The development of a training programme for child and youth care student volunteers at the Durban University of Technology

Abstract

Many universities have recruited student volunteers to become involved in community outreach and service activities to assist non-governmental organisations and communities. Student volunteers have become important intermediaries, establishing and embedding bridges between universities and communities, helping build local communities. Students within the Child and Youth Care Programme at the Durban University of Technology volunteered at different organisations such as schools, community centres, children‘s homes and development centres to initiate volunteer projects that would contribute to these community partners. These projects included creating food gardens, fundraising initiatives, conducting skills workshops and assistance with local food drives. Hence, this study sought to understand the nature of their student volunteer experiences as well as explore the values, principles and skills used in undertaking their volunteer work. Furthermore, it sought to determine aspects that underpin a training programme for student volunteers. A qualitative research methodology was used to guide the study and collect data from one purposively selected sample, namely the BTech students within the Child and Youth Care programme at the Durban University of Technology. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion was held with these fourteen participants. The data was then analysed thematically. Findings from the study showed that students valued their volunteer projects and made a connection with the experience they had, being that it enabled social responsibility and heightened their levels of altruism. In addition, students viewed themselves as change agents within the community and found volunteering to be a process of co-learning. The interviews with participants also reinforced the need for ongoing partnerships between universities and communities and the role each of these stakeholders play in eliciting and strengthening community engagement. Furthermore, students highlighted that volunteerism enhances graduate attributes and prepared them for working in the field. As students ventured into communities, it was pertinent to discover how these students could be further supported, equipped and managed, to fulfil their volunteer role purposively but also to represent the university meaningfully. Together with the data collected, a review of international and local university volunteer programmes was compiled in order to deduce the most crucial and relevant information needed for sufficient student training. This facilitated the development of a student volunteer training handbook which can be used to empower, motivate and recruit future volunteers within the university.