More volunteer opportunities

31 July 2008

Results from the WAGGGS online global survey exploring volunteering reveal that 40 per cent of the 2,605 respondents would like Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to organize more volunteer opportunities, volunteer training and greater recognition for volunteer efforts.

Girl Guides/Girl Scouts from 90 countries responded from November 2007 to April 2008 in an online survey, funded by UPS, and published on this website.

Over 95 per cent of the respondents were women and 68 per cent were aged 11 to 24. And a staggering 74 per cent identified themselves as ‘volunteer leaders’.

The results, presented at the 33^rd World Conference, show that many young guiders say that their Girl Guide/Girl Scout leader provides their main inspiration to volunteer; even more so than teachers, friends or even parents and guardians.

Eighty-nine percent of respondents have volunteered with a children/youth organization and 42 per cent have volunteered with an education organization. And 96 per cent of respondents said they had volunteered in the 12 months prior to taking the survey.

Reasons cited for volunteering included “to develop as a person”, because “it gives me personal satisfaction”, “to make the world a better place”, “to give something back to the local community” and “to meet new people and socialize”.

The majority made it clear that it’s not acceptable for volunteers to receive financial stipend for their work.

The survey contributes to the developing and evolving partnership between WAGGGS and the UPS, which began in 2004.