The Volunteering Dogma and Canadian Work Experience: Do Recent Immigrants Volunteer Voluntarily?

Abstract

This article deconstructs the now common practice of immigrant volunteering for the purpose of upgrading or practicing job-related skills in Canada. The analysis draws on the findings of two separate qualitative studies related to the integration of immigrant adults in Southern Ontario. The first study (Wilson-Forsberg) focused on the settlement and adaptation experiences of immigrants (both men and women) from Latin America and the second study (Sethi) examined the impact of employment on the health and well-being of immigrant and refugee women from the visible minority population. Having re-analyzed our interview data to highlight the motivations behind participants’ volunteering and their perceptions of the experience, the findings suggest that immigrants volunteer to gain Canadian experience, to maintain remnants of professional identity, and to overcome loneliness and boredom. Intersectionality analysis of participants’ multiple intersecting identities reveals that immigrant volunteering is more complex than merely volunteering for upgrading human and/or social capital skills. The article concludes that, while volunteering can be beneficial to foster the social integration of immigrants, it appears to do little to enhance their economic integration. Cet article déconstruit la pratique maintenant courante des immigrants de faire du volontariat à fin d’améliorer ou de pratiquer leurs compétences liées à l’emploi au Canada. L’analyse repose sur les résultats de deux études qualitatives indépendantes reliées à l’intégration d’immigrants adultes dans le sud de l’Ontario. La première étude (auteur 1) a porté sur l’expérience d’établissement et d’adaptation d’immigrants (hommes et femmes) d’Amérique Latine et la deuxième étude (auteur 2) a examiné l’impact de l’emploi sur la santé et le bien-être de femmes immigrantes et réfugiées provenant de la population de minorités visibles. Après avoir révisé notre analyse des données ramassées lors des entrevues pour souligner les motivations qui poussent les participants à faire du volontariat et leurs perceptions de l’expérience, il apparaît que les immigrants font du volontariat pour gagner de l’expérience canadienne, pour maintenir un semblant d’identité professionnelle, et pour surmonter la solitude et l’ennui. L’analyse intersectionnelle des croisements multiples d’identités des participants révèle que le volontariat immigrant est plus complexe que le simple fait d’améliorer le capital d’habiletés humaines et/ou sociales. L’article conclut que bien que le volontariat soit bénéfique pour favoriser l’intégration sociale des immigrants, il ne semble pas rehausser leur intégration économique.

From Independence to dependence: Experiences of Syrian refugees

“…Our participants explored possibilities for volunteering or self‐employment to gain Canadian experience and establish connections while improving upon their English skills. Volunteering can help individuals acquire an understanding of Canadian society and move towards social belonging and integration (Wilson‐Forsberg & Sethi, 2015), but our participants found it does not facilitate access to job opportunities and economic integration. Those who volunteered with Habitat for Humanity realized they still could not work in construction without a certain level of English.…”

Toronto’s Francophone Voluntary Sector Under Pressure: The Challenges of Immigrant Integration in a Linguistic Minority Context

“…In addition to questions about being able to meet specialized demand in particular locations, dispersion interacts with various forms of oppression. The lack of physical access to services in one's neighbourhood builds on gendered, class-based, and racialized hierarchies, deepens structural inequities, and encourages further marginalization (Gingrich, 2003;Wilson-Forsberg & Sethi, 2015).…”

Labour Market Transition: Barriers and Supports for First Generation Immigrant and Refugee Youth

“…Aisha was dismayed at the difficulty of obtaining employment as a result of this requirement: "anytime you apply, they just tell you, do you have any Canadian experience?" The barrier of Canadian experience as a prerequisite for employment among immigrants is well-documented in the literature (Bauder, 2001;Petri, 2009;Thomas, 2009;Li, 2010;Wilson-Forsberg & Sethi, 2015).…”

“…The Points System assesses Economic Class applicants based on human capital assets, such as language skills, education levels, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2015a). As a result of these indicators, on average, immigrants tend to hold higher levels of education than both earlier generations of immigrants and Canadian-born individuals (Krahn & Taylor, 2005;Boyd, 2009;Simmons, 2010;Statistics Canada, 2012;Wilson-Forsberg & Sethi, 2015).…”