We asked some experts--one an active volunteer and one a professor of social work--to share their views on volunteerism as a cure for society's ills.
We spoke to super-volunteer Bonnie Ragsdale, whose personal commitment to volunteering led her to create Penn Volunteers in Public Service (Penn VIPS), a network of university employees. The personal commitment also became a professional one when she was appointed to a position Penn created especially for her--director for Staff, Faculty and Alumni Volunteer Services in Penn's Center for Community Partnerships, the first such position in the country.
We also spoke to Ira M. Schwartz, dean of the School of Social Work, for his expert opinion on the value of volunteerism and whether it threatened or complemented the economy. Schwartz is director of the Center for the Study of Youth Policy at Penn. Prior to his academic career, Schwartz served as the administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.
Q. Some people say that volunteerism is a mere Band-Aid for the ills of society. Do you agree?
A. No. I believe volunteerism has the ability, with enough resources, to solve some of society's problems. Even when volunteerism cannot solve the problem it is lending assistance until a better solution is found. To me Band-Aid means to cover something up; with volunteerism you are taking steps to try and correct a problem or fulfill a need.
Q. What sorts of problems do you think volunteerism can solve that government cannot?
A. Government cannot mentor an 8th grade student from Shaw Middle School, nor can it give youths personal time to help them learn the life skills they will need to survive and succeed. Volunteerism results in action with a live person who cares.
Q. Do you think volunteerism endangers jobs?
A. No. Volunteerism can be used to help someone gain needed skills to eventually get a job. Volunteerism on the job allows people interested in a particular field to get first-hand experience before making a career choice. Volunteerism allows people retired to stay in the work force in some capacity, so that we do not lose or waste his/her expertise, knowledge and wisdom.
Q. Can volunteerism overcome some of the problems created by the economy?
A. I think volunteers could have an impact if an organization carefully matched volunteers to meet the needs of the organization. If there are two sets of hands helping instead of one, then the work accomplished should have tangible and nontangible impacts. Helping a student to read, write and work towards educational and career goals will have a long-term impact on society. There will eventually be more educated youth who are productive members of society.
Q. Can you give examples of how, in your experience, individual volunteer work has benefited others?
A. I have worked in various capacities, but I think working in the shelter--the People's Emergency Center--on Saturdays was beneficial. I was there to make sure families that needed emergency food would be serviced, and I helped run the office answering telephones, providing advice to women who needed emergency shelter. By my volunteering in the office on Saturday, I freed the paid staff to interact and give more quality time to the residents and to do other things.
Q. Can you give examples of how Penn's volunteer programs have benefitted others?
A. We have had a greater impact as an institution, because I have been able to get others involved in volunteerism. We mentor students, tutor, provide scholarships to graduating seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to higher education and community service, provide food, clothing, holiday gifts and funds to organizations. Institutional volunteerism is a prime example of how the synergy of many is greater than any one individual.
Q. How have the volunteers benefited?
A. I think more than anything volunteerism gives a person a sense of giving back to society. The greatest thing about volunteerism is that everyone has something they can give. Although some people like working only with children and some with adults, the end result is that we are all trying to make a difference.
Q. Do you have any comment on the kinds of community service that Penn has started doing?
A. I would like to see more support from schools and centers to allow more staff to volunteer, especially to be mentors. I am very pleased with Penn's commitment to community service, but we need to have that commitment from as many people as possible to have the greatest impact.
Q. Do you think the kind of governmental effort represented by the upcoming Presidents' Summit is just so much talk, or do you think it can have an effect? How?
A. I think the idea of the Summit to bring volunteerism to the forefront is fantastic. These organizations are making commitments, and it will be up to every individual in the organization to have a part in making sure it happens.
Q. Some people say that volunteerism is a mere Band-Aid for the ills of society. Do you agree? Why?
A. I don't agree. Throughout our country's history we've always had people who volunteered to provide social, health and recreational services. The current emphasis on volunteerism is not designed to cure all of society's ills but to mobilize human capital and resources.
Q. What sorts of problems do you think volunteerism can solve that government cannot?
A. We have many people who are retired in this country who have considerable expertise. Just think of the knowledge and wisdom these people have that they can bring to bear on the problems and issues we have today--business expertise, help for fledgling companies, tutoring young people who are having a difficult time learning how to read. That's just one example. As our society ages, the elderly would be increasingly called upon. Not all of them are going to be playing golf for the rest of their lives.
Q. Do you think volunteers endanger jobs?
A. I've heard this argument for 25 years. I was a director of community services in a large metropolitan probation agency and we used many volunteers. They were a complement to the professional services. We always need the professionals to provide the support, the guidance, the supervision that many volunteers need. Volunteerism is not a substitute for economic supports or social services and health services to populations in need.
Q. Can volunteers overcome some of the problems created by the economy or would it be more effective to work from within the economy on the problems volunteers generally addresses?
A. They certainly can't overcome the economic problems, but by volunteering, they can gain insights and become more informed advocates and more informed voters for enlightened social policies.
Q. Can you give examples of how, in your experience, individual volunteer work has benefited others?
A. In the child welfare field, volunteers for instance provided nurturing and support in hospitals where there were crack addicted infants. And that's certainly something you do not want to have professional staff doing all the time. Some of these babies need to be held, need almost constant human contact.
In some areas volunteers have acted as substitute parents for juveniles who have had to appear in juvenile court when the conflict between the child and the parents were so severe, so the court appoints a volunteer to be there as a friend of the child and make sure a child's best interests were represented.
Another one is the mentoring program. Big Brothers or Sisters are matched up with a child at risk. These relationships are very effective in preventing delinquency, in helping the children stay in school and graduate. There will never be enough professionals to provide the volume of mentorship.
Q. Can you give examples of how Penn's volunteer programs have benefited others?
A. Penn students provide things in the community, from tutoring, to helping on cleanups, to services for the homebound elderly. In the School of Social Work, about 75 or 80 graduate students are doing their professional internships in West Philadelphia, working in social, health and recreation agencies. These services are invaluable in what they accomplish. If a dollar value were put on them, it represents an enormous fiscal contribution and it represents a commitment to be a partner with the community.
I think however that one of the things we might want to think about is how the community can help the University. For example, I think the community probably has some very good ideas about things they could do in collaboration with the University that could address the public safety issue.
Q. How have the volunteers benefited?
A. They benefit in many ways. They get personal satisfaction of really contributing something other than money toward issues. By volunteering, people become knowledgeable about the life-experiences that others face. It builds better partnerships. There is a perception that Penn only cares about the students; that is actually not the case. That's why the interaction with the community is important.
Q. Do you think the kind of governmental effort represented by the upcoming Presidents' Summit is just so much talk, or do you think it can have an effect? How?
A. I think it can have a major effect. Many organizations and individuals are looking forward to this summit and hoping it will spearhead other efforts in volunteerism and help to address community and neighborhood issues. I see it as a very positive development.
Return to Compass Features for April 22, 1997