A Short History of Volunteering 志愿服務簡史

俞月圓

The origin of volunteering can be traced back to 12th century Britain， where there were more than 500 hospitals operated by volunteers. In the beginning， volunteering was strongly connected to religion and religious institutions. The word ‘volunteering’， taken from the French volontaire， started being used in the 18th century when people were willingly joining the military service. Today， the word is not so much connected with the military service， but with community service.

Taking a big leap forward， it wasn’t until the 19th century that we began seeing examples of organized volunteering， such as the YMCA1 which first opened its doors in London in 1844 and has since engaged in a wide variety of charitable activities， including providing athletic facilities， holding classes for a wide variety of skills， proselytizing2 Christianity， and humanitarian work.

Another prime example of volunteering at that time is Clara Barton3’s tremendous help during the Civil War， and her efforts afterward in what eventually became the Red Cross.

The 20th century was marked with the establishment of more voluntary organizations. Two examples are the Rotary Club4， which formed as a place for individuals from different backgrounds to meet and exchange valuable ideas， create friendships and together lead to change; and the Lions Club5’s which also centered on successful men joining together for the greater good of the community.

World War II brought another revolution in volunteering， with efforts concentrated for the first time on volunteer groups being sent to help overseas （e.g. Peace Corps6）.

With the increasing popularity of volunteering， a lot of academic institutions and workplaces started demanding from their students and workers to engage in volunteering activities.

It may surprise some that the biggest revolution in volunteering was brought by the invention of the Internet. Connecting individuals and organizations from all around the world makes the Internet a true revolution in the volunteering world. Organizations， being able to reach people easier， launched online listings and indexes. Helpful platforms were raised， and more volunteers became interested when they found out about various opportunities.

志愿服務的起源可以追溯到12世紀的英國，當時該國有超過500家由志愿者運營的醫院。起初，志愿服務與宗教和宗教機構密切相關。英文volunteering一詞來自法語volontaire，從18世紀開始使用，最初指人們自愿從軍。如今，這個詞和服兵役已經關系不大，而是與社區服務有關。

其后過了很久，直到19世紀，我們才開始看到有組織的志愿活動，如“基督教青年會”。該組織于1844年在倫敦創立，自那時起從事各種各樣的慈善活動，包括提供運動設施、開辦各類技能培訓班、傳播基督教、開展人道主義工作。

當時，志愿活動的另一個范例是美國內戰期間克拉拉·巴頓的慷慨施助，以及她之后為創辦（美國）紅十字會所做的努力。

20世紀涌現了更多志愿服務組織。舉兩個例子，一是扶輪社，它提供了一個平臺，不同背景的人可以在此相識并交換有價值的想法，結下友情并共同造就變革;二是國際獅子會，這個團體的核心也是成功人士，他們攜手合作，謀求社會福祉。

二戰為志愿服務帶來了又一次革命，人們的努力方向首次聚焦于派駐海外提供援助的志愿服務組織（如美國和平隊）。

隨著志愿服務越來越流行，許多學術機構和工作單位開始要求自己的學生和雇員參與志愿活動。

志愿服務領域的最大變革來自因特網的發明，這可能會令一些人感到驚訝。因特網將來自世界各地的人和組織聯系起來，由此產生了志愿服務領域的真正革命。志愿服務組織可以更輕松地聯系到人，便推出了線上活動清單和索引。人們搭建起有用的平臺，更多志愿者在了解各種機會后產生了興趣。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）