"Volunteering? I would prefer a paid job": A Case Study on Motivating Danish Youths to Volunteer
Authors
Svarrer, Caroline Egelund ; Gommesen, Thea Andersson
Term
4. term
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-05-31
Pages
130
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvad der motiverer og afholder danske unge fra at engagere sig som frivillige, og omsætter indsigterne til et menneskecentreret design, der præsenterer frivillighed som en værdifuld og engagerende fritidsaktivitet. Projektet er et kvalitativt casestudie forankret i pragmatisme og socialkonstruktivisme og bygger på en litteraturgennemgang, en future workshop med 17 universitetsstuderende, otte fokusgrupper med gymnasieelever samt tre semistrukturerede ekspertinterviews i konteksten af Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (DUF). Litteraturen fremhæver bl.a. karriereudvikling, ønsket om at hjælpe andre, autonomi, et støttende organisatorisk klima og online frivillighed som centrale drivkræfter. Workshop- og fokusgruppeindsigter viser, at unge ofte mangler viden om, hvad frivillighed indebærer, at frivillighed ofte sidestilles med lønnet arbejde, og at sociale relationer og kompetenceudvikling er væsentlige motiver. På den baggrund identificeres fem designkrav: øget viden om frivillighed, bredere forståelse af frivillighed, anledninger til sensemaking, social integration og fokus på kompetenceudvikling. En prototype udvikles med kontaktflade, informativt filmstrip-element, søgeside, personlig frivillig-type test og badges til kompetenceanerkendelse. Afhandlingen viser, at unges opfattelser af frivillighed og deres brug af fritid kan udnyttes til at skabe et motiverende design, der fremmer unges deltagelse i meningsfulde frivillige aktiviteter.
This thesis investigates what motivates and hinders Danish youths from volunteering and translates these insights into a human-centered design that presents volunteering as a valuable and engaging spare-time activity. The project is a qualitative case study grounded in pragmatism and social constructivism, combining a literature review, a future workshop with 17 university students, eight focus groups with upper-secondary students, and three semi-structured expert interviews in the context of the Danish Youth Council (DUF). The literature highlights career enhancement, the desire to help others, autonomy, a supportive organizational climate, and the appeal of online volunteering as key drivers. Findings from the workshop and focus groups indicate that youths often lack information about what volunteering entails, frequently equate it with paid work, and are especially motivated by social relationships and skill development. Based on these results, five design requirements are identified: increasing knowledge about volunteering, broadening perceptions of volunteering, creating occasions for sensemaking, social integration, and emphasizing skill development. A prototype was developed featuring a contact page, an informative filmstrip, a search page, a personalized volunteer-type test, and skill recognition badges. The thesis demonstrates that youths’ perceptions of volunteerism and spare time can be leveraged to create a motivational design that encourages participation in meaningful volunteer activities.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
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