The value of volunteering

We live in a society that worships the young but youth itself isn't all that it's cracked up to be. There are some real benefits to ageing.

I've been around long enough to have lived various lives but no, I don't mean as the reincarnation of Elizabeth I or Marie Antoinette.  Rather I'm talking about are the ones actually lived.  These aren't quite the developmental stages of psychologist Erik Erikson but more the distinct phases of parental life itself: before babies, living with young children, school-aged children, the teenage years, and the empty nest.  Each period is unique and different but I can easily retrieve them. Experience in living means very little comes as a complete surprise, which is rather reassuring.

And by the way, another benefit of age is having had a lifetime to hear some interesting people. Erik Erikson was a marvellous speaker and a character.  I wish he was here.  It would have been great fun to have had a conversation with him about the distinct phases of the adult generative stage.

Unlike what advertisers would have us believe, my older friends don't seem all that concerned about their financial futures.  Perhaps they are fortunate but generally they seem more concerned about what to do with the rest of their lives.  The answer for many is to volunteer as it is for many of our young people too.  

A 2010 survey conducted by Volunteer Canada found that, 

"a force of 13.3 million Canadians over the age of 15 participated in volunteering, an increase of more than 800,000 since 2007. These Canadians contributed 2.1 billion total volunteer hours ... young Canadians consistently volunteer more than any other age group. Canadians aged 15 to 24 have a volunteer rate of 58 per cent."

Why do so many people volunteer?  Both Erikson and Daniel Pink might agree that it gives us a sense of purpose ... or a sense of integrity, intrinsic motivation and meaning.   In other words, many people, including many younger people, figure out that meaning in life is created from within.  It's not what you get that counts; rather it's what you put into it.

Pink talks about a study measuring the quality of non-commissioned works of art vs commissioned works (Drive, pp 44 and 45).  The results indicate that the non-commissioned works are generally of higher quality.  This seems to happen because we have an inclination to place higher value on intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards.

Let's get back to the situation with our teachers.  Do we want teachers interacting with children in extra-curricular activities because they want to do it or because they have to do it? I've given this some thought and have taken a 180-degree turn on the issue.  I would rather have teachers engaged in extra-curricular activities as volunteers because it is a better experience for our children.

Canadians value volunteerism.  Teachers are role models for children and I want our young people to learn about and value volunteerism too.  Given where we're at today with some teachers returning to extra-curricular activities while many are not, I would say that finding a solution is the responsibility of the originators of this problem.

Premier Wynne is well-meaning but it's no longer sufficient for the government to simply give lip-service to the concept of fair negotiations.  I believe the government understands this too and knows that to solve the problem, it must act both quickly and in good faith.



The views expressed in this blog are my personal views only.