Impacts of Volunteering on People’s Lives around the World: Analytical Essay

Introduction

This piece of research aims to review the impacts of volunteering on people’s lives around the world. Additionally, uncovering how volunteering affects people in deprived areas of Scotland and how well volunteer organisations and policy makers support the promotion of volunteering. The Scottish Government (2019) note that volunteering is worth around £2.26 billion to the Scottish economy. That volunteering is bringing people together, fostering trust in communities and improving social capital. However The Scottish Government (2019) note that volunteers are more likely to come from less deprived areas. This research is interested in (1) the impact of volunteering and (2) how volunteering is promoted and utilised in deprived areas. Firstly there will be a background and context to the research and an explanation and justification of my research topic. The research paradigm and associated philosophies will be discussed to provide an understanding of how the research design was shaped. Lastly a literature review of three different themes relating to volunteering will be provided. Following that, an analysis and discussion of how the research topic relates to the key themes that have been uncovered and drawing to a conclusion.

Background and context

Throughout one’s life, there are fundamental paradigm shifts that take place, that can provide a catalyst for life changing environments. Sustainable Community Development (SCD) projects such as global and active citizenship programmes can spark those experiences (Butcher, 2017). These volunteer programmes offer an environment that can create internal changes in attitudes and behaviours that increase confidence in a person’s abilities as well as provide them with new perspectives of global cultures Butcher, 2017). The impacts that these sorts of ventures have on communities and people’s lives are worthy of interest. The Scottish Government (2019) in their framework for volunteering propose that volunteer programmes should be widely available to all as it creates vast advantages and satisfaction for the volunteers, communities and those who are recipients of the volunteering effort. SCD is of particular interest because it was those types of ventures that led me to begin my studies in Community Development. Therefore, I always wonder if I would have decided to venture forth into the type of profession I find myself in now if I had not been able to take advantage of volunteering and SCD opportunities at home and abroad. Mason-Bish (2018) states that positionality affects the choices and decisions the researcher makes. Therefore, it is worth noting that I had many positive experiences in volunteering and reaped and sowed what I consider to be the benefits of those experiences. My bias leans towards the notion that volunteering improves the lives of those who participate in volunteer SCD programmes. The Scottish Government (2019) agrees that volunteering improves social networks and creates connections that can lead to improved life chances for those who volunteer. Additionally, volunteering is known to boost health and well-being as well as improve the circumstances for the communities and individuals whom volunteers serve (Butcher, 2017).

SCD seeks to ensure that communities can meet their own needs within their own communities. Any SCD venture should have this mindset at the forefront of what they do. SCD can be seen throughout the world in many different capacities. SCD is the main heading used to term a category of development work within communities throughout the world. This includes provisions such as voluntourism which is the marriage of tourism and voluntary work. In addition to this, SCD also governs political, global and active citizenship programmes. These programmes are designed to develop people in what is termed “becoming or being a global citizen.” These types of programs usually develop a sense of what participants can do in their own lives to make a difference to world issues. Quote These programs are typically designed to improve the life chances of those involved and an example of one of these programs would be gap year programmes that send people to developing parts of the world to act as a part of their global citizenship programme and are usually part of a wider strategic international development volunteering programme (McGloin and Georgeo, 2016). However, in some cases these programmes can be part of what is termed voluntourism programmes. It is important to understand the distinction between international development volunteering and voluntourism. The former usually involves long term development goals and a commitment from the volunteer sending agency. The sending agencies usually have relationships with the hosts for many years and volunteers will have a real purpose within the landscape of broader, long-term and informed and detailed development programmes. The latter, voluntourism, is an activity driven by the market. It is seen as an economic activity whereby the Global North profit from sending volunteers to developing communities throughout the world and is advertised with the slogans of “making a difference” and “giving back” (Butcher, 2015; Stone and Duffy, 2015; Jones, 2011; McGloin and Georgeo, 2016). The main difference is that one is set to be a sustainable development opportunity for both the sending and hosting communities and the other is set up as a sustainable profit-making opportunity for the sending communities e.g. the Global North (Georgeou and Haas, 2019). Both experiences can be enriching, enlightening and life changing for many, myself included. As I have experienced the physical, mental and socio-economic benefits for myself I am particularly interested in how these types of volunteer experiences have benefited others. Furthermore, I am passionate about SCD programmes and their impacts on developing communities. The beneficial impact that programmes such as these have had on my life, has led to the following research question:

How might SCD practices impact young people, who are affected by multiple levels of disadvantage and how well does Scotland incorporate SCD practices as a means to support the development of its young people?

As Walford (2001:99) observed “current research interests are always the result of complex interactions between various prior interests and accidents of personal histories”. As I had personally experienced local and international aspects of volunteering and participated in different SCD programmes, I was uniquely interested in the strands of sustainable community development. This included rural development tourism, global and active citizenship, voluntourism, as well as the smorgasbord of other terms and themes associated with SCD. I have seen and felt the positive effects of these types of programmes on me as an individual and the communities I had worked in while abroad. I personally came from an area of deprivation in Scotland, and I was not from a common nuclear family situation either. Even though I was bright, confident, and somewhat smart as a child I struggled to gain momentum in growing as an individual. I personally believe that without the SCD programmes my life would be extremely different. The ability to get away from poor role models and what comes from life in an area of deprivation made me feel like I had a purpose and a sense of making a difference. This expanded my confidence and provided opportunities to find new and healthy role models. It was these paradigm shifts, these moments of explosive and thoughtful positive change that derive from individuals and groups taking part in SCD programmes that I am passionately interested in. However in order to fully understand the impact volunteer programmes make on young people’s lives further investigation will be carried out on how sustainable community development and it’s frameworks, practical methods and theories apply to other communities and people throughout the world.

Diprose, (2012) explains that the vast majority of SCD programmes abroad are designed as training programmes for the world elite. Other researchers such as Mostafanezhad, (2014); Vrasti, (2012) highlight that the westerner who visits is seen as a caring subject while the southerner is seen as passive and appreciative, and that these SCD programmes only bolster and reinforce the divide. Pearce and Coghlan, (2008) agree that SCD programmes create a greater awareness of global issues and that this is a positive symptom of international SCD programmes. Other researchers such as Butcher, (2017) state that gap year projects can be seen to build the participant’s CVs and shape the individual to be more adept for a career in business or politics. Heath (2007) argues that ethical empathy in the middle class and upper class is developed while being active on these types of programmes, as well as affecting the decisions of these “global citizens” career and employment prospects. The research indicates that there are overwhelming benefits for those that are part of the sending communities. E.g. a young person being sent from a sending organisation in the UK to a hosting organisation in India. One example of those benefits would be participants coming back with a wealth of personal experiences that can provide a greater awareness of global issues (Heath, 2007).