The aim of this project is to encourage, promote and facilitate volunteering at cultural heritage institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries, nationally and across the borders. Volunteering is seen as a form of informal learning and a positive contribution to the community. A mapping of volunteer activities and experiences at the participating institutions will be carried out in order to give a deeper knowledge of the individual and organisational values of volunteers in cultural heritage institutions in relation to personal growth, lifelong learning, job creation, social inclusion, cultural diversity, and regional development. A comparison of practices and regulations in the participating countries will be carried out in order to develop joint methods and produce guidelines that can be acknowledged and applied by cultural heritage institutions, volunteer organisations, trade unions and local, regional and national governments.

Purpose:

In this time of economic crisis and its negative impact on the cultural sector, there is an increasing need for support and funding to ensure that all services at the cultural heritage institutions are well maintained. The contributions of volunteers might be necessary in order for the cultural heritage institutions to continue their activities, preserve their collections and provide the visitors with memorable experiences. However, the use of volunteers is not unproblematic and there are many things to take in to consideration. The benefits and challenges must be closely examined. Volunteering has been viewed as unpaid work and an act of altruism, but recently there has been a visible shift in attitudes towards volunteering as an informal learning experience and a means of personal growth. Cultural heritage institutions must assert their role as arenas for lifelong learning and employability. This is the main reason why this project was initiated.

There is little previous research on volunteers and cultural heritage in the Nordic and Baltic countries. This project seeks to narrow that gap by providing a comparative analysis of volunteering at cultural heritage institutions in the participating countries. The project has a two-fold purpose. First, it examines the value of volunteering, both on the individual and the organisational level. Secondly, it evaluates the regulations governing the use of volunteers and suggests a set of recommendations for future implementation. Ultimately, the main goal is to encourage, promote and facilitate volunteering at cultural heritage institutions, nationally and across the borders. 

Background

There are many reasons for volunteering or to involve volunteers in an organisation. Volunteers commonly cite altruistic motives for their reason to participate, like supporting an organisation they appreciate or giving something back to their community, but volunteering can also be a way to learn new things, improve skills, gain work experience, widen social circles or just to have fun. The effects may go even deeper, bringing health and psychological benefits as well. Organisations are said to benefit from the volunteers’ work, knowledge and financial contribution, but at the same time the use of volunteers can strengthen the relation to the community and enhance the cultural identity. On a larger scale, there might be benefits for the whole community, such as greater prosperity, cultural diversity and social cohesion. Therefore it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of the different values of volunteering in cultural heritage institutions in order to entice more people into taking part.  

The extent and practices of adult volunteering varies across the world. In Sweden volunteering is mainly connected to being a member in a club or an association and getting involved in their activities. However, these people rarely regard themselves as volunteers, but rather as active members. In other countries, such as the UK and the US, there is a long tradition of voluntary work, and not uncommonly at cultural heritage institutions. In Sweden, on the other hand, the use of volunteers in that type of organisations is often viewed with suspicion as it is believed to reduce job opportunities for paid staff. An advanced welfare system and strong trade unions have made the use of unpaid work difficult and therefore volunteering often becomes a legal and ethical dilemma. Similar attitudes are prevalent in the other Nordic countries. [something about the situation in the Baltic countries] For this reason it is important to investigate existing practices and regulations in relation to duties, functions and responsibilities, and to develop joint methods and recommendations for the stakeholders, such as cultural institutions, volunteer organisations, trade unions and local, regional and national governments. 

Project description

The project is based on the emerging need to identify and analyse experiences, practices and legislations in order to encourage, promote and facilitate volunteering at cultural heritage institutions in the Nordic-Baltic countries, nationally and across the borders. The emphasis is on volunteering as an informal learning experience and a means of personal growth. There are few previous studies in this area and there is also a lack of data, which means that the participating cultural heritage institutions will have to produce their own data. Possible research techniques to be employed are interviews, surveys and observations, as wells as documentary and policy analysis. The study will then draw on existing and new data to compare the different situations in the participating countries. All the collected data and knowledge exchange will contribute to the development of joint methods on how to involve volunteers, and a set of recommendations that can be acknowledged and applied by cultural heritage institutions, volunteer organisations, trade unions and local, regional and national governments [in the participating countries].

The project will start [date and year] and end [date and year]. It will consist of [number] activities. NCK will coordinate the activities, assist the partners, and manage the internal and external communication. Communication and active participation will be an essential part of the project. All participants will contribute to the study by collecting data, attending project meetings and help disseminating the results. The result of the study – methods and recommendations – will be implemented in the participating institutions.   

Planned activities

The first activity is a start-up meeting in [insert date]. The meeting will be held in Östersund, Sweden. At the meeting all partners participate and contribute with their ideas and opinions. The meeting will result in a research guideline for the subsequent case studies.

The second activity is to carry out case studies on the volunteer activities and experiences at the participating institutions. Each partner assesses the situation in their organisation. Partners in the same sector will collaborate and assist each other. Suggested research techniques are interviews, surveys and observations. Findings will be compiled in a report to be to be distributed to all participants and presented at the interim meeting.

The third activity is the national investigations on the practices and regulations of volunteering. In this activity, partners from the same country will work together to collect data. Suggested research techniques are documentary and policy analysis. Additional interviews with stakeholders can also be a source of information. Findings will be compiled in a report to be to be distributed to all participants and presented at the interim meeting.

The fourth activity is the comparative analysis. This activity will be carried out by NCK. Differences and similarities are regarded and possible reasons are identified. A first draft of the comparative analysis will be distributed to all participants and presented at the interim meeting. 

The fifth activity is the interim meeting. This meeting will be held in [date and location]. At the meeting the findings of the case studies and the national investigations are presented and discussed with representatives from the cultural heritage sector, the volunteer organisations and the cultural policy realm. The discussions will be the starting point for developing methods that can be used by archives, museums and other cultural heritage institutions and recommendations that can be acknowledged and applied by institutions, volunteer organisations, trade unions and local, regional and national governments.

The sixth activity is to produce a set of recommendations. This activity will be carried out by NCK in close collaboration with the other partners. The recommendations will be included in a final report, along with a summary of the comparative analysis.

The seventh activity is a final meeting for the project partners in [date and location]. At this meeting the results of the study will be further discussed. Also, the implementation and dissemination of the results are to be discussed.

The eighth activity is the dissemination of the project results.