Social Matters in Germany

More than 23 million Germans are involved in voluntary work, with an upward trend. Politicians see this as a demonstration of the existence of a thriving civil society, while social scientists see the phenomenon as an indication that values are changing for the better.

When people talk of changing values, talk of declining values is usually sure to follow. Research and first-hand reports on the subject of civic commitment prove this cultural pessimism wrong. People are involved in voluntary work as youth trainers, fire fighters, parents, helpers in social and church institutions, cultural and recreational clubs and many other areas. 36 per cent of all citizens are involved in voluntary work according to the 2004 survey on volunteering – a two per cent increase on 1999. There is much to suggest that there will once again be an increase in 2009. No wonder the government has recognised that volunteers give the system vital support and that it promotes them in campaigns such as Die Gesellschafter project. But how did the trend towards this new form of cooperation begin?

Helpful egoists

Horst Opaschowski, Research Director at the Foundation for Future Studies in Hamburg, calls these people “helpful egoists”, and sees “a kind of calculated helpfulness”. “Communities emerge on the basis on reciprocity rather than charity,” is how he describes his observations in an interview with Die Zeit. In so doing, he highlights a new key motivation. People used to get involved from an inner sense of duty in accordance with the biblical command to love your neighbour as yourself. Today, the prime motives are to experience a sense of community and to receive social recognition.

This is also where the huge government interest in civic commitment sets in. The transformation of values and motivation in the population is an excellent way to make up for shortfalls in public funding. At the end of the 1990s, it was debated for the first time that in the long term the state could not satisfy the growing needs in the areas of culture, recreation and social services on its own. Football trainers were the stock example. The argument went that boys who go to football training sessions several times a week and experience the community feeling of a team have social norms and values imparted to them in a playful way. However, nobody can pay thousands of salaried football trainers, so parents or older brothers have to be motivated.

No voluntary helpers without salaried staff

“Without volunteers, we could not keep on offering much of what we do,” is how Susann Hempel of the Arthur socio-cultural centre in Chemnitz describes her experience of volunteering. The educationalist coordinates a large number of children’s and youth projects and supervises the club’s voluntary staff. “We have up to 30 people working free of charge at festivals, holiday activities and theatre projects. These people rightly expect everything to run smoothly and expect there to be clearly defined task areas. However, that demands great efforts in terms of organisation and supervision by the salaried staff.” What is important, too, is that your work is appreciated. “It goes without saying that you have to say thank-you, but many people also simply expect to find someone who is willing to listen. They want to be part of this community, not just to do their job. With four permanent employees, we can hopefully meet this need well, but smaller clubs may well come up against their limits.”

So people who do voluntary work want to see that there is some point in doing it. If for structural reasons a club cannot fulfil this wish, it will have a hard time fighting for the army of volunteers. The recent “Report on the Situation and Perspectives of Civic Involvement in Germany” by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs stated that “some civil society organisations report a trend towards stagnation or a declining level of commitment.” As well as structural shortcomings, the report’s compilers also see a fashion aspect. Involvement in environmental and nature conservation was in vogue back in the 1990s, but meanwhile, smaller groups in particular are wringing their hands to find helpers. The current economic and financial crisis may be another reason.

Is the crisis slowing down growth?

Having time to do voluntary community service may be an expression of prosperity. Someone who has to struggle to make ends meet will not go out collecting for a soup kitchen. Thus, social scientists do not agree on whether the current economic slump is leading to more cooperation, or on the contrary is accelerating the individualisation process. There is as yet little empirical data on the subject. However, one figure may be representative of a positive development. In autumn 2009, the agency responsible for organising the voluntary social or ecological year reported record participation. Some 37,500 young people opted to do voluntary service in Germany or abroad, 4,500 more than in 2006. This figure supports another of Professor Opaschowski’s theories: “I see the younger generation as pioneers. I call them 'Generation V', because they have taken up the cause that is most important to Germans generally: Vertrauen, Verantwortung und Verlässlichkeit (trust, responsibility and reliability).” These three qualities by no means suggest that there is a decline in values. On the contrary: civil society is alive and as a result values are changing in a way that gives grounds for hope.