Creative thinking : an untapped resource in voluntary youth organisations

Abstract

Whereas much attention is given to commercial organisations in relation to creativity, minimal attention is given to the youth voluntary organisations. Voluntary youth organisations are the grassroots of society and they should be targeted for research and development. Creativity is still an untapped resource within the voluntary scenario and its introduction will strengthen the organisation whilst training the volunteers. The objectives of this dissertation are; to acquire a deeper understanding of the voluntary youth organisations' climate as experienced during board meetings, to identify the main activities and processes and determine the key factors that hinder creativity and to introduce the concept of creativity through the introduction of creative thinking tools targeting the individual volunteers as being the main components of the voluntary organisation. The focus is on movers and shapers, group dynamics, discussions and decision-making and idea-generation discussed through the creative elements of person, press, process and product. The quantitative method used was a cross-case analysis between observations sessions and creativity-training session with eight Maltese voluntary youth organisations The main contribution of this research is to highlight the essential intervention of creative thinking as a resource and highlight its importance to ameliorate the climate and train volunteers for their personal growth and for the well being of the voluntary youth organisation.