Effects of International Volunteering and Service: Individual and Institutional Predictors

Abstract

Despite unprecedented recent expansion of international volunteering and service (IVS), there has been relatively little research on impacts. This paper proposes a conceptual model for impact research based on existing research evidence published in English. The model suggests that outcomes for host communities, volunteers, and sending communities vary depending on individual and institutional attributes and capacity. How institutions structure and leverage individual capacity influences who participates and how they serve, and shapes the impact of volunteer action. The conceptual model provides directions for future research.Résumé En dépit de l'expansion sans précédent du VI (Volontariat international), il y a eu relativement peu de recherches sur ses impacts. Cet article propose un modèle conceptuel sur la recherche d'impact se basant sur la preuve de recherches existantes publiées en anglais. Le modèle suggère que les résultats pour les communautés hôtes, les volontaires et les communautés envoyées varient selon les attributs et la capacité des individus et des institutions. La façon dont la structure des institutions et les influences sur la capacité des individus, influence ceux qui participent et la façon dont ils servent et donnent forme à l'impact de l'action volontaire. Le modèle conceptuel fournit des perspectives pour de futures recherches.Zusammenfassung Trotz der jüngsten beispiellosen Ausweitung von internationalem freiwilligem Dienst (IVS) gibt es relativ wenig Forschung über dessen Auswirkung. Dieser Artikel stellt ein Denkmodell für die Erforschung von Auswirkungen basierend auf bestehender, in Englisch publizierter Forschungsevidenz vor. Das Modell legt nahe, dass Folgen für Aufnahmegemeinschaften, Freiwillige und Sendegemeinschaften von individuellen und institutionellen Attributen und Leistungsvermögen abhängen. Wie Institutionen individuelles Leistungsvermögen strukturieren und vorteilhaft einsetzen, beeinflusst wer teilnimmt, wie der Dienst abgeleistet wird und die Auswirkung der Freiwilligenarbeit. Das Denkmodell gibt Anleitung für zukünftige Forschung.Resumen A pesar de la reciente proliferación de los servicios voluntarios internacionales, las investigaciones realizadas para estudiar sus repercusiones son relativamente pocas. Este trabajo propone un modelo conceptual para investigar las repercusiones en función de las pruebas existentes publicadas en lengua inglesa. El modelo sugiere que los resultados de las comunidades de acogida, los voluntarios y las comunidades de emigración varían dependiendo de las características y las capacidades, tanto de las personas como de las instituciones. La forma en que las instituciones estructuran y aprovechan la capacidad de las personas determina quién participa y cómo prestan sus servicios, lo que confirma las repercusiones de la acción voluntaria. El modelo conceptual ofrece asimismo pautas para futuras investigaciones.

How do International Volunteering Characteristics Influence Outcomes? Perspectives from Partner Organizations

“…Three of these five types fit well with categories commonly represented in other literature: professional short-term volunteers have significant skills, training, and experience and usually serve for a shorter-time because they are maintaining concurrent employment (Allum 2007;Chang 2005;Sherraden et al 2008). Long-term development volunteers typically live and work in low-income communities for at least 1 year, and are usually required by the sending IVCO to hold a college degree as a minimum educational requirement (Daniel et al 2006;Devereux 2008;Sherraden et al 2006).…”

“…However, with a higher number and variety of responses, future research could possibly further subdivide these groups by additional program components, such as the number of volunteers serving together, reciprocal directionality (e.g., North-South, South-South. ), and cultural immersion practices (Sherraden et al 2006(Sherraden et al , 2008. Indeed, the different mandates of diverse organizations certainly play a role in the type of volunteer selected and the skill sets demanded of these volunteers, and greater variance could be captured with a more diverse sampling frame.…”

“…), and the degree of internationality (single country, multinational teams, etc.) (Hills and Mahmud 2007;Sherraden et al 2006Sherraden et al , 2008. Although there are likely measurable differences in program outcomes by these categories and may be important variables for future research, they are not used to further subdivide our analysis in this study.…”

“…These models often focus less on volunteer-host interactions and more on the interactions between volunteers, which may build cross-cultural understanding among volunteers but may potentially inhibit cross-cultural understanding with host communities (Sherraden et al 2008;Tiessen 2017). Likewise, when young people from the same cultural background travel in groups, this often presents challenges with developing deep cross-cultural engagement (Ogden 2008).…”

Finding oneself while discovering others: An existential perspective on volunteer tourism in Thailand

“…Fourth, the intra-personal theme most commonly linked to volunteer tourism is personal transformation (Coghlan & Weiler, 2015;Diprose, 2012;Lee & Woosnam, 2010;Sherraden, Lough, & McBride, 2008). McGehee and Santos (2005) argue that the distinctiveness of volunteer tourism helps to explain why it provides opportunities for consciousness-raising, while Coghlan and Gooch (2011, p. 716) treat volunteer tourism as a form of transformative learning, which ''changes problematic sets of reference to frames of reference that are more inclusive, discriminating, open, reflective and emotionally able to change."…”