The changing meaning of voluntarism in an aging society, experience of senior volunteers in Toronto

grantor: University of TorontoThe purpose of this study is to explore the roles and meanings of community volunteering in late adulthood from both the macro and micro perspectives. What does it mean when older adults involve themselves in volunteering through non-profit organizations (NPOs)? How does this involvement affect aging and later life development? What are its implication for a society like Canada's, whose population is aging and whose safety net is fraying? My field research collected two types of qualitative data: (1) data about the demographics and conditions of volunteering among older adults in twelve major NPOs in Toronto, and (2) data concerning older adults' personal experiences of community volunteering. Key informant interviews were conducted with twelve volunteer coordinators in the first phase, and life story interviews and participant observations were conducted with fifteen older volunteers in the second. To shed light on the interplay between organizational structures and individuals, theories of critical gerontology were combined with those of adult development and transformative learning were brought together to frame my analysis. The results revealed community volunteering functions in three ways: (1) as a self-help mechanism, (2) as a form of later life learning, and (3) as precondition for social transformation. Properly structured volunteering can fulfill older people's education needs while working as a self-help mechanism to cope with problems associated with aging. Holistic, collaborative and "communicative" learning helps older adults retain their adaptive capability and enhance their personal growth. My study also highlighted, however, the ineffective use of volunteers, and such concerns as the "dualization of volunteers", and the trend toward "professionalization" and "pragmatization". My findings underline the need for NPOs to put more emphasis on "learning" in their volunteer programs, stimulating their older volunteers' critical thinking to help deal with individual and organizational problems, and discover the personal and cultural validity of growing old. The idea that community volunteering is no more than an act of "helping" limits its uses as a resource for strategic social transformation in an aging society. New intersectional linkages between NPOs and adult education programs and more effective resource allocation by policy makers will help forward this process.Ph.D