Volunteer activities in Ukraine amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.21.3.1Keywords:
volunteering, COVID-19, lockdown, crisis, digitalization of volunteers’ activitiesAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a serious challenge for Ukrainian society and has affected all spheres of activity, including volunteer activities of citizens. This article presents the results of the research on the state and peculiarities of the implementation of volunteer activities under COVID-19 conditions in Ukraine. The research was carried out in February–June 2021 using methods of metaanalysis of statistical data, questionnaires, and content analysis. It was found that 60% of officially registered volunteer organizations stopped their activities or cannot be identified as actively working. Analysis and systematization of monitoring data provided by the Ukrainian Volunteer Service allowed us to identify 77 organizations of various types that actually work during the quarantine period and actively recruit volunteer resources. Formal and informal organizations that have public web pages with contact information for electronic listservs were interviewed by 35 people. It was found that under quarantine conditions, the activities of the organizations that engage volunteer resources changed for 54% of the respondents, but despite the difficulties that 80% of the organizations experience, they continue to work. Inability to organize activities that involve direct contact with the recipient of the service, or the need for additional consideration of personal protection and safety equipment, both for the recipients of services and for the providers (volunteers), were the key difficulties in organizing the work of volunteers. Among the main changes, volunteers noted the change in the forms of work, the transition to a remote format, in particular in the Internet space, a reduction in the number of volunteers involved and the impossibility of conducting some activities, with postponement of implementation for an unspecified amount of time. It is noteworthy that most of the respondents assessed the quarantine situation as a situation of opportunities rather than restrictions, specifically, they noted the emergence of new areas of activity, one of which is assistance in combating the spread of the disease and counteracting the effects of COVID-19.
References
Башева, О. А. & Ермолаева, П. О. (2020). Цифровизация деятельности российских волонтеров в чрезвычайных ситуациях: влияние пандемии или самостоятельный тренд развития? Мониторинг общественного мнения: экономические и социальные перемены, 6: 376–402. doi https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2020.6.1746. [Basheva, O. A., & Ermolaeva, P. O. (2020). Digitalization of the Russian Emergency Volunteers’ Activities: a Pandemic Impact or an Independent Development Trend? Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes, 6: 376–402. https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring. 2020.6.1746 (In Russian)].
Богатікова, М. (2020). «Соціальна доставка», StopCovid та інші. Як епідемія змінює волонтерський рух в Україні. Громадське Телебачення, 11 вересня, 2020. Retrieved from: https://hromadske.ua/posts/socialna-dostavka-stopcovid-ta-inshi-yak-epidemiya-zminyuye-volonterskij-ruh-v-ukrayini (02.04.2021) [Bogatikova, M. (2020). «Social delivery», StopCovid and others. How the epidemic is changing the volunteer movement in Ukraine. Public Television, September 11, 2020. Retrieved from: https://hromadske.ua/posts/socialna-dostavka-stopcovid-ta-inshi-yak-epidemiya-zminyuye-volonterskij-ruh-v-ukrayini (02.04.2021) (in Ukrainian)].
Гаркавенко, З. (2018). Рецензія на посібник «Психосоціальна підтримка в умовах надзвичайних ситуацій: підхід резилієнс : навч.-метод. посіб.» (ред. Н. Гусак). Вісн. Акад. праці, соц. відносин і туризму, 2: 93–95. [Harkavenko, Z. (2018). Review of the manual «Psychosocial support in the context of emergency situations: resilience approach» (ed. N. Husak). Journal of the Academy of Labour, Social Relations and Tourism, 2: 93–95].
Горєлов, Д. М. & Корнієвський, О. А. (2015). Волонтерський рух: світовий досвід та українські громадянські практики: аналіт. доп. Київ: НІСД. [Horielov, D. M. & Korniievskyi, O. A. (2015). The volunteer movement: world experience and ukrainian civil practice: an analytical report. Kyiv: The National Institute for Strategic Studies (in Ukrainian)].
Карагодіна, О., Пожидаєва, О. & Семигіна, Т. (2020). Практика соціальної роботи в умовах карантинних обмежувальних заходів: швидка оцінка та уроки. Social work and education, 7 (4): 452–465. doi: https://doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.20.4.4. [Karagodina, O., Pozhydaieva, O. & Semigina, T. (2020). Practice of social work in the conditions of quarantine restrictive measures: rapid appraisal and lessons. Social work and education 7 (4): 452–465. doi: https://doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.20.4.4 (in Ukrainian)].
Козачук, М. Б. (2016). Нові види волонтерства в Україні як відповідь на виклики часу. Вісник НТУУ «КПІ». Політологія. Соціологія. Право : збірник наукових праць, 1/2 (29/30): 52–57. [Kozachuk, M. B. (2016). New types of volunteering in Ukraine as a response to challenges. Collection of «NTUU «KPI» Bulletin». Political Science. Sociology. Law», 1/2 (29/30): 52–57 (in Ukrainian)].
Комарова, О. (2021). Знову на передову: волонтери проти корона вірусу. Радіо Свобода, 19 березня 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/coronavirus-covid-volontery-ukraina/30497602.html (02.04.2021) [Komarova, O. (2021). Back to the forefront: volunteers against coronavirus. Radio Liberty, March 19, 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/coronavirus-covid-volontery-ukraina/30497602.html (02.04.2021) (in Ukrainian)].
Міністерство соціальної політики України (2021). Інформація про організації та установи, що залучають до своєї діяльності волонтерів, зокрема іноземців та осіб без громадянства для провадження волонтерської діяльності на території України. Доступно з: https://www.msp.gov.ua/files/volonterstvo/576.xlsx (26.03.2021) [Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine (2021). Information on organizations and institutions that involve volunteers in their activities, including foreigners and stateless persons to carry out volunteer activities in Ukraine. Retrieved from: https://www.msp.gov.ua/files/volonterstvo/576.xlsx (26.03.2021) (in Ukrainian)].
Павлюк, К. С. (2015). Волонтерський рух: зарубіжний досвід та вітчизняні практики. Інвестиції: практика та досвід, 13–14: 87–93 [Pavliuk, K. The volunteer movement: an international experience and national practices. Investment: Practice and Experience, 13–14: 87–93 (in Ukrainian)].
Паславська, О. (2016). Становлення та розвиток волонтерського руху в Україні (історико-правове дослідження). Актуальні проблеми правознавства, 4 (8): 22–28 [Paslavska, O. (2016). The formation and development of the volunteer movement in Ukraine (historical and legal research). Actual problems of jurisprudence, 4 (8): 22–28 (in Ukrainian)].
Плахова, О. М., & Карчова, О. М. (2021). Особливості комунікації в соціальній роботі в умовах пандемії Covid-19. SOCIOПРОСТІР: Міждисциплінарний електронний збірник наукових праць з соціології та соціальної роботи, 11: 17–22. doi: https://doi.org/10.26565/2218-2470-2021-11-02 [Plakhova, O. & Karchova, O. (2021). The features of communication in social work in the convention of the Сovid-19 pandemic. SOCIOPROSTIR: The interdisciplinary online collection of scientific works on sociology and social work, 11: 17–22. doi: https://doi.org/10.26565/2218-2470-2021-11-02 (in Ukrainian)].
Проценко, О. О. (2021). Волонтерські практики в умовах вимушеної міграції в сучасній Україні: чинники та наслідки актуалізації (Дис. канд. соціол. наук). Харківський національний університет імені В. Н. Каразіна МОН України, Харків [Protsenko, О. О. (2021). Volunteering practices under conditions of forced migration in contemporary Ukraine: factors and consequences of their actualization (Cand. Sociol. Sci. Diss.). V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ministry of Education and Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv (in Ukrainian)].
Сорокопуд, Н. (2020). 7000 українців погодилися підтримати людей на самоті під час пандемії COVID-19. ЮНІСЕФ, 4 грудня 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/press-releases/7000-volunteers-supported-lonely-people (02.04.2021) [Sorokopud, N. (2020). 7,000 Ukrainians agreed to support lonely people during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNICEF, December 4, 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/press-releases/7000-volunteers-supported-lonely-people (02.04.2021) (in Ukrainian)].
Тягнирядно, Л. (2020). У кризах волонтери та благодійники стають більш ефективними. ДЕТЕКТОР МЕДІА: ЗМІ для змін, 8 червня 2020. Retrieved from: https://zz.detector.media/community/texts/177803/2020-06-08-u-kryzakh-volontery-ta-blagodiynyky-stayut-bilsh-efektyvnymy/ (02.04.2021) [Tiahnyriadno, L. (2020). In crises, volunteers and philanthropists become more effective. DETECTOR MEDIA: Media for change, June 8, 2020. Retrieved from: https://zz.detector.media/community/texts/177803/2020-06-08-u-kryzakh-volontery-ta-blagodiynyky-stayut-bilsh-efektyvnymy/ (02.04.2021) (in Ukrainian)].
Чайка, І. Ю. (2017). Волонтерство: сутність феномена та особливості його функціонування в сучасній Україні. Науково-теоретичний альманах «Грані», 20; 7(147): 72–79. doi: https://doi.org/10.15421/171798. [Chaika, I. Y. (2017). Volunteerism: essence of the phenomenon and peculiarities of its functioning in modern Ukraine. Scientific and theoretical almanac «Grani», 20; 7(147), 72–79. doi: https://doi.org/10.15421/171798 (in Ukrainian)].
Blades, A., Concustell, A., Duran, A., Pérez, R. & Portilla, F. (2020). La solidaritat i el voluntarisme durant la crisi de la COVID-19. Perifèria, revista de recerca i formació en antropologia, 25(2), 115–129. doi: https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/periferia.790.
Fidelity Charitable (2020). The Role of Volunteering in Philanthropy. Retrieved from: https://www.fidelitycharitable.org/content/dam/fc-public/docs/resources/the-role-of-volunteering-in-philanthropy.pdf (22.03.2021).
Liakh, Т., Lekholetova, M., Kotelevets, А., Spirina, Т. & Shved, O. (2021). Development of Youth Volunteer Programs in the Condition of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Communities, Neighboring to the Area of the Joint Forced Operation in the East of Ukraine. In Society, integration, education. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference, May 28th-29th, 2021, Rezekne, 3: 316–326. doi: https://doi.org/10.17770/sie2021vol3.6334.
Mao, G., Fernandes-Jesus, M., Ntontis, E. & Drury, J. (2020). What have we learned so far about COVID-19 volunteering in the UK? A rapid review of the literature (preprint). doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.22.20236059.
Pyrlik, G. (2020). How volunteers are spearheading Ukraine's COVID-19 response. OpenDemocracy. April, 20, 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/volunteers-ukraine-coronavirus-response/ (4.04.2021).
Sun, P., Morrow-Howell, N., Pawloski, E., Swinford, E. (2020). Older Adults’ Attitudes Toward Virtual Volunteering During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Innovation in Aging, 4(S1); 954. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3489.
U-Report (2020). Волонтерство під час карантину: опитування. 20 серпня 2020. Retrieved from: https://ukraine.ureport.in/opinion/4513/ (02.04.2021) [U-Report (2020). Volunteering during quarantine: a survey. August 20, 2020. Retrieved from: https://ukraine.ureport.in/opinion/4513/ (02.04.2021) (in Ukrainian)].
Volunteering Victoria (2020). Volunteer Management During COVID-19. Retrieved from: https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Volunteerism-during-COVID-19.pdf (22.03.2021).
Wernli, D., Clausin, M., Antulov-Fantulin, N., Berezowski J., Biller-Andorno, N., Blanchet, K., Böttcher L., et al. (2021). Governance in the age of complexity: Building resilience to COVID-19 and future pandemics. Geneva Science-Policy Interface Policy Brief. Geneva, Switzerland.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Ольга Байдарова, Анастасія Дюльгерова
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Social Work and Education is an open access journal. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Creative Commons «Attribution» 4.0