(WITHDRAWN) The Challenge of Bathtub Volunteerism: From Compulsory School-Based Volunteerism in Adolescence to Voluntary Community-Based Volunteerism in Young Adulthood

Background

Extant research has documented that early volunteerism in adolescence is associated with different personal and societal benefits later in life. However, there is growing interest in the links between early volunteerism and volunteerism in young adulthood, especially with and through the implementation of school- and community-based youth volunteer programs. These longitudinal studies have established links between adolescent and young adult volunteerism, but they have also emphasized the need to better understand processes. In this vein, while there is consensus that sustained and high-quality volunteer programs in adolescence – especially when these programs are mandatory – are related to higher volunteerism rates later in life, there is less clarity over the more specific features of high-quality experiences in adolescence and in young adulthood.

Singapore is an interesting site for the study of volunteerism in adolescence and young adulthood as well as the characteristics of high-quality experiences for three reasons. First, school-based volunteerism is compulsory for all primary and secondary school students in Singapore, yet the difference in volunteerism rates between adolescents and young adults is especially steep. Second, the relationship between compulsory school-based volunteerism in adolescence and voluntary community-based volunteerism in young adulthood is also not yet well understood. Third, different school and community volunteer environments result in a range of volunteer experiences, allowing for comparisons between high- and lower-quality experiences.

Methods

The aim of the present study is to examine features of compulsory school-based volunteerism in adolescence and voluntary community-based volunteerism in young adulthood, as well as their longitudinal connections. As part of a larger study exploring the involvement in and motivations for school- and community-based volunteerism among young adult Singaporeans, 50 in-depth interviews were conducted with Singaporeans between 25 and 34 years old from December 2018 to June 2019 (n = 50).

Results

Whether a young Singaporean moves from school-based volunteerism in adolescence (which is compulsory) to having the empathy and the intent to volunteer to community-based volunteerism in young adulthood (which is voluntary) is contingent upon his or her exposure to a high-quality community service experience.

In this vein, “bathtub volunteerism” can potentially be narrowed if students are exposed to more high quality experience in the school and in the community. School-based volunteerism should be a balance of compulsion of autonomy, while community-based volunteerism is the combination of: First, being selective about cause and volunteer opportunities; second, finding meaning and incorporating volunteerism as part of life or work; and third, volunteering with friends and loved ones. If sustained, community-based volunteerism is further associated with broadened definitions of volunteerism, often including participation in activism and advocacy.

Implications

Developing a theory about how school-based volunteerism in adolescence, which is compulsory, community-based volunteerism in young adulthood, when it is voluntary, allows for the evaluation of school-based volunteer programs and the identification of activities and factors which are associated with future volunteerism. Not only would the findings have the potential of increasing the rate of volunteerism in Singapore, they could increase knowledge of the processes involved in these transitions.