#voluntary action

The State of the World's Volunteerism Report 2015 is the first global review of the power of volunteer voices to help improve the way people are governed. Organized by UN Volunteers.

by MA. RESHEL B. PALACIO  - Last updated on April 4, 2021

Just like our pulses, voluntary actions are important in health education programs...

and just like our pulses, voluntary actions results from the beating of our heart...

HEALTH EDUCATION AND THE POWER OF VOLUNTARY ACTIONS

[Image Source: “Why Volunteer Work is Good for You?” by Kelly Services]

    As defined by Lawrence Green, an American specialist in public health education, health education is

"a combination of learning experiences designed to facilitate voluntary actions conducive to health."

With this in mind, significant implications can be drawn about what really is health education. The meaning suggests that in health education there are behavioural measures that are undertaken by an individual, group or community to achieve an intended health effect without the use of force, and also with full understanding and acceptance of purposes. This is in accordance to the term “voluntary actions.”

    Aside from what Green delineates regarding to the definition of health education and the aspect of voluntary actions, various philosophers and specialists have also been contributing to the essence of voluntary work for centuries. Aristotle, a renowned Greek philosopher, describes voluntary actions as those actions driven by an individual's ambitions, passions or desires. Moreover, according to William Beveridge, a British economist, the term voluntary action means private action that is not under the command of any authority and is for “a public purpose for social advancement.” In other words, for Beveridge, the subject matter for voluntary action revolves in the improvement of the conditions of life for him and for his fellows.

[Read more: Voluntary Action and Social Work in India]

    Other than being a tool for change, let’s talk first about what are the advantages it can bring to an individual who participates in volunteer work.  So, why volunteer? As claimed by HelpGuideOrg International on the surprising benefits of volunteering, few of these are as follows:

Volunteering connects you to others.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body.

Volunteering can advance your career.

Volunteering brings fun and fulfilment to your life.

    To put it into another way, volunteering helps people in need and the community, but the benefits to you, the volunteer, can be much greater. The right match will assist you in making new friends, engaging with the group, learning new skills, and even moving up in your career.

[Read more: Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits]

 WHY VOLUNTARY ACTIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT IN HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS?

[Image Source: “Should I volunteer overseas?” by Student Times]

    Other than in individual perspective, voluntary actions are also important in a larger scale, for instance, in health education programs allotted for the masses.

    Health education programs, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), refers to any planned activity or collection of activities aimed at improving health literacy and developing health-promoting life skills (e.g. decision making, problem solving, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, stress management, coping with emotions). These programs aid in empowering individuals and communities to live in a healthier manner by improving their physical, mental, emotional and social health through knowledge and influencing their attitudes toward self-care. Moreover, anyone could benefit from health education because it focuses on prevention, growing health equity, and reducing negative health consequences.

    As we dwell to the importance of voluntary actions in health education programs, there are a couple of reasons why.

    The more people – health educators and clients from various settings – engage voluntarily in health education programs and justify it themselves for its significance, the more it creates social pressure and social influence to others to participate in this kind of affairs. With this, the scope of a particular program or the people that will take part may surge in number.

    Also, voluntary actions in health education programs are very essential. Those being educated will not take seriously the information being imparted if the health educator is not capable of doing his/her job voluntarily. Moreover, one of the basic principles of health education states that “the health educators should not only have correct information with them on all matters that they have to discuss but also should themselves practice what they profess. Otherwise, they will not enjoy credibility.” In relation to this, how could someone meet the goals provided by a health education program in accordance to their free will, if the one who is teaching them to do so is not wholeheartedly doing their work, right?

 HEALTH EDUCATION HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES

[Image Source: “A United Approach is Vital for Dengue Prevention and Control” by IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent)]

    In some aspects, volunteering is somewhat therapeutic. It could be one’s mechanism to deal with their altruism. However, for some countries, volunteering could be the only option when health standing gets hard. For a third-world country, such as the Philippines, keeping a sound mind and body and having a deep understanding of various health risks is truly a hard quest for us Filipinos. The development delay of our country when it comes to healthcare is very evident. To name a few instances, there are still a lot of misconceptions when it comes to mental health and the nature of some diseases (AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Dengue). Also, we cannot deny the fact that the Philippines is at 79th out of 98 countries among laggards in pandemic response index.

[Read more: Health Misconceptions in the Philippines Articles]

[Read more: Philippines among laggards at 79th out of 98 countries in pandemic response index]

These are indicators that our country is indeed lagging behind and are not ready to bear the consequences of health dilemmas such as the COVID-19 pandemic we're experiencing right now. Truth be told, we barely have a budget for health, more importantly in health education. Even though that the budget for health in 2020 increases by 12% from 2019’s budget (as it should be), this is still not enough to improve a bit our healthcare status. Moreover, according to the Alliance of Health Workers regarding to the proposed 2021 budget, the budget is too small and cannot meet the “health needs of the people and the public health system that is driven by the crisis.” Hence, the government opted to rely on volunteers —  and will continue to pins one’s hope on these heroes — and taking advantage of their passion and their “sinumpaang tungkulin”.

[Read more: DOH asks for volunteer health workers vs coronavirus, to be paid P500 a day]

TO THE BOTTOM LINE

    Volunteering can be difficult to insert in the schedule of our busy lives. However, there is a wide array of advantages we can get through engaging in different voluntary actions. Not just only in ourselves but also to others as well. Moreover, despite of the burning enthusiasm of volunteers in our country, it is also crucial to treat them right and not take advantage of their altruism and passion.

 REFERENCES

http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17111/1/Unit-4.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_do_you_define_a_health_education_programme

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I know you want to argue if you have a choice, then IT is voluntary. I’m happy to concede that concerning voluntary action: we must have a choice for an act to be considered voluntary. However, when considering work for most individuals, choosing is demanded. Freedom of contract doesn't in every circumstance imply a voluntary arrangement. We agree to call the agreements voluntary. In the US, a quick study of due process regarding hours and wages illustrates the problem. Employers know they have employees in a tough spot and that the need to work outweighs a choice to not work. The demand to work outweighs choosing to wait until finding a suitable job with a suitable wage. The demand to work informs “need” in this case. Employers exploit that need. This exploitation is not considered when we talk about choices and voluntary action. I think we should be able to admit this challenges the notion that at root the decision to work is voluntary.

The idealism in voluntaryism overlooks real conditions of existence that limit one’s free choice. The limits originate from the social relationship between employer/owner and employee. Our class-divided societies cultivate both the limits and the hierarchical relationships between individuals in society. My criticism of US libertarianism is that it routinely resists recognizing coercion in power structures that limit liberties for employees, the sick, the homeless, children, prisoners, among others. Libertarians will focus on coercion, yet coercion tends to be something having to do with the way government enforces policies and the way policies affect elite members of society. It’s aristocratic. My problem with the idealism in voluntary action, in this case, is that it assumes individual rights are respected in capitalism. Why the need for this assumption? If at its roots, it’s voluntary, why the need for a caveat?