Largs & Millport Weekly News | Opinion | Is volunteering worth it nowadays?

Friday, 25th July, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 14th May, 2008 12:00

Is volunteering worth it nowadays?

IT was my pleasure to be a guest speaker at the Scottish Domestic Abuse Helpline conference at Seamill Hydro at the weekend (Don’t worry my bruises will heal soon).

I was actually following SNP Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell who pledged continued funds for the volunteers who help the victims of domestic abuse. No, I was not relating my personal experiences but you know what it’s like....a politician drones on and you need a bit of light relief. Apparently, that was me.

In a way I spoke about victims I have known like the woman whose home burned down and she phoned me the next day to say she was “still fuming.” Or the church correspondent who wrote the following note...”those willing to give eggs to the needy please lay them in the font.”

However, hearing a little of the work of the Helpline volunteers turned my thoughts to new research which highlights the “encouraging” state of volunteering across the nation

Voluntary activity is booming in Scotland according to the Zurich Insurance company, which also highlights barriers and motivations to becoming involved.

Four in ten Scots have been involved in a community activity in the last 12 months, giving up an average of three and a half hours per week to local causes.

The top motivators for getting involved include a desire to make the local community a better place to live (58 per cent) and give something back (42 per cent), while 31 per cent of local volunteers view charity work as a good way to meet people and 25 per cent say it’s a way of combating issues which affect them personally.

However, as I’ve previously written about here, perceived risks associated with voluntary work are making some people reticent to get involved, with nearly half of Scots (45 per cent) believing there are more risks involved in volunteering now than in the past. Key concerns include threats to personal safety (44 per cent), inadequate training (40 per cent) and worries over being open to accusations and worse.

This, of course, is why all of the youth organisations are struggling to find volunteer leaders. Even churches find it a chore to entice members to come forward. In his newsletter the Rev. James Whyte of Fairlie laments that Child Protection Regulations require 15 adults to supervise the Summer Mission at the church.

Heaven help us.

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