Chinese youth and alternative narratives of volunteering

Over the past 20 years, volunteering has developed as a new field for governmental control and regulation of an emergent civil society. This article draws on interviews with 60 young volunteers in southern China, mostly university students and recent graduates. I contrast their experiences in off-campus, youth-led voluntary associations with the officially approved student organizations of normal university life. I argue that the instrumental organization of volunteers characterizes the party-state's efforts to funnel youthful enthusiasm and compassion into particular political projects and officially prescribed goals. Unhappy with the 'formalistic' nature of these activities, youth engaging in bottom-up volunteer initiatives articulate other priorities, including a strong desire for meaningful, personal engagement that state-led programmes and university student organizations are typically unable to provide.