The Experience of Young Adult Former Volunteers Within the Salesian Community in Malta

Abstract

This study is about the experience of young adult former volunteers within the Maltese Salesian family. It aims to explore the changing life circumstances and new life-events which led these young adults to end their involvement in volunteering. It also seeks to find alternatives which would be more accessible to these young adults in their current life status.

This work indicates that volunteering in the Salesian style has a pedagogical character, helping young people grow and develop their skills and values. Priorities for young adult volunteers change throughout their life course, with family and work taking over their volunteering commitments. Some participants also mention not fitting in with the experience any longer due to new leadership, an age gap between them and new members, or other difficulties which had occurred. However, despite not being involved in volunteering any longer, participants still consider volunteering as an important value in their lives, and in the lives of their family, with most parents stating that they would like to see their children involved in the sector too in the future. Finally, participants describe experiences which would be more accessible to them, mainly episodic volunteering, family volunteering, online volunteering and volunteering related to their profession.