Yes! If you're not going to look out for your fellow human beings then what is left for us! It's campaigns and the enthusiasm that these young people have got that keeps me going, more of this and less worrying about what looks good. You've got to stick up for each other

That is exactly the issue - 'voluntary' work is now being used more and more as a label for something else, 'voluntary compulsory work' - doesn't make sense does it. Immigrants seeking citizenship will have to do it, the long term unemployed, the sick, the disabled.... it's not voluntary unless you volunteer to do it and these people aren't/ can't..

As far as the government's opinion goes, I wouldn't say they want people to be really politically engaged so much as busy doing something that they can recognise within their own narrow frameworks as 'positive'. I wouldn't have thought that the kinds of 'volunteering opportunities' that are going to be offered in this context will be particularly inspiring or stimulating to say the least. You're right John O, it's the undermining of active, passionate individuals who volunteer their time for something that they simply can't sit down and shut up about, and the equating of this to the lifeless 'volunteer' posts forced by government that is the real issue.

Emma's film is useful but what does she make of the fact immigrants seeking citizenship will have to do voluntary work? I am not sure the government cares exactly what people do really in terms of content political or otherwisae or drawing a line. In fact they push volunteering because people are not politicaly engaged. I think they will tolerate pretty much anything they are so at sea and desperate for people to care they exisit. Isn't the issue really the undermining of volunteering by making it involuntary and the demeaning of politics by calling it all voluntary work which smacks of doing good rather than serious social change.?

Ticking boxes has become, unfortunately, a way of life. But why should it? I volunter because I WANT to, and if I'd had to fill forms and tick boxes, I probably wouldn't have bothered... not that I have anything to hide. It don't matter what gender I am or my sexual orientation (as in Kyle's clip), as long as I am able to do the work. I applaud the open door policy of WORLDwrite.

We have become so complacent about how volunteering is being used to tick policy makers boxes (as you lot say) that many in the voluntary sector just shrug their shoulders and say 'oh well, that's how it is now' or 'we don't want to do it, we are forced to do it.' But if we don't challenge it, who will?

Volunteering, activism, community work, social work...
The list is surely endless.
The important issue is that 'volunteering' is now recognised as such an integral part of society that the powers that be want in on it and this will bring it's beauracracy and hidden agendas.
Those passionate about the cause need to work hard to keep the sector self-sustaining and non-reliant on 'red-taped-money.'

So is helping people who have broken the law on rehab schemes who are in prison on a voluntary basis voluntary work or a political activity because you believe there are better ways to deal with people who have broken the law than throwing away the key & rehab is one of them - so you are politicaly motivated to this ?

I think the comments are instructive but I am not at all sure about this idea of a seration between political activity or activism and voluntary work. Where is the line then and who draws ir? Isn't caring for the elderly for no money or for kids or organising a local jumble sale to raise money for a village in Africa acts of human solidarity and therfore great politics ? I think the volunteer manager below has got it wrong and is filtering what he/ehe - her organisation deems appropriate. I thought the government to be fair was into promoting volunteering to promote active citizens ( not in the old way of services on the cheap-I think those days are gone & in any case funding volunteer opps these days is not cheap for them)but does this mean dictating what they do then ?

I think there are two issues at work here - volunteering as a need to 'right a wrong' and, as Emma says, stand up for what you believe in, alongside volunteering as a government initiative that, as Tony says, basically gets people to do the work that the government should be responsible for themselves. Total doublespeak totally condescending but also totally resistable. We just need to recognise what corner we stand in here and fight it!

Yes! Bring back the soul into volunteering! Volunteering is a great way for inspired young people to get involved in existing projects and there are great projects made possible through the funding now available to voluntary organisations. Though it does seem that such funding opportunities do come with a scent of deceit where they are geared towards certain goals with disregard to the interests of the individuals involved. Once again the bigger plan for 'society' pays little regard to the social humans within it.

I think what Emma is saying is that the governments involvement in calling the shots, as they do when they hook funding for volunteering projects to their policies, means volunteering is narrowed to projects that tick their box. As she says there are many volunteers doing things against the government like the treatment of immigrants. This we need to challenge otherwise we become not only boxed but taking our commands from above rather than what we see as something to fight against or for whether that fits the government or not. How I do this is difficult as if you depend on funding, like my organisation does, and so much of it is geared towards proving you are reaching at least one of the outcomes the government wants, then what do you do. Still think it is important to resist this or at least like Emma has done question it.

I think there is a difference between political activism and volunteering. Sometimes this overlaps but sometimes not. And so this means people can get involved in all sorts of different activities for all sorts of reasons - that's okay isn't it?

This fascination with ticking the boxes has come from the same politicians and consultants who constantly exhort us to think outside of the box. I believe they employ such Orwellian doublespeak to cover the fact that they want the voluntary sector to perform essential Government services. Perhaps we should drop the name volunteer because of it's corruption and adopt the title of activist instead.

Yes, today volunteering is very much an institution geared towards 'ticking boxes'. It is also the government's excuse for not investing in training and education. Many, especially the young, volunteer to boost their cv's or to prove that they are a good citizen of society. It is reassuring that such a film is made asking such important questions. Bring back the soul into volunteering!