Institute for Health and Wellbeing , Coventry University, Coventry, UK.
Warwick Evidence, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Oct 19;23(1):2044. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16862-7.
A team of volunteers, known as City Hosts, were recruited to support UK City of Culture 2021 awarded to Coventry. City Hosts held various roles facilitating cultural event delivery and promoting a positive experience for visitors. This study aimed to (i) understand how and to what extent the volunteering programme impacted volunteer subjective wellbeing, and (ii) explore the mechanisms of change and intermediate outcomes between volunteering and subjective wellbeing.
This qualitative study comprised inductive and deductive analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews, conducted between December 2021-May 2022 with City Hosts. This was complimented with secondary qualitative analysis of free text responses within Monitoring and Evaluation data collected from City Hosts in surveys conducted in August and November 2021, and April 2022.
Approximately 180 City Hosts responded to the free text questions in each survey and 27 completed interviews. Analysis of data collected from City Hosts suggested positive wellbeing impacts from volunteering and supported theorised pathways to improved wellbeing. Strengths of the City Host programme included (i) facilitating the full range of mechanisms of change that mediate improved volunteer wellbeing, particularly promoting social connections and developing a strong role and group identity and (ii) flexibility around what volunteers do, how much, and how often.
This study offers lessons for others designing volunteering programmes who wish to promote wellbeing among associated volunteers. We also offer evidence that exposure to culture may be one mechanism by which volunteering can improve wellbeing.
一群名为“城市接待员”的志愿者被招募来支持 2021 年英国文化之城授予考文垂的活动。城市接待员担任各种角色，促进文化活动的开展，并为游客提供积极的体验。本研究旨在：（i）了解志愿服务计划如何以及在何种程度上影响志愿者的主观幸福感；（ii）探索志愿服务和主观幸福感之间的变化机制和中间结果。
本定性研究包括通过半结构化访谈收集的数据进行归纳和演绎分析，访谈于 2021 年 12 月至 2022 年 5 月与城市接待员进行。此外，还对 2021 年 8 月、11 月和 2022 年 4 月的调查中城市接待员在监测和评估数据中填写的自由文本回复进行了二级定性分析。
大约 180 名城市接待员在每次调查中回复了自由文本问题，27 名完成了访谈。对城市接待员收集的数据进行分析表明，志愿服务带来了积极的幸福感影响，并支持了改善幸福感的理论途径。城市接待员计划的优势包括：（i）促进了改善志愿者幸福感的各种变化机制，特别是促进了社会联系，并发展了强烈的角色和群体认同感；（ii）志愿者的工作内容、工作量和频率都具有灵活性。
本研究为其他希望在相关志愿者中促进幸福感的志愿服务计划设计者提供了经验教训。我们还提供了证据表明，接触文化可能是志愿服务改善幸福感的一种机制。
