International Volunteerism Research Articles

Brain drain in pediatric anesthesiology: The geographic and demographic distribution of national origin among pediatric anesthesiologists in the United States.

American pediatric anesthesiologists have a long history of international volunteerism. However, the US healthcare system also benefits from the contributions of a large number of physicians who come from other nations to work within its borders. Despite this fact, little is known about the contribution of international medical graduates (IMG) to the pediatric anesthesiology subspecialty. To characterize the contribution of IMG to the field of pediatric anesthesiology in the United States, and to elucidate the geographic and demographic distribution of their national origins so as to understand the movement of skilled personnel between countries. Online physician directories of American children's hospitals were searched, and anesthesiologists were recorded for their national origin of medical education. International graduates were reported as a percentage of the pediatric anesthesiology workforce. Those attending medical colleges catering to American students ("offshore" medical schools) were analyzed separately from other IMGs. The cohort of non-offshore IMGs were analyzed for national and continental origins, and by national level of economic development. Of 1979 anesthesiologists analyzed, 397 attended medical school outside the United States, with 58 being from offshore schools. The remaining 338 represented 17.1% of the total pediatric anesthesiology workforce. They came from 58 countries on six continents. Of those, 65.1% attended medical school in low- and middle-income countries. International medical graduates, disproportionately from low- and middle-income countries, compose a large proportion of the US Pediatric Anesthesiology workforce. While these clinicians play a vital role in providing care for American children, the potential impacts of skilled physician loss on their nations of origin must also be considered.

Incorporating Field Experience into International Agricultural Development Programs

Some graduate education programs support experiential learning but do not require practical experiences for students specializing in international agriculture development. We examined U.S. land grant university graduate international agricultural education program descriptions for experiential learning requirements and found them lacking. The literature surrounding volunteerism is reviewed and examples are described. International volunteerism can fill the experience gap for future international agricultural development professionals studying at U.S. land grant institutions. Graduate students can acquire practical field experiences through short- or long-term volunteer assignments, such as those in the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer program for international agriculture development. Graduate students build their capacities by providing technical and agricultural assistance in Farmer-to-Farmer assignments, whereas host country participants enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities to expand and increase agricultural sector productivity. Short-term international volunteer assignments help graduate students gain practical experience, improve interpersonal skills, and enhance cultural competencies. Host communities and volunteers alike benefit by engaging in intercultural exchanges that promote increased understanding of differing societies worldwide.

Opportunities for International Orthopaedic Volunteerism: An Exploration of United States and Canada-Based Nonprofit Organizations.

In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), there are often not enough orthopaedic surgeons to treat musculoskeletal conditions. International volunteerism is 1 way that the orthopaedic community seeks to meet this need. This study explored the opportunities available for orthopaedic surgeons to volunteer overseas as offered by nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada. A systematic internet search was conducted using 2 distinct search strategies. A website was considered a "hit" if it was that of a U.S. or Canada-based nonprofit, volunteer, or non-governmental organization that had opportunities for international orthopaedic volunteerism. Duplicate hits were eliminated to identify distinct organizations. Data regarding the work and geographical reach of the organization, as well as changes to its volunteer programs as a result of COVID-19, were extracted from each hit. Of the 38 distinct organizations identified in the U.S. and Canada, the most common orthopaedic subspecialties represented were pediatrics (37%), hand (24%), and arthroplasty (18%). Foot and ankle (4 organizations; 11%), sports medicine (2 organizations; 5%), and oncology (1 organization; 3%) were the least represented subspecialities. The most common regions for volunteer trips included Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by West and East Africa. Twelve organizations (32%) were identified as having a religious affiliation. For most organizations, the trip duration was a minimum of 1 week. All volunteer organizations included operative or clinical experiences as part of their trips, and the majority of organizations (58%) reported that their trips included opportunities for training local surgeons. Many organizations (71%) reported having resumed trips after halting them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many opportunities exist for orthopaedic surgeons to volunteer their time and skills abroad. Future directions for the improvement of international volunteer efforts among the orthopaedic community could include expanding the number of existing volunteer opportunities and assessing the ethics, safety, efficacy, and longevity of these programs.

UKRAINIAN VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT UNDER CONDITIONS OF ARMED RUSSIAN AGGRESSION: OPPORTUNITIES, NATIONAL AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOR UKRAINE’S POST-WAR RECOVERY

The authors reveal a vision of the development of the Ukrainian volunteer movement under conditions of armed Russian aggression. The research focus is on identifying the main trends of institutionalization and the dynamics of the development of Ukrainian volunteerism based on the use of modern digital, network, information and communication technologies. Two «waves» of activation of the Ukrainian volunteer movement related to the active phase of the armed conflict in Donbas (2014-2016) and the full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022 are analyzed. Two areas for providing volunteer aid to key target groups have been identified and substantiated, namely the Ukrainian military and the Armed Forces of Ukraine strengthen the country’s defense capabilities, and citizens affected by the armed aggression. Such a structure is used as an end-to-end analytical scheme in the study of various aspects of Ukrainian volunteering under conditions of both surges in the armed conflict (2014-2016 and 2022). The authors determine the specifics of the processes of institutionalization and platformization of Ukrainian volunteering, as well as the main integrated digital platforms of international volunteering to help Ukraine. New global and local challenges, problems and opportunities for the development of the Ukrainian volunteer movement to preserve the country’s human potential and strengthen the national, economic, social, and food security of the state are also revealed. The role, significance, opportunities, main tools and functionality of using the potential of information, communication, digital, network technologies in volunteering are shown. It is substantiated that the powerful potential of Ukrainian volunteerism, together with international volunteerism and charity aimed at helping Ukraine, is the basis for the country’s post-war recovery. It also contributes to the formation and strengthening of the culture of peace and security at the interstate level, stimulates the formation of a renewed system of European collective security and international cooperation.

Transforming whose lives? The portrayal of international sport for development volunteering by UK Higher Education Institutions

ABSTRACT This article critically examines the portrayal of sport for development (SfD) international volunteering by UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Volunteer tourism or ‘voluntourism’ is a popular experience in which individuals combine international travel with voluntary work in a destination typically in the Global South in a bid to offer support to those in need. A body of literature offers an optimistic view of volunteer tourism, suggesting that it can facilitate the development of cross-cultural understanding among volunteers and host communities. However, there is also critical literature which argues that if volunteer tourism programmes are not carefully developed and managed, they can lead to cross-cultural misunderstanding and reinforce negative cultural stereotypes; this latter critique provides both the justification and context for this article. Several studies have acknowledged the centrality of Global Northern volunteers to the delivery of sport-based programmes in the Global South under the banner of SfD [Darnell (2007). Playing with race: Right to play and the production of whiteness in ‘development through sport’. Sport in Society, 10(4), 560–579; Darnell (2011). Identity and learning in international volunteerism: ‘Sport for development and peace’ internships. Development in Practice, 21(7), 974–986; Lucas & Jeanes (2019). Ethnographic reflections of the role of global north volunteers in sport-for-development. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 55(7), 953–974]. However, given the pivotal role that UK HEIs play in marketing and facilitating such opportunities for students, there is a lack of research that critically examines how such volunteer opportunities are portrayed by HEIs. The article draws from a sample of thirteen UK HEIs to examine how they discursively frame SfD international volunteer opportunities. The findings illustrate how student volunteers benefit and even socially transform because of volunteering in poor Global South communities. The article concludes by outlining a series of recommendations for UK HEIs to consider regarding their portrayal of international SfD volunteering.

Leading Cross-Cultural Teams in Decision-Making in International Volunteerism: The Intersection of UK and Ghanaian Volunteers

Leading Cross-Cultural Teams in Decision-Making in International Volunteerism: The Intersection of UK and Ghanaian Volunteers

Benefits of an International Volunteer Experience in Residency Training

In this article, we review the literature describing the benefit of international surgical volunteerism on resident training. Review of recent data demonstrates a resident benefit by decreasing burnout and improving clinical skill, cost-containment strategies, and personal and professional development. There is also a demonstrable benefit to institutions by way of improved resident recruitment and additional philanthropic funding sources. Finally, benefits to healthcare systems have been documented by way of “reverse innovation” and increased healthcare worker productivity. We provide data to support that international volunteerism reaches beyond the patients and providers at the individual level to also provide domestic benefit to practices, institutions, and the healthcare system as well.

Listening to our Global Partners: Kenyans’ perceptions of international volunteers

Abstract Although international volunteerism is a common service practice among Americans and Europeans, research exploring host community members’ perceptions of volunteers and their practice is lacking. In this phenomenological study, thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted with Kenyan participants and their perceptions of international volunteers’ attitudes and behaviors were explored. While positive themes of skill transfer and honoring cultural practices emerged, so did negative themes that suggested international volunteers had demeaning perceptions of Kenyans, controlled collaborative projects, and gave Kenyans cursory roles to play. The study also suggests that international volunteers departed from service hastily without empowering Kenyans, which led to project failure. Recommendations for strengthening international volunteer practice are identified and described.

Culture and International Volunteerism: an Analytic Study of Intercultural Interactions between UK and Ghanaian Volunteers on the International Citizen Service (ICS) Program

The article explores the intersection of UK and Ghanaian volunteers’ intercultural interactions in multicultural teamwork under international volunteerism context. Situating the study within the cultural dynamic framework and adopting a case study qualitative research design, the study revealed that culture is created by the actors based on the interactions and context. Furthermore, elements of cultural diversity such as diversity of thought and cross-cultural sensitivities were revealed to be enablers of effective cross-cultural communication and not as barriers or impediments to effective interactions. Misconceived sexual orientations and lack of cultural neutrality in decision-making process also characterised their cultural constructions. In view of this, the study recommends that open-mindedness and willingness to modify ethnocentric dispositions as well as exhibition of cultural sensitivities and moderation of opinions in international assignments will greatly enhance intercultural interactions among multicultural teams and foster successful work outcomes in international volunteering service.

International Volunteerism and Capacity Development in Nonprofit Organizations of the Global South

Although international volunteerism has been a part of official development assistance for decades, the capacity development (CD) impacts of such programs in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the Global South have received scant attention. This article provides insights into the ways international volunteerism contributes to endogenous CD processes by analyzing survey and interview data collected from Australian volunteers and their host organizations in four countries. It shows that volunteers’ contributions can be usefully examined through the lens of Baser and Morgan’s framework of five core capabilities: to carry out tasks, to relate and attract support, to adapt and renew, to balance diversity and coherence, and to commit and engage. Although the voluntary nature of the relationship between host organization and volunteer can make CD impacts less predictable and controllable, it also affords time to explore and negotiate what contributions are most useful to an organization within a specific context.

Reflective Inquiry on Researcher’s Critical Mind Raised in the Field of International Volunteerism

Reflective Inquiry on Researcher’s Critical Mind Raised in the Field of International Volunteerism

Professionalisation of International Medical Volunteer Work to Maintain Ethical Standards: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experience of Volunteer Doctors in Relation to UK Policy.

Doctors from the United Kingdom are increasingly involved in international medical volunteerism in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although supported by government policy this practice lacks infrastructure and coordination. Volunteer activities can have positive impact but also risk causing harm. Without external governance the responsibility lies with volunteers and their organisations to self-evaluate their activities. This study aimed to explore influences affecting volunteer engagement with ethical standards and evaluative practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven doctors working in the Scottish National Health Service with volunteer experience in LMICs. Findings were analysed thematically to explore this issue in view of ongoing policy development. Although ethical standards were valued by participants they were unaware of relevant government policy. Influences on volunteer development are unstructured and vary in quality. Evaluation lacks structure and framing. Volunteer physicians face a number of barriers to engaging in critical evaluation of their activities in LMICs. Development and professionalization of medical volunteering in LMICs needs to address volunteer preparation and evaluative practice to maximise the benefits of volunteering, reduce the risk of harm and maximise learning and accountability. Further areas of research are suggested to inform professionalisation of this sector.

The motives of mass “red” international volunteerism in the Spanish civil war

The motives of mass “red” international volunteerism in the Spanish civil war

Service Learning: The Peace Corps, American Higher Education, and the Limits of Modernist Ideas of Development and Citizenship

In the early 1960s, Peace Corps staff turned to American colleges and universities to prepare young Americans for volunteer service abroad. In doing so, the agency applied the university's modernist conceptions of citizenship education to volunteer training. The training staff and volunteers quickly discovered, however, that prevailing methods of education in the university were ineffective for community-development work abroad. As a result, the agency evolved its own pedagogical practices and helped shape early ideas of service learning in American higher education. The Peace Corps staff and supporters nonetheless maintained the assumptions of development and modernist citizenship, setting limits on the broader visions of education emerging out of international volunteerism in the 1960s. The history of the Peace Corps training in the 1960s and the agency's efforts to rethink training approaches offer a window onto the underlying tensions of citizenship education in the modern university.

International volunteerism and urethral stricture disease: a review.

Global health is an ever-expanding area of interest for many healthcare workers around the world. In recent years, it has become apparent that much of the global disease burden is surgical. Urologic disease is no exception—many international organizations send volunteers around the world to support Urologic services in countries that lack capacity and resources. Urethral stricture represents a unique opportunity for specialized surgical management that vastly improves long term morbidity. Here we review the prevalence, etiology, and management of urethral stricture from a global perspective while highlighting impact of international urologic volunteer efforts.

International volunteerism and development in Asia‐Pacific

In Asia, and across the “global South”, volunteerism has grown enormously in the last two decades. Hundreds of thousands of people now undertake work on development projects in poorer areas of the global South, and volunteerism has become a key way in which cross‐cultural encounters form relations of development between poor and rich countries and between marginal and empowered subjects. Reflecting this growth, geographical discussions of volunteerism have expanded over the past decade. While initial work lauded the benefits and positive potentials of international volunteerism, more recent work and popular media have increasingly questioned such views and suggested that, instead, international volunteerism has the propensity to replicate colonial relationships, and benefits are heavily skewed towards volunteers. These criticisms themselves bear witness to deeper structural and ideological concerns principally centred around the pervasive neoliberalisation of international volunteering and volunteer tourism. Yet, despite its critics, international volunteering remains one of the most common and easily accessible ways in which (any)one can “care for” or “do their part” to address social and economic injustices in the global South. This themed section extends critical discussions of volunteerism in Asia‐Pacific by questioning its developmental effects – including effects that are material, relational and discursive. Through the six papers in this themed section, and insights gained from fieldwork in Singapore, Japan, Cambodia and India, we consider the impacts of international volunteerism; the infrastructure and organisations promoting volunteerism; the subjective positionalities of volunteers; and how marginal populations experience volunteerism.

American College of Surgeons Member Involvement in Global Surgery: Results from the 2015 Operation Giving Back Survey.

Five billion people worldwide lack access to safe surgery. American College of Surgeons (ACS) members have a strong history of humanitarian and volunteer work. Since its founding in 2004, Operation Giving Back (OGB) has served as a volunteer resource portal. This study sought to understand current activities, needs, and barriers to ACS member volunteerism, and to re-assess the role of OGB. A 25-question electronic survey was sent to ACS members in August 2015. Utilizing branching logic, those who were involved or interested in volunteerism completed the full survey. Data were assessed using univariable analysis methods. Three percent (n=1764) of those e-mailed answered the survey. Respondents were mostly men (82%), ≥50years of age (61%), and general surgeons (70%). Fifty-three percent (n=937) reported current or past volunteer activities, and 76.5% (n=1349) were interested in activities within three years. Approximately 84% were interested in international volunteerism and 55% in domestic volunteerism. Few (5.7%) had both training and experience in emergency and disaster response, and only 17% had institutional salary support. Eighty-two percent wished to work with OGB, and 418 indicated organizations with whom they are involved could benefit from OGB collaboration. Interest in surgical volunteerism among ACS member survey respondents is high. OGB has the opportunity to meet member needs by developing programmatic activities, identifying volunteer prospects, facilitating multi-institutional consortia, and leading pre-deployment training. By maximizing volunteer efforts, OGB has the potential to foster sustainable and scalable ethical practices to improve basic access to surgical care globally.

Towards critical global education worker subjectivity: An exploration of narratives of American women engaged in education-related international volunteerism

International volunteerism is increasingly associated with shaping global subjectivities of participants. Significant numbers of Global North volunteers – whether working through established volunteer organizations, corporations, nonprofits, academia, or personal networks and connections – engage in educationrelated activities while in the Global South. I emphasize in this paper that education-related international volunteering presents a rich context in which to explore global subjectivities due to the high likelihood of participants' engagement with mobility, difference, poverty, inequality, and development. In this paper, I explore six women's accounts of their transnational experiences and resulting understandings of their education-related work. Four related thematic categories derived from these accounts convey meanings of education-related work in terms of self-fulfilment, social responsibility, active engagement with host communities, and cross-cultural competence. I explore two overlapping subjectivities – participatory and critical – that emerge from an exploration of these themes, examine how they intersect with common discourses of international volunteering and development, and discuss the implications for the relationship between global citizenship and education-related international volunteering.

International volunteering in a changing aidland

AbstractThe growing diversity of North – South international volunteerism challenges the widely accepted distinction between volunteering for development as a long‐standing component of official development assistance and the more recent phenomenon of volunteer tourism as a private sector led commercial endeavour focused primarily on the personal growth of the volunteer. This paper reviews recent research that blurs this distinction by placing international volunteering within the geographical imaginaries of development and the neoliberal practices of governance of aidland. It focuses on four themes tackled in recent research: i) the ways in which neoliberal ideologies have shaped the motivations, goals, practices and governance of international volunteering; ii) the contexts in which international volunteering can foster more equitable relationships between Northern and Southern development actors; iii) what roles emotion and affect play in these relationships, and iv) the extent to which international volunteering can offer a critical perspective on the rules, logics and ideologies of aidland. The main argument is that while neoliberal conceptualisations of development have evidently shaped international volunteering, they do not fully capture the relational and experiential impacts of volunteering. The technologies of proximity afforded by volunteering can lead to critical and transformative insights into development and aidland, particularly when volunteers are embedded in local organisations over a longer time.

The Politics of International Volunteerism: The Peace Corps and Volunteers to America in the 1960s

The Politics of International Volunteerism: The Peace Corps and Volunteers to America in the 1960s