Volunteering Activities in Developing Countries: A Study of Youth Participation in Pakistan

Abstract

In recent decades there has been numerous and growing interest of researchers in volunteering. Where there are a substantial number of studies in the developed countries, not much work is present on developing countries. This paper studies the types of volunteering activities among youth in selected areas of Pakistan and analyses the various perspectives of volunteerism in Pakistan. Data was collected from two different provinces of the country through questionnaire. Then through SPSS software data was analyzed. The research shows that people are not much introduced to volunteering or formal volunteering whereas they think they do have time and lesser commitments and do want to volunteer. People are more motivated towards general areas of volunteering like volunteering in medical centers or educational institutions and have been involved in volunteering religious activities in the area however other areas should be introduced to them. Although volunteerism provides young people with opportunity to get engaged in constructive activities, we have found lack of volunteerism opportunities and awareness. There is need for seminars and programs to be held to make general public aware of volunteering, its uses and benefits to them and the society. The research can help organizations and researchers to study the volunteering activity according to specified volunteering areas. Volunteering activities can be increased by focusing on the individual areas.

Keywords: Volunteerism, Types of Volunteering activities, volunteering in developing countries, Youth, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Motivation,