Adolescents from disadvantaged neighborhoods: Personal characteristics as related to volunteer involvement

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships between involvement in volunteer activities of youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods and their life aspirations: the intensity of their remembered positive experiences: and their sense of coherence (SOC). Scales measuring these factors were administered to three groups of adolescents from disadvantaged neighborhoods: a) 57 adolescents who had been active volunteers during the course of one year, b) 37 adolescents who had merely registered to become involved but had not yet begun their activity, and c) 42 adolescents who were not involved in any volunteer activity. A cross-sectional design was selected to compare the three groups. The results showed that adolescents who had been involved in such activities for a period of at least one year expressed a stronger sense of coherence in their lives, a higher desire to commit of themselves to society, and a greater capacity to experience more intense positive experiences, in comparison to the other two groups of their noninvolved peers. The potential significance of volunteer activity for disadvantated adolescents was explored, and suggestions were offered for new directions in social rehabilitation programs.The authors would like to thank Dee B. Ankonina for her editorial assistance.