Three years on - the impact of being a Host City Volunteer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Rogerson, Robert and Reid, Fiona and Sly, Bridget and Nicholson, Raf (2018) Three years on - the impact of being a Host City Volunteer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Glasgow Life, Glasgow.

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Abstract

This research has examined the long-term impact or legacy of the Host City Volunteer (HCV) programme at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (1.1). By engaging with a large group of the former HCVs, it has sought to identify the nature of change in levels of volunteering and social connectedness. The evidence from the results presented in this report suggests continuity rather than change. The Games-time experience has not transformed the HCVs into repeat volunteers, having limited impact in altering their existing propensity to volunteer. It challenges the widely accepted view that increased volunteering should be a realistic aspiration from major events. On the other hand, the research found that there has been a small but measurable increase in levels of connectedness, especially amongst those were more socially isolated before being a HCV. Taken as a whole, this research therefore suggests that a one-off intervention like the HCV programme is not sufficient, by itself, to have a long-term impact on the volunteering behaviours of participants. Further action is needed to translate enthusiasm about the Games-time volunteering experience into long-term tangible change in behaviour (7.0).

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