This is one of the first volumes in the «Library of Solidarity», a new series launched by Piemme publishers in collaboration with Caritas Italiana. The collection will eventually comprise 37 volumes, with the remainder to be published over the coming months. The author of «Volunteerism» is a priest, parish pastor in Larino (CB) and director of the diocesan Caritas. For years he has been researching and working in the world of Italian volunteer service. In this book, he trains his attention on this complex and varied reality in order to reflect on it deeply and to identify its essential elements. Here is how he outlines the main stages of his work:
- what volunteerism is: an attempt to find common ground among the various definitions developed so far;
- who the volunteer is: what ethic he embodies and promotes; what his place and function are within the ecclesial community;
- the challenges and prospects of volunteerism: its relationship with the «third sector» (all innovative social, political, and economic pathways aimed at the common good), its role for Europe, and two areas of particular commitment for the future of volunteerism: the family and the Year of Social Volunteerism (Avs).
What draws the volunteer is the chance to build personal relationships tailored to each person, the need for continuity and consistency in the work, a spirit of service, solidarity, mutual responsibility, commitment to human dignity and liberation, generosity, and selflessness. Yet perhaps not everyone has thought deeply about the roots of these values or how to turn them into coherent and constructive action. The book aims to answer this need—and to address the fundamental question underlying all the others: is volunteerism possible, and under what conditions?