Is The Changing Definition of Family Changing The Face of Family Volunteering?
Last November, the Pew Research Center released a report titled The Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families that detailed how the public’s idea of what is considered a family is changing. Marriage is no longer the only way to have a family.
More than 85% of respondents said that a single parent and child are a family, and 80% said that an unmarried couple that lives together with a child is a family. Sixty-three percent of respondents said a gay or lesbian couple raising a child is a family.
Marriage and children still play a major role in how the public views family. If a couple that lives together has no children, a majority of the public says that they are not a family. If a married couple does not have children, 88% considered the couple to be a family.
Does the changing nature of what it means to be a family have an effect on what it means to have a family volunteering event?
From a volunteer manager’s standpoint, the changing definition doesn’t have a fundamental change on what it means to host a family volunteer event.
Volunteer tasks that adult and youth volunteers can do together are still an important part of the day. It’s important to plan tasks that youth volunteers can do with little supervision so they can gain a sense of accomplishment along side their parents.
Being able to explain the importance of the volunteers’ work to both children and adults is important, too. Children who made sandwiches all day at a food bank might not realize that they’re making sandwiches for people who might not have anything to else to eat. Taking time at the end of the volunteer day to explain the importance of the work that everyone did is still an important part of any volunteer event, especially family volunteer events.
How do you see the changing face of the family having an effect on family volunteering events? Should volunteer managers planning family volunteer events change how they approach the event because of how families are changing? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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