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Vannier C, Mulligan H, Wilkinson A, et al. Strengthening community connection and personal well-being through volunteering in New Zealand. Health Soc Care Community. 2021;29(6):1971-1979doi: 10.1111/hsc.13340.
Vannier, C., Mulligan, H., Wilkinson, A., Elder, S., Malik, A., Morrish, D., Campbell, M., Kingham, S., & Epton, M. (2021). Strengthening community connection and personal well-being through volunteering in New Zealand. Health & social care in the community, 29(6), 1971-1979. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13340
Vannier, Clémence, et al. "Strengthening community connection and personal well-being through volunteering in New Zealand." Health & social care in the community vol. 29,6 (2021): 1971-1979. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13340
Vannier C, Mulligan H, Wilkinson A, Elder S, Malik A, Morrish D, Campbell M, Kingham S, Epton M. Strengthening community connection and personal well-being through volunteering in New Zealand. Health Soc Care Community. 2021 Nov;29(6):1971-1979. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13340. Epub 2021 Jun 05. PMID: 34089274.
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Health Soc Care Community. 2021 Nov;29(6):1971-1979. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13340. Epub 2021 Jun 05.

Strengthening community connection and personal well-being through volunteering in New Zealand.

Health & social care in the community

Clémence Vannier, Hilda Mulligan, Amanda Wilkinson, Susie Elder, Ambika Malik, Daniel Morrish, Malcolm Campbell, Simon Kingham, Michael Epton

Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, College of Science, University of Canterbury - Te Whare Wananga O Waitaha, Christchurch, New Zealand.
  2. Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand.
  3. Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand.

PMID: 34089274 DOI: 10.1111/hsc.13340

Abstract

Volunteering is a way for people to develop meaningful relationships within a social group and can lead to the building of social capital, from which both individuals and the wider group can benefit in the form of enhanced well-being. This study aimed to explore and describe the impact of volunteering on the volunteer coordinators and volunteers themselves in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, an area particularly impacted by the devastating earthquakes in the period 2010/2011. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with volunteer coordinators and volunteers (n = 35; 16 men, 19 women) from November 2018 to mid-January 2019. Thematic analysis of data highlighted a key theme of Creating and strengthening valued community connections, with subthemes of Personal growth, Community connections and Role of coordination. The key theme illustrated how formal volunteering created effort and opportunities towards the strengthening of personal and community connectedness. Our study demonstrates the importance of social connection for both individual and community well-being, emphasises the important role of "champions" in facilitating the building of bridging and bonding relationships between individuals and communities, and suggests a role for healthcare professionals to prescribe volunteering as a way to improve individual health and well-being outcomes.

© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords: chronic disease; community networks; social connection; volunteers; well-being

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