A Short History of Volunteering 志愿服务简史

俞月圆

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世纪的英国，当时该国有超过500家由志愿者运营的医院。起初，志愿服务与宗教和宗教机构密切相关。英文volunteering一词来自法语volontaire，从18世纪开始使用，最初指人们自愿从军。如今，这个词和服兵役已经关系不大，而是与社区服务有关。

其后过了很久，直到19世纪，我们才开始看到有组织的志愿活动，如“基督教青年会”。该组织于1844年在伦敦创立，自那时起从事各种各样的慈善活动，包括提供运动设施、开办各类技能培训班、传播基督教、开展人道主义工作。

当时，志愿活动的另一个范例是美国内战期间克拉拉·巴顿的慷慨施助，以及她之后为创办（美国）红十字会所做的努力。

20世纪涌现了更多志愿服务组织。举两个例子，一是扶轮社，它提供了一个平台，不同背景的人可以在此相识并交换有价值的想法，结下友情并共同造就变革;二是国际狮子会，这个团体的核心也是成功人士，他们携手合作，谋求社会福祉。

二战为志愿服务带来了又一次革命，人们的努力方向首次聚焦于派驻海外提供援助的志愿服务组织（如美国和平队）。

随着志愿服务越来越流行，许多学术机构和工作单位开始要求自己的学生和雇员参与志愿活动。

志愿服务领域的最大变革来自因特网的发明，这可能会令一些人感到惊讶。因特网将来自世界各地的人和组织联系起来，由此产生了志愿服务领域的真正革命。志愿服务组织可以更轻松地联系到人，便推出了线上活动清单和索引。人们搭建起有用的平台，更多志愿者在了解各种机会后产生了兴趣。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）