IT'S young people who are doing most of the volunteering in this country.
Research released in March from Canada's most comprehensive study on giving and volunteering found that Canadians aged 15-24 have consistently participated in volunteering more than any other age group for more than a decade.
The 2010 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating also found that in 2010, a force of 13.3 million Canadians over the age of 15 participated in volunteering, an increase of more than 800,000 since 2007. These Canadians contributed 2.1 billion total volunteer hours. However, average annual volunteer hours decreased to 156 in 2010 from 166 in 2007. According to Statistics Canada, "the number of hours volunteered varied from one hour to a few thousand hours."
Another noteworthy finding is that community involvement changes through different stages of life.
The survey dispels the myth of disengaged youth. Canadians aged 15-24 volunteer more than any other age group at a rate of 58 per cent versus the overall rate of 47 per cent. This is a trend seen in the CSGVP since 2004.
The 2010 CSGVP data also highlights the difference in volunteering habits among baby boomers, the generation born between 1945 and 1964. A higher proportion of boomers aged 45 to 54 participate in volunteering than those aged 55 to 64 (45.4 per cent versus 40.8 per cent, respectively). However, boomers aged 55 to 64 contribute more average annual volunteer hours than those aged 45 to 54 (201 hours versus 167 hours, respectively).
Ruth MacKenzie, president and CEO of Volunteer Canada said in a release: "In this day and age, we're seeing people find ways to engage in volunteering as never before - everything from quick bursts of micro volunteering through mobile handsets and Facebook applications, to leadership roles for all kinds of causes, to front-line volunteer aid in war-torn regions of the world."
At Volunteer Canada, Canadians are encouraged to get involved in their communities. Find out more at www.volunteer. ca.
