New York University's Zen approach to community service focuses on the principles of mindfulness, awareness, compassion, and engagement in the present moment. It enables a more holistic approach to the measurement of volunteer management objectives. (SK)

Interviews with 14 volunteers working in disability-related organizations identified six themes in their volunteer experiences: (1) sense of value, (2) satisfaction, (3) social integration, (4) assistance, (5) enjoyment, and (6) interest. Drawbacks to volunteering included financial costs and lack of appreciation. (Contains 28 references.) (JOW)

A national survey of volunteers for The Smith Family organization (n=426) found that 38% participate more than monthly. Higher frequency was associated with age, rural location, lower income, and career motivation. Those in full-time employment or study, had primarily social motivations, or volunteered for other organizations were less frequent.…

Episodic volunteer opportunities allow for short-term services--either one-time or recurring. The organization using such volunteers must identify new jobs that can be performed on an episodic basis or redesign traditional volunteer jobs. (SK)

Volunteers may experience grief when working with clients in life-threatening situations or having experienced personal loss. Volunteer administrators can provide support through education and recognition of potential problems. (SK)

Data comparing 7544 retired and 3496 working older adults found that retirees most likely to volunteer are female, college-educated, married, homeowners, and have high incomes. Nonretired volunteers are more likely to have high incomes and flexible work schedules and to be homeowners and college-educated. (SK)

Terrorism and its aftermath have become part of the Western way of life, and social workers have a central role to play in helping affected families and their communities. Drawing on community-based experience in Israeli communities, the authors examine the planning of multidisciplinary teams and how their planning was put into effect in their…

This article discusses involvement at conferences. There are numerous levels of being involved in one's profession, and the concept people need to understand is that there is a place and level where everyone can get involved. The following involvement levels exist: (1) volunteers; (2) committee members; (3) committee chairs; (4) state-level…

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) conducted a national survey of in-service teachers participating in Project ASTRO. The survey results document (1) the value that teachers place on supplemental astronomy education provided by professional and amateur astronomers, and (2) the difference that teachers perceive in the value provided by…

Limited research has been conducted on the creation or impact of "decent" prisons, institutions where prisoners are treated with care and respect. This study set out to explore organizational factors associated with locating hospice programs into prison settings. Yet, the research produced unexpected findings about the contribution of hospice to…

In civic youth work program staff focus on larger outcomes and do not often attend to the importance of seemingly mundane and simple tasks. Young people talk about how these simple tasks have powerful meaning for them and their work even as adult volunteers talked about the challenges of working democratically with young people. To integrate these…

A growing number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who display complex learning needs present challenges to educators who struggle to meet their educational needs. Teaching is stressful and additional instructional challenges may increase teacher vulnerability to burnout, leading to a greater likelihood of attrition. Increasing…

Since 1988, Public/Private Ventures of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) has been conducting a series of studies of mentoring programs for at-risk youth. As part of this effort, the recruitment and screening procedures used by Big Brother/Big Sister (BB/BS) agencies were studied in eight cities. Recruitment for the high-profile BB/BS agencies is not as…

This document contains 19 papers on volunteerism presented at a conference on aging. The papers, grouped into themes of trends and implications, resourceful roles, resources, and an agenda for the future, include the following: "Demographic Potential and the Quiet Revolution" (Opening Remarks by Robert A. Harootyan); "Volunteers in the 1990s"…

An evaluation of the VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) Literacy Corps was conducted to provide a description of the Literacy Corps, numbers of persons served, strategies used, volunteer activities, and project results; to determine the degree to which the program is meeting its goals; and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the…