Abstract:This article focuses on the importance of the community context for voluntarism within shifting discourses of localism in England and Scotland. Mobilising communities through the encouragement and support of voluntarism is an important policy and practice driver in both jurisdictions, but is non-reserved. In this context, we outline the ways localism discourses have been mobilised, drawing on case study research in deprived urban areas of Scotland and England to explore the implications of these for sustaining… Show more
“…It is morally superior, and it costs less, underwritten by voluntary and uncosted public service. Woolvin and Hardill (2013) refer to the different layers through which such voluntarism is enacted:…”
Section: The Nature Of the Third Sector Under Localismmentioning
Using interview and documentary empirical evidence from leaders of a local community group that took on the running of a leisure facility after its threatened closure by the local authority, this paper examines the relationship between third sector and state sector, the role of volunteers, the changing role of third sector organisations and the theoretical and practical limitations of 'localism' in making sense of these changes. It is suggested that localism is to be understood in relation to continuing central influences over policy, that community and voluntary organisations are inextricably bound up with the public sector rather than being a discrete and independent sector in their own right, and that the extant academic literature on networks, agencies and partnerships does not adequately describe these emergent new relationships of public service.
“…It is morally superior, and it costs less, underwritten by voluntary and uncosted public service. Woolvin and Hardill (2013) refer to the different layers through which such voluntarism is enacted:…”
Section: The Nature Of the Third Sector Under Localismmentioning
Using interview and documentary empirical evidence from leaders of a local community group that took on the running of a leisure facility after its threatened closure by the local authority, this paper examines the relationship between third sector and state sector, the role of volunteers, the changing role of third sector organisations and the theoretical and practical limitations of 'localism' in making sense of these changes. It is suggested that localism is to be understood in relation to continuing central influences over policy, that community and voluntary organisations are inextricably bound up with the public sector rather than being a discrete and independent sector in their own right, and that the extant academic literature on networks, agencies and partnerships does not adequately describe these emergent new relationships of public service.
“…This return to 'localism' creates both opportunities and threats (Woolvin and Hardill, 2013). As Helen Woolley demonstrates in Sheffield, where local decision-making must be made under challenging fiscal conditions, communities are pitted against each other as they seek to protect their playspace and/or become 'investment-ready' in bidding for limited funding.…”
Section: Reconfiguring the Geographies Of Playspace Provision And Decmentioning
Tensions eased, tensions raised: Play in contemporary UK Tim Gill describes the recent history of play in England as a "rollercoaster". This analogy has merit, and was the premise that gave rise to the seminar in Leicester, from which this collection of papers was derived. As Tim's paper details, and the others in this collection each suggest, the UK Government's commitment to children's play, unparalleled levels of investment, a strengthened national and regional play leadership, professionalisation of the playwork workforce (Skillsactive, 2010), and an ever more expansive evidence base to extol its value, took play to the top of the hill, only for post-austerity cuts to bring it right back down again.Although the facts of the matter cannot be disputed, how these facts are to be regarded are open to multiple interpretations. It is perhaps the litmus test for whether a UK playworker is an optimist or a pessimist to ask their opinion of the recent history of play in the UK; the former will emphasise the progress made in the growth years and the legacy it has left behind; while the latter will bemoan the potential not realised of an English
“…Skinner and Joseph () describe such forms of participation in respect of a mixed economy of social provision in the countryside, as do Hardill and Dwyer in their characterisation of rural communities as multi‐layered entities:These informal neighbourhood community‐based services and activities that rely upon localised networks are part of the fabric of rural community life (Wenger ; Le Mesurier ), and include a diverse range of activities such as befriending and home visiting by members of church groups, social activities at village halls, informal gatherings and social contact that occur while accessing services at village post offices or when visiting village pubs. (Hardill and Dwyer , p. 159)In this way, Hardill and Dwyer and more recently Woolvin and Hardill () draw attention to the formal and informal spaces of voluntary activity that coexist at the local scale. The relative significance attached to these different forms and cultures of participation is highly subjective and context‐specific, and invariably linked to the availability of other resources and support networks.…”
Rural ageing is a significant issue for policy makers and academics, with the increasing proportion of older residents in rural areas placing heightened demands on service provision at a time of economic austerity. In this context, participation and volunteering in older age has been drawn into policy focus. Alongside broader discourses of social capital and active citizenship, the prospect of active ageing has emerged as a key component in the delivery of community‐based services under neoliberal welfare agendas. However, moves to formalise participation among the elderly are at risk of undermining everyday practices of voluntarism. Furthermore, the diversity of the older population means that the willingness and capacity of rural communities and individuals to undertake forms of voluntarism will vary considerably. These issues arise in rural Wales, where notions of participation have become intertwined with Welsh Government initiatives for community regeneration. Through empirical research, this article considers the different motivations of older people for engaging in forms of community participation, as well as constraints to these activities. In concluding, we reflect on the implications for local civil society in Wales.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
