Volunteering as an idea of serving society is as old a concept as “society”. In all ages there have been people who have realized themselves in communication and helping their community. What volunteers do these days - consider this article.
What is volunteer activity?
Volunteering is an activity that is aimed at providing gratuitous services to a person or group of people who are not relatives of the volunteer, without relying on a monetary reward. This formulation most accurately defines the meaning of volunteerism.
Unfortunately, at present there is no legal definition of the term “volunteer”. And very often this word is used in a variety of situations. For example, volunteers are people who participate in government projects and receive monetary rewards for this. Many argue that such activities are not voluntary, but take the form of ordinary wage labor. According to the above wording, volunteers can be called workers who work at well-known enterprises without payment in order to gain experience. However, such people are not considered volunteers.
Volunteering in Russia
Volunteering in the Russian Federation arose at the end of the 80s of the last century. Historians argue that the volunteer movement has always existed, it simply did not have an official name.
In Russia, volunteering is monitored by higher authorities and regulated by legislative acts. So, in 1995, the State Duma adopted a law on volunteerism, which is called "On Public Associations." It defines the rights and opportunities of voluntary groups. In the same year, the Law on Charitable Activities and Charitable Organizations was adopted, which also regulates the activities of volunteers.
At the moment, the Russian government is providing government support to volunteers. So, for voluntary organizations, tax and other benefits are provided.
Now volunteering is very popular and even fashionable. The existing voluntary organizations in Russia are mainly targeted at young people who are not engaged in family responsibilities and permanent labor activities. Most often, volunteer groups are organized at universities. Thus, Russian volunteers have the opportunity to put into practice the acquired knowledge.
Problems of volunteering in Russia
Recently, volunteering in the Russian Federation is gaining new momentum. But, despite the positive trends, there are problems that impede the development of volunteering. Thus, the current economic situation of the country makes it difficult to use unpaid labor. Back in Soviet times, volunteering had a voluntary-compulsory form. Participation in community service was mandatory for everyone. This approach violated the principle of voluntariness. For this reason, most Russians have a negative attitude towards such types of activities and are in no hurry to enroll in Russian volunteers.
Today , volunteering rests on young initiative people, in the minds of whom thoughts about supporting and helping those in need appear.
Areas of volunteering
Volunteers play an important role in society. In today's world there are many problems that cannot be solved without the help of volunteers. So, volunteer activity can be manifested in such main areas as:
- AIDS prevention
- promotion of a healthy lifestyle ;
- nature conservation and environmental cleanliness;
- prevention and control of smoking, alcohol and drug addiction;
- providing assistance to the elderly, the disabled, orphans, the poor, migrants, refugees, the homeless and other people who need material and moral support;
- improvement of streets, houses, green areas;
- helping animals, maintaining nature reserves and zoos;
- conducting educational conversations with young people with the aim of preventing free sexual relations and teenage prostitution;
- Internet volunteering, an example of which is Wikipedia;
- assistance in organizing charity concerts and various festivals;
- assistance to law enforcement agencies, doctors, rescuers; for example, conducting a population survey or searching for a person lost in an unfamiliar area;
- technical support.
Volunteer Principles
Any volunteer activity is based on ideology. Various promotions, programs and all kinds of events are often accompanied by entourage. Usually, volunteers wear clothes, hats with the symbols of a volunteer organization. You can also recognize the volunteer by the icons. Such an ideology and following the principles makes the participants of the organization feel their importance. So, volunteers should adhere to the following principles:
- Always respect the rights, dignities, national and cultural characteristics of other people.
- Promotion of healthy lifestyles. Volunteers do not smoke or drink alcohol.
- Always be friendly. You can not use words and expressions that can offend or harm another person.
- Volunteering is a legitimate way to participate in society.
- Volunteer always has the right to choose.
Types of Volunteering
There is a classification according to which the following types of volunteer activities are distinguished:
- In the field of activity: social, sports, virtual, environmental, construction, agricultural, concert, cultural, educational, office volunteering.
- At the location of the participant of the voluntary organization: city, nonresident and international volunteers.
- By types of services rendered and work performed: escort, transportation, communication with the blind and deaf-mute, caring for bedridden patients, meeting at the airport sludge station, servicing spectators, telephone duty.
- By the name of the event: festival, Olympic and Paralympic volunteers.
- By the number of people involved: individual, joint or group volunteering.
- By the volunteer's affiliation to the organization: school, church, corporate, university, organizing committee volunteers.
- Depending on the type of financing: self-supporting and subsidized.
Forms of Volunteering
The following forms of volunteering are distinguished:
- Individual volunteering.
- Volunteering as part of a group of volunteers.
- Volunteering through a volunteer organization.
Why do people become volunteers?
People become volunteers for various reasons. The main ones are:
- A noble idea - it reflects the principles and importance of activity.
- Psychological need - many people want to do something useful for society. While participating in volunteer programs, they gain self-esteem and job satisfaction.
- The need for communication - for this reason, very often people are looking for work in voluntary organizations.
- Search for new opportunities and interests - volunteering is often associated with innovative approaches and new areas of activity.
- Opportunity to earn money - they become a lot of volunteers for the sake of financial enrichment. Although volunteering is considered a gratuitous activity, the volunteer still gets something, whether it be moral pleasure or material reward, if provided by the organization.
- Self-realization is an opportunity to improve your career. As a volunteer, you can establish new connections and gain respect in society. Also during volunteering, you can develop new professional qualities.
- The desire to share their own experience - people who survived the financial crisis, alcoholism, drug addiction, can predict and help prevent situations that happened to them.
- Access to resources - as a rule, volunteers have the opportunity to travel a lot, use the Internet, books, etc.