From Service to Action? Students, Volunteering and Community Action in Mid Twentieth-Century Britain

Abstract

Volunteering by higher education students in the UK has a long history which remains largely unexplored despite recent research and policy attention. This article offers a brief overview of the development of student volunteering before the 1960s and then discusses a shift from student social service to Student Community Action in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It argues that this shift was underpinned by a growing student movement in support of volunteering overseas; the perceived failures of the 'youth volunteer boom' of the 1960s and by the wider questioning of the values of higher education. The article then considers the rapid growth of Student Community Action across universities and colleges in the UK before reflecting upon the success and challenges of the movement.

University Support for Student Volunteering in England: Historical Development and Contemporary Value

“…The interest of university authorities in directing or supporting students' voluntary action is relatively new, as historically volunteering, fundraising or campaigning were extracurricular activities largely organised by students themselves (Brewis 2010). Indeed, in the absence of formal citizenship instruction in higher education in England, students developed an array of voluntary associations to channel their desire to serve others.…”

“…Such groups were started in the early 1970s as students challenged earlier models of community engagement such as settlement work, social service groups and Rag to press for more effective involvement of students with community problems. This marked a transition from traditional social 'service' to community 'action' (Brewis 2010). Many SCA groups had little contact with university authorities and indeed often positioned themselves in opposition to university policy, particularly on issues of curricula reform and community access.…”

Volunteering, choice and control: a case study of higher education student volunteering

“…In the UK, while students have a well-established tradition of contributing to communities where they study, this has for most of the 20th century been unheralded and not seen as central to the university mission compared to research or teaching activities (Brewis, 2010). Thus the development of volunteering initiatives has been uneven and support for volunteering in UK universities is varied, ranging from student-led activities, including social enterprise initiatives, to university-run volunteering bureaux (Darwen and Rannard, 2011;Squirrell, 2009).…”

“…Thus the development of volunteering initiatives has been uneven and support for volunteering in UK universities is varied, ranging from student-led activities, including social enterprise initiatives, to university-run volunteering bureaux (Darwen and Rannard, 2011;Squirrell, 2009). The diverse institutional support for HE volunteering is indicative of the different conceptualisations of volunteering that have dominated student volunteering at particular historical times, and the current push towards more directional engagement can be contrasted with student-led community action of the 1960s and 1970s (Brewis, 2010). The development of student volunteering in the UK illustrates how these 5 activities are embedded in institutional and cultural contexts.…”

The National Union of Students and transnational solidarity, 1958–1968

“…9 As Georgina Brewis has shown, British students played an active role in fundraising and voluntary work for overseas causes and international relief efforts in the inter-war period in particular around the Spanish Civil War. 10 The history and role of international student networks and organisations has been touched upon only lightly within the literature. There are a few works which focus on these organisations, but they tend to be preoccupied with the relationship of these organisations to wider Cold War scenarios.…”