Ninety-three young Australians were interviewed about volunteering as part of a larger three-stage study on youth spirituality and social concern. The results indicate that young people who were older, better educated and had access to networks and mentoring were more likely to be engaged in social-cause service than those without these resources.…

Robert Putnam's view of social capital considers the decline in volunteering as a crisis for democracy. However, data on volunteering in Australia from 1974-1997 indicate that there is likely to be a significant increase in total volunteer hours. Beyond the contribution to democratic society, the values implicit in volunteering increase the…