Community participation among immigrants: A generative journey towards personal growth

Abstract

Immigrants usually live under oppressive settings and experience social suffering because of the unjust socio-cultural conditions of host societies. Community participation can be particularly beneficial for them as it leads to positive outcomes and the ability to resist oppression. In this article we argue that volunteerism—a specific form of community participation rooted in generativity—not only helps immigrants in handling oppression and social suffering but also leads to positive psychological changes. Combining the liberation psychology and generativity approaches, a qualitative study was implemented based on in‐depth interviews (N = 27) with immigrant volunteers of migrant community-based organizations settled in Milan, Italy. The results highlight how the process of immigrant volunteerism operates. Some immigrants cope with nostalgia for their countries of origin while others cope with social suffering in Italian society. In both cases, their coping is “generative” when connected to volunteerism, that allows immigrants to enact their social responsibility and care for future generations both in their country of origin and in host societies. The sense of mattering (i.e., feeling useful) and psychological sense of community (i.e., the sense of belonging to a group where solidarity is expressed) experienced within this type of organizations are related to paths of personal growth. Practical implications are presented.