INVESTIGATING COLLEGE STUDENTS FORMAL VOLUNTEERING IN LEBANON

Abstract

Volunteering is an important aspect of the third sector and higher education institutions; however, this field is understudied. This thesis fills the gap in the scarcity of research on students volunteering in the region and explores the motivations behind student volunteering. To achieve this goal, the following objectives have been set: to define and operationalize the concept of volunteering, to describe the challenges and limitations of volunteering, and to explain and review the various volunteering perspectives in addition to establishing the study's theoretical framework. This thesis employs a mixed-method approach to understand both dimensions of volunteering at the volunteer and NGO levels. The research uses an online survey targeting sixty-three AUB students and interviews 11 key NGO directors and 1 key informant. The findings indicate that the main boosters of student motivation are a combination of altruistic reasons, career-related and social networks. A triangulation of theories of altruism, social capital, and social exchange best answers the research question. The survey revealed that higher education institutions such as AUB can play a crucial role in enhancing formal volunteering by providing students with resources and support to find suitable volunteer opportunities, promoting the value and benefits of volunteering, and creating opportunities for students to apply their skills and knowledge to the real world. Additionally, the interviews with NGO directors revealed that higher education institutions can foster relationships between neighborhood groups and regional institutions of higher learning and instill a culture of volunteering among university students. Overall, the findings suggest that volunteering is an integral part of the student experience that should be promoted by government and higher education institutions to create a community of youth volunteers and to provide the necessary resources and support for students to engage in meaningful volunteer opportunities that strengthen social cohesion.