The National 4-H Volunteer e-Forum is an alternative to multistate, face-to-face volunteer forums. Building on the success of regional e-forums, a collaborative group planned and offered three webinars that were relevant, economical, consistent, and convenient to attend. A blended learning strategy can successfully be used for focusing on both…

The Volunteer Program Assessment at UNO (VPA-UNO), a faculty-led student group, partners with nonprofit and governmental agencies to provide free assessments and consultations to enhance volunteer engagement, organizational commitment and retention. Three recent initiatives are discussed representing an intentional effort of a metropolitan…

Research shows that early intervention is vital to improve the life chances of children in areas and situations of disadvantage. One also knows that many less advantaged families feel more comfortable receiving advice about supporting their children's literacy from a friend or peer rather than a professional, and equally that many people are keen…

The Utah Master Naturalist Program trains citizens who provide education, outreach, and service to promote citizen stewardship of natural resources within their communities. In 2007-2008, the Watersheds module of the program was evaluated for program success, and participant knowledge was assessed. Assessment and evaluation results indicated that…

The purpose of this paper is to share our experiences involving a creative approach to service learning that was implemented in a Human Development and Family Studies graduate course. In our departmental pursuit of evolving scholarship and promoting scholarly teaching and learning (Kopera-Frye, Hilton, & Cavote, 2003), this course represents…

Purpose: We examined the feasibility of creating a generic training curriculum for volunteers in health promotion programs for older adults by identifying common core content topics across 10 national programs. We also considered additional material that could augment common core content topics. Design and Methods: We reviewed in detail program…

In Britain, a Women's Aid program offers practical support and assistance to abused women. Survivors of domestic abuse can benefit from the opportunity afforded by an objective appraisal of the social context of their personal experiences, facilitated by trained volunteers. (JOW)

In expanding a 4-H volunteer program, a systematic way of recruiting, training, utilizing, recognizing, and evaluating the program is needed. There is no one right answer to volunteer leadership problems, but it is important to believe that volunteers are available. They have to see the need and be convinced it is worth their attention, so the…

Explains steps in developing a volunteer program in a school; (i.e., assessing the school community's need for volunteers; developing a volunteer management plan; implementing the program; and evaluating the effort. Looks at trends in the number of volunteers, the competition for their services, volunteer expectations, and strength through…

This manual was developed to help field staff members of the Peace Corps train volunteers. The manual's task descriptions, guidelines, examples, and definitions are intended to be practical and informative rather than restrictive. The manual is divided into six major sections: (1) introduction; (2) getting started; (3) assessing the country…

Hospice patient/family volunteers responded to personality questionnaires prior to training and to measures of death understanding and coping before and after training. Results showed that the volunteers were relatively low in anxiety, internally controlled, and empathetic before training. Following training, volunteers reported better…

Presents a model for constructing and evaluating an effective alumni volunteer program to aid the student recruitment effort. A review of successful programs reveals certain common features and provides important touchstones for other schools looking for the principles and practices with which to organize their own efforts. (Author)

A major problem of long term care for the elderly is providing alternatives to institutionalization. An estimated 75 percent of all long term care provided to the elderly is from informal caregivers, usually family members who face numerous problems they are not trained to handle. A model program which provided 25 informal volunteer caregivers…

Emphasizes preservice education and training of older persons for work with their peers. Describes three training programs with older participants: the Senior Companion Program, the Health and Fitness Program, and the Closing the Generation Gap Project. (RC)