According to a study on volunteering (Bürgerschaftliches Engagement und Sozialkapital in Vorarlberg 2014) carried out by Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Office for Future-Related Issues), 48% of the population of Vorarlberg engage in voluntary activities. However, the voluntary engagement has changed in the last years. Nowadays, people prefer to engage selectively and not regularly and rather without commitment instead of assuming a function or responsibility for a longer time.
This is especially challenging for associations. According to the study, the highest engagement potential can be seen among young people between the age of 15 and 29: a relatively low number in this age group are already active, whereas a high number of this group show their willingness to do volunteer work if they find proper access to it.
If people who do not engage are asked about the reason for their non-engagement, they often answer, ‘I’ve never been asked’, ‘I don’t know where I can get active or which kind of voluntary engagement suits me’. These quotes express a major issue; how do we invite young people to become active citizens?
It is all the more important to motivate them for voluntary engagement, since experience while young leaves an imprint on the person’s whole life. Someone who has done voluntary work as a young person is more inclined to also engage themselves as an adult than someone who has never had this experience while young.
The project ‘Aha plus’ addresses the need of young people to create good perspectives for themselves and their communities. ‘Aha plus’ is a recognition system for young people who engage as volunteers beyond the ordinary membership activities in an association or an organisation, in their municipality or in an initiative.
Volunteering is a great chance for young people to
- be part of strong communities and beneficial social networks;
- gain experience and collect references to create new prospects for jobs and education;
- have fun while making valuable contributions to the community;
- be appreciated for these contributions by their peer groups, families and employers.
Apart from the opportunities which Aha plus offers to young people who are already active in an association, the tool also helps young people who would like to do voluntary work to find appropriate tasks. It offers organisations the opportunity to promote their activities among young people. The tool’s special selection opportunities allow associations to find suitable youngsters and young people to find interesting activities.