Évolution des motivations du bénévolat : des réponses associatives

An individual's engagement to offer benevolent support and care is part of an overall community endeavour with a dual approach: develop the teamwork dimension of benevolent support, favour a culture of benevolent support. The French law of June 9, 1999 recognized the importance of benevolent support and associations of individuals devoted to such action. This associative dimension of benevolent support concerns not only members of specific structures but also individual persons accompanying the ill. Each benevolent worker must be aware that his-her engagement is part of a specific effort of solidarity which has a social dimension and a human dimension expressed via the values of the association. The benevolent worker must understand the importance of the team spirit where there is no place for individualism. When choosing to participate in benevolent support there can be no “negotiation” about this point. These prerequisites do not rule out a certain degree of flexibility within the associations: adapting actions to the profiles of the benevolent members, favouring personal creativity and reacting to individual needs. It is our responsibility to adapt our associations without loosing our identity and our sense of engagement.