support for volunteer programs and projects, as well as identical features of the organization of volunteer activity in these countries. This analysis is a selection of the best foreign practices of working with volunteers and allows you to outline the prospects for the development of the volunteer movement in other countries, including in Russia. The article helps to systematize the features of the development of volunteer activity in the world community and call it an effective mechanism for educating citizenship and increasing social activity. The international practice of involving citizens in volunteerism has clearly demonstrated the significant contribution of the third sector to the global economy, building a strong and solid society that is ready to respond quickly to current challenges and help solve global problems.

Motivation of Olympic Volunteers in Russia and China

The research objective was to study the motivation of Russian and Chinese volunteers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014 and 2022. Mega-sport events attract public attention worldwide and require a lot of volunteers. Based on the international scope of Olympic volunteer community, a cross-country analysis of volunteering experience is a relevant topic. The Russian program for training of Olympic volunteers was the first of its kind. It was funded by the state on the basis of educational institutions, non-profit and commercial organizations. China is currently developing its own Olympic volunteer program, which relies mainly on government organizations. The study relied on an online survey of Olympic volunteers. Chinese volunteers appeared to have been motivated by value and defensive reasons, while Russian volunteers were attracted by the informational and professional opportunities that Olympic volunteering has to offer. The research results can help to develop volunteer programs, as well as to improve their effectiveness and popularity.

Modern Directions of Implementation of Volunteer Practices and Existing Volunteer Training Systems in the Regions of the Russian Federation

The article analyzes the specifics of the implementation of volunteer practices in the regions of Russia based on the material of available Internet sources. The authors believe that conducting a psychological and pedagogical study of programs for the implementation of volunteer (volunteer) activities will make it possible to predict the formation of a social institution of volunteering (volunteering) and develop scientifically based recommendations for the application and dissemination of effective practices of volunteering. The purpose of the article is, on the basis of theoretical analysis, to identify and substantiate the current directions for the implementation of volunteer practices and the features of training volunteers on the example of the Tomsk, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk regions and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Methodology. The research was carried out on the basis of structuring the understanding of volunteer activities in the regions of the Russian Federation through the prism of axiological, system-activity, culturological and project methodological approaches. It is shown that volunteer practices and the work of volunteers themselves are structured on the basis of a combination of these approaches and traditionally fit into extra-curricular activities to a large extent. In conclusion, it is concluded that the implementation of volunteer practices is carried out through a combination of various approaches, therefore it should be considered as a multimodal educational and educational practice. The training of volunteers is structured through a combination of forms of individual, group, collective work, but it is not systemic, which requires the additional development of a set of standardized and validated tools to assess the effectiveness of the results of the implementation of volunteer programs.

Can Empathy Help Individuals and Society? Through the Lens of Volunteering and Mental Health

(1) Background: Empathy affects an individual’s decision to participate in volunteering, and volunteering, in turn, influences mental health. Intriguingly, studies have been limited in exploring underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions for the relationship between empathy and mental health. Furthermore, volunteering studies have overlooked the multi-dimensionality of empathy. Therefore, this study seeks to contribute to extant literature by investigating the mediating effect of volunteering for the relationships between cognitive and affective empathy and mental health and the moderating effect of gender for the relationship between empathy and volunteering. (2) Methods; Data were collected using a survey in South Korea and consisted of 301 full-time employees who voluntarily engaged in their corporate volunteer programs. Furthermore, they voluntarily participated in the study. The hypotheses were tested with path analysis and a group comparison was also conducted. (3) Results: Volunteering was found to mediate the relationships between cognitive empathy and affective empathy with mental health. In addition, gender moderated the relationship between empathy and volunteering. (4) Conclusions: As the study found empathy to increase individuals’ engaging in volunteering activities which then improved mental health, the study supports extant theoretical frameworks on empathy and volunteering. Moreover, the study found gender differences on empathy and volunteering; thereby supporting and contributing to extant literature.

Community attitudes towards volunteering programs for community service "Prince Hussein Academy for Civil Protection as a model": اتجاهات الأكاديميين نحو برامج التطوع الموجهة لخدمة المجتمع " أكاديمية الأمير حسين للحماية المدنية أنموذجا "

The present study aimed to identify trends of ’attitudes towards volunteering programs directed at community service, and the study relied on the descriptive approach, and the study population consisted of a sample consisting of (81) academics at the Prince Hussein Academy for Civil Protection, chosen randomly, and the results showed the arithmetic averages of academics’ attitudes toward The volunteering programs directed to community service came with a moderate degree, with a mean (3.62) At the level of the paragraphs, the paragraph that says: "Volunteer work expresses the true values ​​that we believe in" was ranked first, with an arithmetic average (4.10) and a high level, while the paragraph that states: "Free invest time in volunteer work." With an average of (3.16) and a medium degree, the results showed that there are no differences in academics ’attitudes towards volunteer programs directed to community service due to the variable of academic experience, while the results showed the existence of differences attributed to: the faculty variable and in favor of human faculties and in light of the results of the study recommend the need to link enrollment With the voluntary programs in the promotion system to encourage academics to practice volunteer activities in the local community.

Study on Verifying the Effectiveness of Non-face-to-face Youth Volunteering in Improving Self-Esteem among Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs)

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of youth volunteering in increasing the self-esteem of hearing children of deaf adults (CODAs), who commonly start taking care of their parents from a young age. To this end, an experimental study based on the non-equal comparison groups design was applied to a experimental group of 4 participants and a control group of 3 participants, selected based on the recommendation from expert social workers from the M General Social Welfare Center in P City. The volunteer programs, conducted non-face-to-face due to COVID-19, were centered on art activities such as drawing one's own dreams, decorating flowers, and customizing pencil cases. Repeated measures analysis of variance (rANOVA) was conducted to verify the effectiveness of volunteering, and the analysis results are as follows. First, in both the experimental group and the control group, CODAs’ self esteem increased after the program was carried out. Second, while the growth effect appeared in both groups, the slope of increase in the self-esteem of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Accordingly, the effectiveness of volunteering to improve CODAs' self-esteem was verified. This study suggests academic and practical implications based on these findings.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF HIGHER MEDICAL EDUCATION

Раскрыта сущность волонтерства в современных условиях. Рассмотрены формы организации волонтерского движения в сфере высшего медицинского образования. Обобщен опыт мобилизации человеческих ресурсов для волонтерских программ в условиях пандемии коронавирусной инфекции. The essence of volunteerism in modern conditions is revealed. The forms of organization of the volunteer movement in the field of higher medical education are considered. The article summarizes the experience of mobilizing human resources for volunteer programs in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Weather Service-North Carolina State University Internship Course: Impacts and Success over a Generation

Nearly 100 North Carolina State University students have participated in a unique, highly structured internship course conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Raleigh, NC. Here, we explore the impact that this course has had on their professional development and career trajectories. The course has now been running for 17 years, and this paper provides an update on how the course has changed over time, including an evolution of the interview process to participate in the course, the number of students enrolled each semester has systematically been lowered to allow for more individual attention, and additional experiences outside of the WFO have been added. There are benefits for the students, with about half of the students now employed by the NWS, and nearly universal praise for how the course impacted their career progression. The university benefits from the course because the course serves as a compelling selling point for the MEAS department when recruiting students and the department also ensures that the curriculum is adequately preparing potential students for the job market. Finally, the NWS gains by creating a pool of potential employees that will require less spin-up time if hired, and graduates of the NCSU program have gone on to be involved with similar student volunteer programs at their respective offices once hired.