Volunteering in Russia isn't developed at all. Moreover, if you are a volunteer you are considered to be a some kind of odd person if you don't do it in another country for your own profit and experience. Volunteering and youth clubs are connected with something not very nice and prestigious because of our past.
In the 90s when a lot of unpleasant facts about USSR leaders and party members were discovered and published, people’s opinion about many things changed. To be active in social life in the USSR acquired a new meaning: it was connected with slander and repressions. Now some people also think that volunteering means to be devoted to Putin's politics.
Of course, USSR citizens did some volunteering work – it was expected by the state- but most of them don’t feel bad about that experience now. Moreover they reckon that society was kinder and more caring. But we have lost all these beliefs during 10-20 years of government’s and people’s total indifference.
Now only 1,5% of people are involved in regular volunteering and some big brands do charity to avoid high taxes– what a shame for such a huge country that has a lot of problems to solve. It doesn't mean people are bad or evil in Russia. Most of them are ready to offer a helping hand to everybody in need. It seems that old people have lost their beliefs in the bright future with ideal society and the youth isn’t well educated about what being a volunteer means.
This is also my first experience of volunteering (yes, in a different country) and since I’ve been living in Belfast I can’t stop being surprised how everybody reacts when you tell them you are a volunteer in a youth organisation – they are just delighted with what you do and then you discover they are also volunteers (even though they have good jobs and a lack of free time). Their example is very encouraging.
But they weren’t born as volunteers. Someone taught them why it was important; someone showed them that it’s not a shame to be a volunteer like it is considered to be in Russia. Comparing to my country where we don’t have a lot of youth organizations (or we just don’t know about them) I would definitely say that it’s youth organizations contribution that people are active in Northern Ireland.
So, this is what people should think about before introducing cuts – won't the harm caused be bigger than it is expected to be?
Volunteering in Germany
In 2014 around 16,6% of the population were volunteering on a regular basis (approx. 36% were at least involved at some point in voluntary work) and indeed this was my impression as well: apart from 12 months voluntary services young people do after graduating from school, volunteering isn’t something that is absolutely common in Germany.
Of course it exists, people do it – especially within childcare and youth work, local issues and churches – but people are more surprised if you do it, than if you don’t, at least that was my experience. Before I did volunteering in my free time I only knew two more people who actively did it as well – and believe me, I know a lot of people. Whenever I told people about my volunteering job they were surprised and sometimes asked me why I was doing it or maybe thought I was a super-nice-charity-person, when I was actually just doing something that’s fun for me and where I can gain experience and spend my time in a good way. Among young people it is rather common to have a job for earning some extra money after school or going to sports-, music-, or arts clubs that are offered at schools or other institutions.
I have the feeling that here – in the UK – volunteering is something absolutely normal, something that belongs to your life and that everybody does at least once in their lifetime. A lot of other EVS volunteers we’ve talked to, who come from a range of countries like Spain, Italy or Romania, thought the same and compared on an international level you can actually see that volunteering in the UK is highly developed: I thought this was really positive and gives a lot of organisations, especially in the youth work sector, the chance to develop very good projects.
I also have the impression that here youth work is much more developed than in Germany. Yes, we have youth clubs as well, but at least my experience was, that it’s all really separated by ‘class’: children and young people from poorer backgrounds go to youth clubs, whereas those with a wealthier background are rather members in sports clubs, take music lessons or sometimes participate in the clubs that are offered by schools, but aren’t really addressed by the youth work sector and therefore youth work could be seen as something that should solve problems of young people, when really it should be seen as something that is simply part of growing up and offering young people a space to develop and grow.
Probably this differs between the regions, but this was my experience.
That’s why we think the volunteering and youth work situation here (with around 29% of the population volunteering on a regular basis and over 40% somehow involved in voluntary activities) shouldn’t be taken for granted. Even if volunteers do the work they do because they want to and decide it for themselves, it doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be valued. They dedicate their time and do important work for society and without them a lot of projects and organisations couldn’t do the amount of work they do. But for achieving good results it requires trained and paid workers who are running those organisations, are able to train the volunteers and make sure that their work is of high quality and of course work on projects themselves.
The impact that the proposed cuts would have is explained very well in this info graphic. So it's definitely worth thinking about the results that the budget plans would have and how it could put the current achievements on a risky position.
WE LOVE YOUTH WORK
#weloveyw
Isabel & Ira
