Volunteerism and You!

Smart girls decide for themselves.™

Two-hundred and nine people (99% were girls) responded to the Volunteerism survey that was online in December, 2001.  The average age of respondents was 15 years old.  Almost 70% of you were from the United States, while 13% were from the UK, 10% were from Canada, 2% were from Australia and the remaining 5% were from all over the world!

SmartGirl asked what issues you considered to be important.  The results show that you found the well-being of kids around the world to be the most important to you.  Many of you wrote in your own issues that had not been included in our list.  Here are what the numbers had to say: 

SmartGirl asked:  Who do you know that volunteers on a regular basis?  Nearly 20% of you did not know anyone who volunteers regularly and some of you knew more than one person.  For instance, 48% of you had friends that volunteered, 19% had parents that volunteered, 25% had siblings that volunteered, 6% of you wrote in yourselves as volunteers, while 11% of you knew other people that weren’t listed that volunteered. 

Well what about you?  SmartGirl wanted to know:

We also wanted to know where you spend your time volunteering.  SmartGirl asked you to check all that apply, so many of you chose more than one place. 

SmartGirl asked:  What is the most important reason that you volunteer?  Of the options we gave you, the answer chosen most was that you wanted to help change things for the better.  A huge 33% (71 people) volunteer for some other reason than the ones listed.  Let’s look at a chart in order to see the numbers better. 

Most of you got the idea to volunteer from your school (35%).  The rest of you heard about volunteering from your parents (28%), from your club or group members (18%), or your place of worship (17%).  A small group of you got the idea to volunteer from the TV or internet (4%).

SmartGirl was interested to know who you wanted to help most when you volunteered.  Almost half of the respondents wanted to help their city the most.   A pie graph is a helpful way to look at your answers.

Of those who have volunteered, SmartGirl wanted to know how you have helped.  We asked you to check all that apply, so many of you chose more than one response.  About 50% of you have volunteered by collecting and/or donating things, helping/assisting another person or raising money for a cause.  Way to go SmartGirls!

SmartGirl asked you to tell about a positive experience you had from volunteering.  Everyone had something different to say, but of the people who answered this question, the largest percentage (33%) expressed that their positive experience had to do with personal satisfaction and the knowledge that they made a difference.   Here are what some SmartGirls had to say:

“After the events of September 11th, my best friend and I made red, white and blue ribbons and sold them around school, with all the proceeds going to the American Red Cross. We raised over 200 dollars.” (SmartGirl, age 11)

“It makes me realize how fortunate I am.” (SmartGirl, age 15)

“One time during volunteering, I was able to read to some kids and this one girl gave me a hug at the end.  It made me feel like I made someone happy.” (SmartGirl, age 14)

“Our National Junior Honor Society donated $250 to an organization that trains dogs to assist handicapped people. We got to go see the dogs and know that our money would really help change someone's life.” (SmartGirl, age 15)

“One time during a summer reading club, I helped out a very young child.  To see the look on her face when I found her some books to read and when I helped her to play a game on the computer was so satisfying.” (SmartGirl, age 18)

“The person I was tutoring raised his reading level by two grades.” (SmartGirl, age 15)

“My friends and I were able to have fun while helping the community.” (SmartGirl, age 14)

While most of the time volunteering is a rewarding experience, there are some negative parts involved too.  Of the people who answered this question, the most commonly mentioned negative experience involved helping difficult or ungrateful people (16% of respondents). Let’s read some of your comments about the negative aspects of volunteering:

               “Being in danger while working in the inner city.” (SmartGirl, age 21)

             “ Well out of the cats we helped, one of them was really sick and died right in my friend's arms.                  It was really sad seeing her suffer and everything and being only a kitten and all.” (SmartGirl, age 14)

  “I have to see children in pain.” (SmartGirl, age 16)

  “Seeing homeless and hurt kids, sometimes my age, made me feel guilty about what I have. I could not enjoy my life for a little while knowing some people have it so much worse.” (SmartGirl, age 13)

  “Learning things that scared me, such as facts about HIV/AIDS, and how many people have the virus but don't know it.” (SmartGirl, age 15)

 “Dealing with the people in charge of the organization can sometimes be a hassle.  Also, the people you volunteer with...sometimes they are helping out for the wrong reasons.” (SmartGirl, age 18)

However, a whopping 28% wrote in that you had not had a negative experience volunteering.  Let’s look at a graph to better see the overall results. 

SmartGirl also wanted to know why you thought some kids choose to volunteer while other kids choose not to.  Here is what you thought:

Ten percent of SmartGirls think kids don’t volunteer because they are not sure about the volunteer opportunities that exist.  If that is the case, SmartGirl wanted to know where is the best place for kids to get started volunteering? 

SmartGirl wanted to know:  With all the obligations and activities that you have going on in your lives, are you too busy to volunteer?  Though school, clubs, and work demand a lot of your time, 82% of you said that you still had time for volunteering.  The remaining 18% are just too busy to find time for volunteering. 

SmartGirl made a few statements and asked you to decide if you strongly disagreed, disagreed, agreed, or strongly agreed.  The numbers in the graph represent the percentage of respondents who selected that answer. 

Because there are many opportunities to volunteer through extracurricular activities, SmartGirl wanted to know what kind of clubs, groups and activities you participate in.  We asked you to check all that apply. 

          * 56%  Belong to clubs at your school

* 47%  Belong to some sort of music, dance and/or art group

* 31%  Participate in clubs, groups or activities at your place of worship

* 29%  Participate in sporting groups or teams

* 4%    Are Girl Scout members

* 11%  Are not in any groups

* 14%  Are in a group not listed above

  SmartGirl asked you to respond to the following statement:

Just over half of you (53%) strongly agreed or agreed with that statement.  Sometimes tragedy makes you rethink what is important.  The remaining 47% disagreed or strongly disagreed.  Perhaps the events affected other areas of your life that are more important to you than volunteering, of maybe some of you consider volunteering to be equally as important as it was before the terrorist events.

Last but not least, SmartGirl asked:  Have you volunteered, raised money, donated items, or done something else related to the relief effort since September 11, 2001?

Over 2/3 of you have done something related to the relief effort since September 11^th.  Way to go SmartGirls!

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us!