Voluntary activity and local government: managing volunteers or facilitating active citizenship?

This article investigates different concepts of voluntary activity as they are manifested at the local government level in Australia. It identifies the challenges faced by local councils as they develop strategies for engaging voluntary activity and the responses to these challenges. The responses can be analysed within two paradigms, the volunteer paradigm and the active citizenship paradigm. The article argues that responses that operate within the active citizenship paradigm offer an approach to voluntary activity that is more appropriate to building active, supportive and sustainable communities than traditional approaches to volunteering.