Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Annual International Conference

Volunteering: the making of communities?

Manchester, 26th - 28th August 2009

Session one: 26th August: 9am - 10.40am^*
Session two: 26th August: 11.10am - 12.50pm^*

Against a background of concern at declining political participation, anxieties about welfare provision, and worries about the meaning of citizenship, increasing attention is being given to voluntary activity as a potential panacea to the problems of post-Fordism. Associated with this has been increased interest in social capital and norms of trust and reciprocity and claims for the relationship between volunteering and social capital, active citizenship, social inclusion and health and wellbeing significantly raising the profile of volunteering in political and academic discourse.

Research assessing geographical variations in the quantity of voluntary activity being undertaken at the international and national scales is well established. Whilst variations in the amount of voluntary activity undertaken by individuals of particular socio-economic group, ethnicity and age for example, is also increasingly well documented. The nature - that is - the motivations for, processes of and experiences and meanings generated through voluntary activity for both individuals and groups remains relatively under-researched, however.

These sessions use the above as a starting point, to facilitate discussion between academics, practitioners and policy makers. Work undertaken by the following will be presented:

• Angela Ellis-Paine, Nick Ockenden and Joanna Stuart (IVR)
• Mark Cosby and Helen Timbrell (National Trust)
• Alex Bone (The Campaign Company)
• Matt Baillie Smith (Northumbria University), Peter Hopkins and Nina Laurie (Newcastle University) Elizabeth Olson (Edinburgh University)
• Richard Yarwood (University of Plymouth)
• Iqbal M Mostafa (Centre for Study and Research)
• Jill Fenton (University of Connecticut)
• Jonathan Simm (HR Wallingford/University of Nottingham)
• Stuart Muirhead (University of Dundee/ Forestry Commission Scotland)
• Mike Woolvin (University of Dundee/Volunteer Development Scotland)

Read full details of the sessions (including abstracts of presentations).
Download publicity poster?

To register for the conference, and for more details of venues/travel/accommodation etc. please visit www.rgs.org/ac2009.

If you have any queries of would like any more information about the sessions, please feel free to contact the session organisers directly by phone (01382 384 286) or by email (m.r.woolvin@dundee.ac.uk or s.z.muirhead@dundee.ac.uk).

We very much hope that you will be able to attend,

Mike Woolvin
Stuart Muirhead

*Although it is unlikely they will be altered, these dates/times are provisional and are subject to change by the conference organisers and is outwith our control, please do bear this in mind if you plan to attend and frequently check the timetabling of the sessions at the conference website.