With roots dating back to 1820, Indiana University (IU) is a school steeped in history, and AmeriCorps is no stranger to their work. In 2010, IU published a Service Learning Research Primer based upon work supported by AmeriCorps under Learn and Serve Clearinghouse. The 2017 National Service and Civic Engagement Research grant to IU’s Board of Trustees presents another opportunity for the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy to conduct research that impacts national service and volunteering.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 4.9 million (or 12 percent) of American youth between the ages of 16 and 24 were disconnected (i.e. neither working nor in school) in 2015 (Measure of America, 2017). Without social networks and support provided by school or work, disconnected youth are more vulnerable to social and economic risks and may face greater challenges accessing opportunities in adulthood. This study, led by Drs. Una Osili and Sara Konrath, will examine whether volunteerism during adolescence is associated with an increased likelihood of productive activity later in life during early adulthood, especially among socially and/or economically disadvantaged youth. The study posits that volunteering can provide access to job and education opportunities through social networks and improved health – thus reducing economic and social inequality.
The findings suggest that parental role modeling and gender are both strong predictors of volunteering and charitable giving among adolescents and volunteering among young adults, controlling for other variables that may affect volunteering and giving. By contrast, the Great Recession negatively predicts charitable giving by adolescents and volunteering by young adults, controlling for other factors. The findings also suggest that volunteering in adolescence positively predicts productive activity (i.e., employment and college enrollment) during young adulthood. Volunteering in adolescence is positively associated with volunteering and better health in young adulthood. Additional analysis will address the remaining two research questions.
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