Almost four in 10 Britons volunteer, with the vast majority saying it benefits their mental health and acts as an antidote to loneliness.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/new-big-society-britons-volunteer-survey-reveals-benefit-mental-health-loneliness-antidote
“There is an emerging body of evidence that suggests volunteering can improve your mental health and the language I have read is that it can help with depression, life satisfaction and wellbeing,” said Karl Wilding, NCVO’s policy and volunteering director.
“Broadly speaking, it helps as it is a social activity, and when you are doing things with others and groups that conviviality and connectedness is important,” he said, adding that it was most beneficial to people who didn’t have a partner or a job.
Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the NCVO, said: “Volunteering can be truly transformative for people’s lives. It reduces isolation, improves confidence, provides new experiences, improves employment prospects and fundamentally it’s deeply rewarding. But sadly, those who stand to benefit the most from volunteering are less likely to be involved.”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/new-big-society-britons-volunteer-survey-reveals-benefit-mental-health-loneliness-antidote
3 comments:
Yeah and it's also a form of 'wageless slavery'.
Yes it has also been misused to trick people who have mental health issues off benefits and into paid exploitation as well.
But I work harder than I would ever have for an employer, now I am retired at doing stuff I enjoy and find important to do and kind of feel personally that I am engaged in making a contribution to the wider society
'Voluntary' should mean exactly that.
Indeed unpaid voluntary work is being used as a weapon against the unemployed and other claimants. High St charity shops are full of unwilling "volunteers".
However the purpose of the post was to demonstrate that we do not require the wage system to engage in useful work and that cooperation is a healthy contribution to our well-being.
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