Is volunteerism still alive amongst us?

KUALA LUMPUR: “Is volunteerism still alive among us?” This was the question that popped up during a meeting I was in with several NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) leaders a few days ago.

One very senior leader quipped that the season is over, and so is volunteerism among the current generations. Another leader, an ex-headmaster, added that volunteerism is no longer a fashion as there is no money in it.

It was during my time in 60's, 70's and 80's where there were so many NGO's and so many of us were involved in youth movements. We had to queue up to become members, to serve, to fight vigorous elections, to strive for the betterment of our organisation.

Why is there a sharp drop in volunteerism today? What is the cause of this? Will we be able to revive it?

Volunteerism is the act of devoting time and energy for the benefit of others in a community as a social responsibility rather than for any financial gain. This was very viable when Malaysia was an agrarian state, with a clear boundary between the urban and rural population.

The urban population was quite contented with work, having an abundance of time to dwell on volunteer bodies such as youth, sports and religion. The rural population too had time to enjoy activities like “gotong royong”, religious and sporting events.

A large number of teachers was involved in volunteerism, as they had “almost every day as half day” to engage in voluntary activities. Many previous leaders were teachers or headmasters, like my good friends whom I met after a long time, them being the inspiration of this write-up.

Today, teachers are all overworked. They are rarely seen being involved in any other out-of-school activities as school duties and work are extremely demanding. Most of the urban populace is now caught up with the competitive environment, rising costs resulting in the shift of priorities. Today a basic degree does not take you any further in management. Most teachers are now pursuing post-graduate qualifications, hence the demand for self-improvement makes it very difficult for many to engage in social activities.

While there may not be any one reason why volunteerism is slowing, it appears that a lack of time is one of the greatest challenges everyone faces today. Combined with shifting priorities and changing demographics, these obstacles can be negatively influencing the volunteers that most non-profitable organisations rely on to achieve their mission.

In recent years, the phrases “doing more with less” and “the new normal” have become embedded in our language and work culture, emphasizing the reality that employers have not, in many cases, rehired employees who had been laid-off in response to economic crisis.

Instead, employees who remained on the job assumed additional responsibilities, demonstrating that the companies could survive and even profit by working with fewer employees while maintaining the same production levels. The price to be paid for this philosophy is that everyone is pressed to work harder, longer and more efficiently, limiting the amount of hours available for volunteer efforts.

Technology has had a critical impact on how we spend whatever leisure hours we do have. As of October 2017, total worldwide population is 7.6 billion. The internet has 3.5 billion users. There are 3.03 billion active social media users. Facebook adds 500,000 new users daily. It is obvious that our ‘spare' time is being flooded – and drowned - with social media activity, intensely growing on a daily basis.

In addition to having less time to volunteer, shifting priorities denotes the next generation of leaders' perspective and set of priorities differing from the current Baby Boomer generation. As members of Gen-X and Millennial assume their place of influence in their communities, the shift in attitude will have an even greater impact on volunteerism.

Baby Boomers have been known for their commitment to religious, educational and social service organizations, but the next generation is less interested in supporting formal, structured organisations and is more interested in volunteering individually or funding a cause rather than a group, such as education or drugs, sexual abuse.

The millennial are also extremely focused on “what is in it for me” rather than “what there is for the society”. This is also a factor that deters youths from venturing into volunteerism.

The demand for immediate results is also a trait common to the next generation of future volunteers who want to make a difference in a personal way, and who want to see the immediate effect of their philanthropy on an individual.

Changing demographics – the move of rural folk to urban surroundings and lifestyle, causing major changes in their needs and desires. Urban settings forces wage earners to do more than one job. House rent, cost of living, demands in work environment, provide a challenging and stressful environment for the working adult, forcing volunteerism to be put aside and almost ignored.

Students are also caught up with completing assignments, passing exams, scoring that “string of A's”, obtaining a seat in the best universities. Sports and games are no longer a priority, let alone other curricular or non-academic activities, leaving little expectation for mass participation in social service among the youth. Universities should also seriously look into “gap-year” to encourage student participation in social activities.

The invasion of politics into every sector of society, wooing its followers with seemingly attractive financial gratification, is another factor which attracts the “would be volunteer” to venture into political parties as opposed to volunteerism among society.

Volunteerism will soon evaporate into thin air if there is no concerned effort from our homes, schools and greater traction from the society. When the spirit of giving to those less fortunate, caring for those less loved, standing up for the rights of others, is forgotten and neglected, the world will then slide into an aura of cruelty, selfishness and heartlessness.

Volunteerism is a gift from within that should be constantly encouraged and nurtured. There should be time-offs, tax incentives, greater recognition for the volunteers in order to bring about a sea of change to the understanding and practice of volunteerism among all.

The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope - Obama.

(This article reflects the personal views of the writer on the subject matter concerned)

- Bernama