Student agency in volunteer programmes at Rhodes university

Abstract

Student volunteer work plays a vital role in addressing local community issues such as high poverty rates, high illiteracy and high unemployment rates. Through students, tertiary institutions are able to fulfil their social responsibility. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of agency on student participation in volunteer work at Rhodes University, in Makhanda. To effectively respond to this inquiry, the research focused on the Nine Tenths Mentoring programme. Following a qualitative approach comprising a mix of an interpretivist and case study paradigms, the findings revealed that the umbrella term ‘student agency’ comprised mainly of moral agency, identity agency, pragmatic agency, and existential agency. These forms of agency largely contributed to a positive volunteer experience that contributed significantly to healthy relationships among community members and student volunteers, as well as advancing the student volunteers as committed agents of social change. This research highlighted the importance of involving tertiary students in community volunteer work.