Recruitment and retention of university student volunteers for South African community projects

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This study suggests that student volunteerism at South African (SA) universities is facilitated by asocial justice orientation that inculcates active citizenship, parallel to developing graduate attributesthat promote employability. Six community projects across three Western Cape universities wereexamined as case studies in order to investigate student motives for volunteering, along with theorganisational and institutional structures supporting student volunteerism within the South Africancontext. A mixed methodology was employed with the main focus on qualitative methods.Quantitative data were collected with Likert scale items exploring the functional approach tovolunteer motives among active volunteers (N = 70). Service learning students were viewed as studentvolunteers. However, the distinction between service learning and volunteer processes is highlighted.Project leaders (n = 14) were interviewed to gain insight into organisational structures andmanagement styles. In some instances, focus groups (n = 3) were held with the leadership committee.Furthermore, key role players (n = 4) within each participating university were interviewed toinvestigate the university structures that facilitate student volunteerism. Data were triangulated.This study found that students' reasons for volunteering were centred on the value function,citizenship and understanding function. In particular, students volunteer because they care aboutothers, or they have a keen interest in the cause driven by the organisation (value function). Studentsalso aim to help address social inequalities and express a sense of social responsibility (citizenship).Also, they volunteer because they want to learn about others and add depth and perspective to theirknowledge (understanding function).The findings also suggest that both institutional and organisational support are needed to sustainvolunteer involvement. Support is both structural and developmental as it aims to mitigate constraintsto sustained participation. A framework for effective recruitment and retention of university studentvolunteers was compiled. The MECS 4-cornerstone model is my contribution to literature andpractice.This study was conducted in response to the minimal research performed on the topic of recruitmentand retention of student volunteers in South Africa. Also, the South African volunteer context isweighed down, among others, by challenges such as unemployment and poverty. The lack of fundingwithin the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector results in a need for more volunteers and thesuccessful execution of programmes. Universities, in turn, have been noted as rich sources fromwhich to recruit potential volunteers. However, research has indicated that youth volunteerism isdeclining. These factors also contribute to the significance of this research study.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University