What we do together: Associational life, volunteering and the benefits for well-being and health for younger and older volunteers

本课程旨在加深对社团生活催化剂的理解，以及志愿者作为促进者的作用。它将由斯特拉斯克莱德大学的丹妮拉·塞姆博士和伯纳德·哈里斯教授以及苏格兰志愿者马修·林宁共同监督。虽然志愿服务对个人的好处，包括他们的幸福和心理健康，都是有据可查的，但我们对个人的交往生活和志愿服务之间的关系知之甚少。有人认为，体育俱乐部、信仰团体和其他类型的文化和志愿组织等以社区为基础的联谊活动机会的减少，以及政治信任水平的下降，都不利于公民社会的健康。该项目采用定性设计，包括对苏格兰城市和农村地区的志愿者和非志愿者进行案例研究，旨在为个人和社区提供与交往生活的好处有关的新知识。这项研究将利用现有的社会资本和弱联系理论，来研究交往生活的机会、社会资本、个人和社区健康和福祉之间的联系。本研究旨在回答的具体研究问题是：-交往生活的促进因素是什么？-各代人之间以及城市和农村地区对参与团体和志愿工作的态度有何不同？-年轻人和老年人对社团生活条件随着时间的推移和最近的变化（例如由于紧缩措施）有何看法？-有什么经验教训可以加强社团生活？如果有的话，志愿服务在其中的作用是什么？-民间社会机构，包括自愿、公共和私营机构，在支持社区一级的协会做法方面的作用是什么？考虑到研究的合作性质，与苏格兰志愿者共同监督，学生将非常重视政策和实践相关活动。研究结果将通过学术和从业者会议的论文和从业者支持志愿服务和协会生活的用户友好指南以及志愿者关于协会生活的好处的指南传播。除了以从业者为中心的活动外，David Bomark每年将至少参加一次学术会议。他可以使用这两个组织的设施和培训，包括位于斯特灵的苏格兰志愿者办公室。

This studentship aims to advance understanding of the catalysts of associational life and the role of volunteering as a facilitator of this. It will be supervised jointly by Dr Daniela Sime and Prof Bernard Harris at the University of Strathclyde and Matthew Linning, Volunteer Scotland.While the benefits of volunteering for individuals, including their well-being and mental health, are well documented, we know less about the relationship between individuals' associational life and volunteering. It has been argued that the decline of neighbourhood-based opportunities for associational activities, such as sports clubs, faith groups and other types of cultural and voluntary organisation, and the decrease in levels of political trust are all detrimental to the health of civic society. Drawing on a qualitative design, which will include case studies with volunteers and non-volunteers across a range of settings in Scotland, including urban and rural areas, this project aims to contribute new knowledge in relation to the benefits of associational life for individuals and communities. The study will draw on existing theories of social capital and weak ties to examine the link between opportunities for associational life, social capital and individual and community health and wellbeing.The specific research questions the study aims to answer are:- What are the facilitating factors of associational life?- How do attitudes to engagement in groups and voluntary work differ between generations and across urban and rural areas?- What are the views of young and older people on how conditions for associational life have changed over time and more recently, as a result of austerity measures, for example?- What lessons are there for enhanced associational life and what is the role, if any, of volunteering in this?- What is the role of institutions in the civil society, including voluntary, public and private bodies, to support associational practices at community level?Given the collaborative nature of the research, supervised jointly with Volunteer Scotland, the studentship will have a significant emphasis on policy and practice relevant activities. Findings from the research will be disseminated through papers at academic and practitioner conferences and user-friendly guides for practitioners to support volunteering and associational life and for volunteers, on the benefits of associational life. David Bomark will take part in at least one academic conference a year, in addition to the practitioner-focused events. He has access to facilities and training in both organisations, including the Stirling-based office of Volunteer Scotland.