A Study of Older Chinese in Hong Kong

Abstract

Objective: We extended the volunteer process model (Omoto & Snyder, 1995) to identify factors influencing the persistence of volunteer activities in older Chinese.

Method: We individually interviewed 318 older Chinese volunteers about their demographic information, history of volunteer activities, subjective health status, perceived social support, motivation for volunteering, integration into volunteer group, satisfaction from volunteer work, and intention to continue volunteering in the coming year.

Results: Bivariate correlation analyses generally supported the volunteer process model. In particular, intention to continue volunteering was related to antecedent factors of high educational attainment, mental well-being, social support, and fulfillment of altruistic and self-oriented motives as well as volunteer experiences of integration into the volunteer group and satisfaction with volunteer work. Results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that fulfillment of self-oriented motives was the most salient factor in predicting the persistence of volunteer activities when shared variances of various factors were also considered.

Discussion: Research and practical implications were discussed to facilitate the retention of older Chinese volunteers.     

The Application of Family Systems Theory to Geriatric Hospital Social Work

Integrating and applying Family Systems Theory principles into the assessment and treatment process of families of hospitalized high risk elderly is an area that has received little attention in health care literature. The multigenerational approach is a model that can be used as a clinical framework for guiding the social workers in developing intervention strategies when working with hospitalized high risk elderly and their families. This approach can be extended to clinical assessment techniques and psychosocial rationales for discharge planning. Three case examples are presented to illustrate how Family Systems Theory can be integrated into social work practice resulting in effective interventions for hospitalized high risk elderly and their families.     

Job Satisfaction Among Volunteers With Personal Cancer Experience

ABSTRACT

This study explored job satisfaction among 753 cancer-experienced volunteers from hospital, palliative care, and community-based oncology settings in nine provinces across Canada. Based on a conceptual framework including three components of volunteering—antecedents, experiences, and consequences—a mixed-methods design to explore job satisfaction was used. Findings from the quantitative and qualitative inquiries indicated that the level of job satisfaction was high and stress was not reported as a major concern. The four themes related to job satisfaction from the volunteers’ responses included learning, personal growth, challenge, and giving back related to their own experience with cancer. Future research should further investigate the important role of job satisfaction for social service professionals for training, marketing, and recruiting, plus the need to explore supports to sustain oncology volunteers in this most challenging environment.     

Motivating Mormons

Despite numerous studies on motivation for generosity, much remains unknown. Given that the lion's share of giving and volunteering is directed toward religious institutions, we aimed to test the motivation for the generosity of Mormons. Previous research has indicated that Mormons (Latter‐day Saints) volunteer and donate at much higher levels than other groups. This study examined how self‐reported motivations to volunteer explain the annual number of hours volunteered and the likelihood of donating toward various causes. We used thirty qualitative interviews with Latter‐day Saints to create a comprehensive questionnaire measuring the time spent engaged in various volunteer activities and whether or not the respondents donated to various causes. The questionnaire also asked respondents to rank how important twenty‐five different motivations were to their service or volunteering. We used factor analysis of the results on the twenty‐five motivation items to identify underlying variables behind volunteer motivations, and we used the scores on the five resulting factors in multiple regression analyses to predict volunteer hours and logistic regression analyses to predict the likelihood of making donations. Different types of motivations predicted different types of volunteering and charitable giving. Theological motivations had the broadest impact and predicted religious volunteering, social volunteering to benefit church members, social volunteering through the church to benefit the community, religious donations, and donations toward social causes made through the church. After inserting control variables into our models, we found that none of the five types of motivations predicted secular volunteering or secular charitable giving. We conclude with managerial and conceptual implications of these and other results.     

Service learning from the supply side: Community capacity to engage students

The rapid increase in the use of service learning raises important public policy questions about who is being served and whether partner agencies have the capacity to meet student demand for community‐based experiences. This article uses a large sample of nonprofit organizations and a comparative framework to examine the characteristics of partner agencies and the scope and nature of college student community involvement. Multivariate analysis tests these factors on a community agency's ability to engage more students, particularly service learners. The findings are generally optimistic about agency willingness to involve students, suggesting widespread community benefits from their involvement. While organizational size and capacity predict current student engagement, an agency's past experience with students and its perceptions of student benefits have the greatest impact on its willingness to take on future students.     

从观念到实践:佛教慈善向生态环保的拓展

佛教慈善向生态环保的拓展是生态环境建设的现实需要,在当前是与佛教慈善的现代化进程纠结在一起的。佛教慈善观念向生态环保的拓展具有不同于传统慈善的内涵和特征,它要求立足佛教慈善传统,吸收融合现代慈善理念,涵摄生态环保意识等。佛教慈善实践对生态环保的关注目前主要集中于生态环保意识和生态生活方式的宣传方面,其进一步的拓展应结合现实生态环境建设的需要,开展生态环保与经济社会可持续发展相结合的项目,它要求佛教慈善基金会、佛商、佛教志愿者的共同参与。     

关于地方高校志愿者服务机制建设的调查研究

青年志愿者行动是大学生学习知识、锻炼才干的有效途径,但志愿服务在发展过程中出现了诸多问题.文章以服务地方高校大学生成长、成才、成人为切入点,从社会需求和青年实现自我价值的需求两方面出发,客观展现两者之间互动发展的成因及趋势.在此基础上,着重分析地方高校大学生志愿者服务的内容形式和服务机制问题,最后根据专题调查结果,围绕青年志愿者服务机制建设,提出相关建议.     

青年志愿者与社区建设

青年志愿者参与社区建设,既是团组织服务党政工作大局、参与社区群众性精神文明建设的重要手段,也是团组织参与社区服务保障体系工作的最佳切入点,有助于开展青少年素质教育,有助于提高社区服务的管理水平。针对目前志愿者服务的层次水平还不高、影响力号召力有所减弱、缺乏社会资源扶持与服务网络等主要问题,找准位置感、挖掘服务“盲区”“盲点”,将无偿有偿微偿服务方式相结合、建成青少年社区服务体系的社区机构、壮大志愿者骨干队伍显得尤为重要。     

中国安全社区建设模式与综合减灾规划研究

通过介绍国内外关注的安全社区建设的理论与发展现状,研究了对中国正兴起的安全社区建设与规划有借鉴的理念与方法。     

The Volunteer Citizen After Welfare Reform in the United States: An Ethnographic Study of Volunteerism in Action

In the United States, neoliberal strategies for social, economic, and state organization have been accompanied by frequent calls for volunteers to solve serious social problems. A case study of a community mobilization of middle-class volunteers to provide one-on-one support to families in poverty shows both possibilities and limitations. Volunteers provide social support to families in poverty, thus alleviating social isolation. Volunteers learn about systemic forces that cause poverty, its effects on families and communities, and about themselves and their capacities to engage in poverty work. However, social isolation is but one of many problems associated with poverty, and even a more knowledgeable amateur volunteer corps cannot take the place of substantial social, economic, and political change.