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

该奖学金旨在促进对协会生活的催化剂以及志愿服务作为促进者的作用的理解。该项目将由斯特拉斯克莱德大学的Daniela Sime博士和Bernard Harris教授以及苏格兰志愿者组织的Matthew Linning共同监督。虽然志愿服务对个人的好处，包括他们的福祉和心理健康，都有很好的记录，但我们对个人的社团生活和志愿服务之间的关系知之甚少。有人认为，社区开展社团活动的机会减少，如体育俱乐部、宗教团体和其他类型的文化和志愿组织，政治信任程度下降，都不利于民间社会的健康。该项目采用定性设计，其中包括对苏格兰城市和农村地区等一系列环境中的志愿者和非志愿者进行的案例研究，旨在为个人和社区提供与协会生活的好处相关的新知识。这项研究将借鉴现有的社会资本和弱关系理论，探讨结社生活的机会、社会资本和个人及社区健康与福祉之间的联系。研究旨在回答的具体研究问题是：-结社生活的促进因素是什么？-不同世代之间以及城乡地区对参与团体和志愿工作的态度有何不同？青年人和老年人对社团生活条件如何随着时间的推移以及最近由于紧缩措施而发生的变化有何看法？有什么经验教训，以加强协会的生活和什么是作用，如果有的话，志愿服务在这方面？民间社会的机构，包括自愿、公共和私人机构，在支持社区一级的社团做法方面发挥什么作用？鉴于研究的合作性质，与苏格兰志愿者共同监督，学生将有一个重要的重点政策和实践相关的活动。研究结果将通过学术和从业人员会议上的文件以及方便用户的从业人员指南传播，以支持志愿工作和协会生活，并为志愿人员提供关于协会生活好处的指南。大卫博马克将参加至少一个学术会议，一年，除了创业者为重点的活动。他可以使用这两个组织的设施和培训，包括位于斯特林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.