Our research outputs
What have we learned so far about COVID-19 volunteering in the UK? A rapid review of the literature
Community engagement and volunteering are essential for the public response to COVID-19. By considering a broad definition of COVID-19 volunteering, this article describes a systematic review of the literature focused on two broad questions: What have we learned so far from COVID-19 volunteering both at the UK national level and the more local community level? What have we learned from engagement with local communities and community champions during the COVID-19 period? We identified important factors for fostering community engagement and COVID volunteering as well as gaps in the current literature. We suggest that future research should be directed towards deepening knowledge on sustaining community engagement, collaboration and community participation over time, during and beyond this pandemic.
- Mao, G., Fernandes-Jesus, M., Ntontis, E., & Drury, J. (preprint). What have we learned so far about COVID-19 volunteering in the UK? A rapid review of the literature. MedRxiv. doi:10.1101/2020.11.22.20236059
Therapeutic alliance: How participation in Covid-19 mutual aid groups affects subjective wellbeing and how political identity moderates these effects
The present study investigates one possible motivation for continued participation: the wellbeing benefits associated with psychological membership of groups, as suggested by the ‘social cure’ approach. Interviews were conducted with 11 volunteers in a mutual aid group organised by ACORN, a community union and anti-poverty campaigning organisation. Through qualitative analysis we show that participation provided wellbeing in different ways: positive emotional experiences, increased engagement in life, improved social relationships, and greater sense of control. Participants also reported some negative emotional experiences. Whilst all interviewees experienced benefits from participation, those who viewed their participation through a political lens were able to experience additional benefits such as feelings of empowerment. These findings have implications for how such groups retain their members and how authorities support these groups.
- Mao, G., Drury, J., Fernandes-Jesus, M., & Ntontis, E. (preprint). Therapeutic alliance: How participation in Covid-19 mutual aid groups affects subjective wellbeing and how political identity moderates these effects. SocArXiv. doi:10.31235/osf.io/x9csf
More than a COVID-19 response: Sustaining mutual aid groups during and beyond the pandemic
In this study, we address how mutual aid groups can be sustained over time in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We interviewed 32 organizers of groups around the country to understand what works in sustaining these groups over time. Foundational to sustaining the groups was (1) resources (2) building trust and (3) community-based alliances. In the strategies that organisers used to keep volunteers involved, group processes were particularly important, namely: (1) creating a culture of care and support (2) regular group meetings (3) communication (4) shared leadership and (5) socialising events. There were positive outcomes that arose from these group strategies or which reflected experiences in the group that were related to sustained participation namely: enjoyment and efficacy, and sense of community and cohesion. We propose four practical recommendations for sustaining mutual aid groups in order to assist public engagement with protective behaviours in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: 1) to provide practical and financial support to COVID-19 mutual aid groups; 2) to mobilise the knowledge and the experiences acquired by COVID-19 mutual aid groups for developing programmes and interventions for addressing the medium and long-term impacts of COVID-19; 3) to prioritise community-level interventions; and 4) to recognise the role of group processes as they have the potential to lead to long-term community responses.
Fernandes-Jesus, M., Mao, G., Ntontis, E., Cocking, C., McTague, M., Schwarz, A., Semlyen, J., & Drury, J. (2021). More than a COVID-19 response: Sustaining mutual aid groups during and beyond the pandemic. SocArXiv. doi:10.31235/osf.io/p5sfd