Abstract

The paper brings to the scientific attention the increasing diffusion of new forms of volunteering in Italy, centred on targeted initiatives, time-limited and related to specific needs and emergencies. In this line, the article focuses on a request for occasional participation launched in the city of Como with the aim to organize a new temporary homeless shelter for the winter. The ethnographic study at the basis of the paper examines the reasons behind this civic initiative. It also analyses the experience of those who joined the project, investigating both the specificity of their of their caring activities in relation with the homeless population and the ways in which volunteers may redefine their expectations, roles and range of action. Finally, the article summarizes the main implications associated to this form of episodic involvement, identifying a series of stimuli that can be useful for elaborating on the emerging paths of volunteering in Italy