Volunteerism Research Articles

Bridges for Transgression: How Community Engagement Strengthened My Conocimiento

This article is an expansion of the Feminist Lecture that I gave at the Sociologists for Women in Society Meetings in April 2021. I map my journey toward conocimiento, highlighting the centrality of my volunteer work with asylum seekers, traveling to their sponsors after being released from ICE detention, for the development of my identity as a scholar activist. I rely on two theories, intersectionality and spiritual activism—both developed by women of color scholars to guide our efforts toward social change—to illustrate how scholars can reconcile their roles as community activists with their roles as scholars in academia. I bring intersectionality and spiritual activism together, as distinct (albeit complementary) resistant knowledge projects that, in tandem, support my critique of sociology’s competing commitments to objective empirical research and social justice. I chronicle how strengthening my conocimiento has served as a tool in my efforts to transgress the discipline and ultimately how it helped me find a more authentic existence within the academy.

Digital emotions and emotional labour among professionals supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children

This article examines the intersection between voluntary sector work, emotions, and remote service provision among frontline staff supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children online during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the findings of two interrelated projects, we consider how frontline workers experienced and managed digital emotions and emotional labour. Like professionals in other sectors, staff in the refugee sector experienced stress and overwhelm due to challenges faced during the rapid digitisation of the sector at a time of crisis. The findings also highlighted nuanced emotional experiences that were distinct to staff working remotely with unaccompanied refugee children, such as role dissatisfaction and empathy. Emotional labour was particularly intense for staff working in the refugee sector who needed to establish online boundaries with the young people due to their heightened vulnerabilities. The study also demonstrated that training on how to cope with digital emotions was beneficial to staff’s self-esteem and knowledge.

Lithuanian laborers in Nazi-occupied Austria 1942–1945

The theme of forced and voluntary labor of Lithuanians in Nazi Germany has been nearly forgotten and not studied by Lithuanian historians in recent decades. Even less examined has been the forced labor and imprisonment of Lithuanians in Nazi-annexed Austria. Up to 70,000 Lithuanians could have been deported to Germany during World War II. This is a fairly significant part of the Lithuanian population, which has affected Lithuanian Poles, Roma and minority Lithuanians most severely. When assessing the types and scale of Nazi violence, apart from the genocide of the Jews, the conclusion is that it affected people in Lithuania most who suffered from forced labor and forced removal from residential areas. At the current stage of research, we can predict that at least a thousand Lithuanians, forcibly or voluntarily, ended up in Nazi-annexed Austria during World War II. The national composition was made up predominantly of Lithuanians, Poles and Russians. Lithuanians were transported to Austria en masse from 1942 to almost until the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The vast majority of Lithuanians brought to Austria worked in industrial and transport companies. The overview of the workplaces shows that the majority of the Lithuanians was concentrated in Vienna, Kapfenberg and Marktle. A smaller number of Lithuanians were employed by farmers in the villages. Part of the Lithuanian population came to Austria as political prisoners or for racial reasons (Jews). Another part was imprisoned while staying in Austria for disciplinary violations or attempts to flee to Lithuania. The imprisoned residents of Lithuania were mainly held in the Mauthauzen concentration camp and its branches (Guzen, etc.). At the current stage of research, it can be predicted that at least one hundred inhabitants of Lithuania of different nationalities were imprisoned in the Mauthauzen concentration camp. The revised List of 68 Lithuanians who died in Mauthauzen concentration camp (some persons may be Latvian residents) listed below in appendix 1 (list clarified by LGGRTC employee Stanislovas Buchaveckas).

“Have we lost a part of our soul … [to] the result on the bottom line”? Reconfiguring professional spaces and the development of lawyers’ pro bono work as a professional project in Denmark

ABSTRACT Danish lawyers have long positioned themselves as fundamental pillars of the Rechtsstaat, portraying their independence and adherence to professional ideals as central to serving the public good. However, this traditional image has been increasingly challenged by the rise of large law firms taking advantage of deregulation and globalization. This has placed lawyers under a cross-pressure forcing them to compromise on their traditional defining characteristics. Large law firms, serving as advisors to clients such as major corporations and organizations, have distinguished themselves from the rest of the legal field with new professional projects. To regain some of the lost credibility, the largest law firms reformulated voluntary work as a professional project from being legal aid to individuals to US models of pro bono directed at NGOs and charity leading to further differentiation between lawyers. This article examines this dilemmatic cross-pressure between the differentiation of professional spaces in Denmark and the development of voluntary work as professional projects to regain the lost credibility as a profession working for the common good. It is based on a qualitative document analysis of 632 issues of the Danish Bar and Law Society's trade magazine for the period between 1976 and 2018 and qualitative interviews.

Social Competencies of Students of Science and Social Majors for Volunteer Work

The article discusses the recognition of social competencies of students of science and social majors to do voluntary work. The theoretical concept on which the research is based is the concept of social competencies by J. Skrzypczak, who sees them as “the ability to do something, depending on the familiarity of knowledge, skills and abilities included in it, as well as on the degree of conviction about the need of using that ability.” The main purpose of the research is to diagnose the social competencies of students of science and social majors to do voluntary work and to identify the differences between groups in this respect. The method of diagnostic survey was chosen for the purposes of the study. Research has shown slight differences between the students of science and social majors. They only concern the assessment of one's own level of motivation to help.

Impact of Volunteerism on the Mental Health and Academic Performance of Medical Students: A Saudi-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction The term "volunteering" refers to any endeavor in which one's time is devoted voluntarily to the benefit of another individual, group, or organization, and without the expectation of receiving compensation. Several studies have discovered that engagement in volunteer work is substantially predictive of improved mental and physical health, self-esteem, diminished depressive symptoms, and psychological distress, in addition to having a positive correlation with mental well-being. Aim The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between medical student participation in volunteer work and their mental well-being. Subject and methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, involving medical students enrolled in Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University and Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, both of which are government institutions, as well as Almarefah College, a private medical school. The students were provided with a self-administered questionnaire. Sociodemographic information, prior volunteer experience, and an evaluation of the mental health status of medical students are all components of the questionnaire. Results A total of 827 medical students participated; 798 (96.5%) of them fell between 18 years and 25 years and only 29 (3.5%) were between 25 years and40 years. Themales accountedfor 594 students (71.8%) and girls accounted for 233 students (28.2%). Among the students, 387 (46.8%) fell within the age range of 21 to 22 years, and 401 (48.5%) had a prior engagement in voluntary activities at school or college. Significant factors that influence participation in volunteering activities consist of attending a governmental institution, 616 students (74.5%); maintaining a grade point average (GPA) ranging from 2.75 to 3.74, 337 students (40.7%); and expressing a preference for participating in medical-related endeavors, 455 students (55%). There is no statistically significant correlation between medical students' engagement in volunteering activities and their mental health state (p>0.05). Conclusion A significant proportion of medical students actively engaged in volunteer work.Contrary to earlier findings, this study establishes that there is no correlation between engaging in volunteer work and the mental health conditions of medical students. Additional longitudinal studies are necessary to establish the correlation between engagement in volunteer work and the mental health of medical students.

Stability and change in voluntary and paid work in sports associations over two decades

Four surveys of sports associations form the basis for analyses of 1) the development in voluntary and paid work in the associations over two decades, and 2) the relationship between key characteristics of the associations and voluntary and paid work. Overall, the development in voluntary and paid work in the associations has remained stable in the period. The most significant change is an aging of coaches and leaders over time. Large associations perform better than small ones when it comes to voluntary work and are more likely to hire paid employees. Conversely, old associations and associations in small local areas are less successful when it comes to voluntary work.

GeoTraductores: A Collaborative Initiative Democratizing Science Communication in Latin America

AbstractGeoTraductores is an collaborative initiative between Eos, Planeteando, andGeoLatinas that aims to provide Spanish‐speaking communities access to current scientific findings. This goal is accomplished by translating science articles originally published in English on AGU's Eos.org, within their Science News magazine, into Spanish. This cross‐organizational initiative has translated, edited, and published over 150 articles, breaking the language barrier for Spanish‐speaking communities. Our experience since 2020 has allowed us to tailor an efficient co‐production model, which starts with (a) the selection of articles of interest to translate, followed by (b) the translation, reviewing, and editing process by volunteers, and (c) the publication and social media dissemination of the translated article. The tangible impact of GeoTraductores is evident in the substantial surge of visitor traffic to the Eos website between 2020 and 2023, particularly from Latin American countries. Notably, increases exceeding 85% were observed in Colombia, Mexico, and Panama, with 20% or greater growth in Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, and Ecuador, confirming the initiative's success in meeting a genuine need. This impact extends globally, with Spain experiencing a 40% increase in visitors. Our co‐production model is possible thanks to the contribution of around 40 GeoTraductores, mainly women (85%), who are native Spanish speakers or bilingual (Spanish and English speaking). These early‐career scientists, through their volunteer work, enhance their bilingual communication skills while breaking down language barriers in science communication. The Eos‐Planeteando‐GeoLatinas co‐production model fosters science democratization for Latin America while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in Earth Sciences, one translation at a time.

The Motivation and Sense of Meaning of College Student Volunteers in Nanjing Medical College Research on the Relationship with the Persistence of Voluntary Behavior

College student volunteers are an important part of China's volunteers, and medical college student volunteers play an indispensable role in earthquake relief, health assistance and other volunteer activities due to their medical professional knowledge and background. As of 2021, the number of medical students volunteers in China has reached 37,000, and while the team is growing, the team construction of volunteers is also facing a series of problems, such as the lack of sustainability of volunteer behavior, which also restricts the sustainable development of volunteer service in China. The study came to the following conclusions: (1) There was a positive correlation between the motivation of medical college students and the sense of meaning of work. (2) There was a positive correlation be-tween the participation motivation of medical college students and the persistence of volunteer behavior. (3) There was a positive correlation between the sense of meaning of work and the persistence of volunteer behavior. (4) The sense of meaning of work of college student volunteers played a mediating role in the relationship between participation motivation and the persistence of volunteer behavior. Based on the research, this paper proposes strategies to boost medical students' service motivation and work meaning, fostering sustainable volunteer behavior and stabilizing the volunteer base.

‘Voluntary’ prison labour in the Netherlands

As of 2021, work in prisons in the Netherlands is voluntary, at least to some extent. In this article, I examine the protection of working prisoners’ labour rights after the shift to a voluntary work scheme for prisoners in the Netherlands. Work in Dutch prisons may be freely chosen to some extent, but the Dutch scheme for work in prison raises questions about offenders’ rehabilitation. Having work opportunities while in prison is said to contribute to the learning of skills, promote rehabilitation and societal reintegration and provide prisoners with income. However, prisoners in the Dutch prison perform their work for low pay and have limited meaningful options for the work they perform. This has a profound impact on their time in prison and on their reintegration into the labour market after having served their sentences. I argue that these issues demand an in-depth examination if prisoners’ rights are to be protected. I describe working prisoners’ labour rights in the Netherlands and address the normative question of the rights that working prisoners should have based on the principle that imprisonment itself is the punishment and that extensions of prison sentences in society are illegitimate. My proposal for considering the amendment of the approach to prison labour in the Netherlands aims to be useful for the analysis of prison labour in general.

Voluntary Care for Older People: A symbolic Health Efficacy of Community-based Health Meetings

Community healthcare in Indonesia relies on volunteer workers who engage their clients outside fixed health facilities with limited resources and formal training. These volunteers are called cadres who learn their tasks to improve community wellbeing through ongoing engagement and without prior skills. They are drawn from the community to serve the community. This paper is based on field research carried out with cadres through interviews and visits to integrated health meetings (Posyandu) held by primary healthcare centres for older adults in villages. The paper first discusses the recruitment requirements and the incentives for being a healthcare volunteer. It suggests that both recruitment and incentives are rooted in community values of helping and doing good for the community. Volunteer cadres must have a direct normative and semiotic connection with clients, as they must be members of the community who speak the same language and understand local norms. In line with this community-centred approach, the paper then focuses on the health efficacy of Posyandu as a recurring structured symbolic event held in the village. The argument is made that a more qualitative approach should be taken to understanding the efficacy of these meetings, drawing on research methods from the anthropology of ritual (symbolic and therapeutic) healing.

Metal Meets Green: A Multifaceted Exploration of Sustainability Perceptions at Heavy Metal Music Festivals

The enduring presence of heavy metal music spanning multiple decades has generated a large global audience of devoted fans. Within Europe, renowned metal music festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Rock am Ring in Germany have solidified the genre's influence. Although scholarly research has explored metal music festivals and their attendees, there has been a noticeable gap in the examination of sustainability aspects within this domain. Consequently, this work undertakes a quantitative investigation into the social, environmental, and economic impacts within the context of metal music festivals, focusing on four key stakeholder groups: festival organizers, attendees, musicians, and volunteer workers (n = 742). To gain insights, an online survey was conducted to respondents, presenting them with questions pertaining to various aspects of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. These stakeholders were asked to assess these issues based on their individual perspectives. Subsequently, the collected data underwent explorative factor analysis utilizing maximum likelihood estimation, leading to the identification of eight distinct factors: perceptions of social behavior at metal music festivals, environmental responsibility, financial responsibility, environmental and social responsibility, sense of community, environmental and economic impacts, perceptions of volunteer work, and economic impacts. This study's findings revealed noteworthy disparities across all sectors, offering a comprehensive perspective on current sustainability practices and challenges within metal music festivals. By highlighting inconsistencies, this research underscores the need for festival organizers to critically evaluate their events and consider avenues for improvement in sustainability practices.

Factors encouraging participation in social activities after hospital discharge in people with severe mental illness who received occupational therapy.

Occupational therapy (OT), a vital part of psychiatric rehabilitation, encourages participation in social activities, which is critical for the recovery of people with severe mental illnesses (SMI). However, the effects of OT on the subsequent social activities of patients with SMI have not been fully clarified. We aimed to identify the factors that encourage post-discharge social activity participation among patients with SMI who received OT. Patients who underwent OT at the Kyorin University Hospital between April 2016 and March 2020 were retrospectively examined for baseline data during hospitalization and social activity status 1 year after discharge. Occupational support, group adaptation, artistic activities, and exercise programs were considered. Activities requiring social interaction were defined as social activities, including employment, schooling, sheltered work, and volunteer work. Multiple logistic regression analyses using demographic and medical data, prehospitalization social activity status, and OT participation rates as independent variables were used to examine the factors encouraging social activity participation after discharge. Decision tree analysis was conducted to identify patients who specifically needed to increase OT participation. Of 524 eligible patients, 247 were included in the study. The number of patients who were socially active at admission and after discharge was 116 and 188, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the following factors were likely to encourage social activity participation after discharge: higher rates of OT participation to facilitate group adaptation (OR = 1.015, 95% CI 1.003-1.027), being socially active at admission (OR = 4.557, 95% CI 2.155-9.637), and no marital history (OR = 0.293, 95% CI 0.130-0.661). Decision tree analysis showed that for patients who were socially inactive at admission and had a history of marriage, increasing OT participation to 52.6% or higher may ensure social activity participation after discharge. This study identified patients whose social participation after discharge could be boosted by OT that facilitates group adaptation. Our findings would facilitate the development of individualized add-on rehabilitation based on the effects of real-world OT practices.

Examining interviewer bias in medical school admissions: The interplay between applicant and interviewer gender and its effects on interview outcomes.

Selection interviews have long been integral to medical school admissions, yet their limited predictive validity and susceptibility to bias raise concerns. This study delves into potential interviewer bias within the dynamics of interviewee and interviewer gender. We analyze a dataset of 5,200 applicants and over 370 selection committees engaged in semi-structured interviews from 2006 to 2019 at a large German medical school with multiple linear and non-linear regression analyses. Our findings reveal that all-female committees tended to award male candidates, on average, one point more than their female counterparts, significantly enhancing the chances of submission for male applicants despite lower academic grades, which constituted 51% of the selection process points. All-male and mixed-gender committees exhibited similar ratings for both genders. The role of valuing voluntary services emerged prominently: all-male and mixed committees acknowledged women's volunteer work but not men's, while all-female committees demonstrated the opposite pattern. Our results attribute variations in interview outcomes to the absence of standardization, such as insufficient interviewer training, divergent rating strategies, variations in interviewer experience, and imbalances in candidate allocation to selection committees, rather than to a "gender bias", for example by favoritism of males because of their gender.

Development of a Tool for the Assessment of Job Satisfaction amongst the Community Health Workers

Abstract Introduction: Amongst the various factors influencing the performance of community health workers (CHWs), job satisfaction serves as a potential drive to perform better. This study aimed at developing a tool to measure how well the CHWs are satisfied pertaining to individual, community and health system determinants. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural block of Madhya Pradesh (Central India). The CHWs were administered a self-reported questionnaire that contained individual, health system and community level determinants of job satisfaction with a 5-point Likert scale to mark their perception. Results: The job satisfaction scale of 15 items was initially administered to the 92 CHWs. Their scale content validity index (average) was 0.83. The finalised tool consisted of 13 items under three factors following the exploratory factor analysis namely, health system, supervision and peer support and intrinsic job satisfaction. Their overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.81, with the median (interquartile range) score of job satisfaction for both the Relatively Low Performing and Relatively High Performing Community Health Workers being 4 (4–5). Conclusion: The CHWs in this study were satisfied with their performance as voluntary village health workers following the assessment using a complex job satisfaction scale.

Youth participation in SDG-Oriented Volunteerism: Insights from Malaysia’s APPGM-SDG Platform

Engaging youth is paramount for progressing towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This quantitative research studies the active involvement of Malaysian youth as volunteers in initiatives centred around the SDGs, with a specific focus on the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG) platform. Data was gathered from 323 volunteers who applied as volunteers at the Malaysian Youth SDG Summits, the Young Asian Voices for the United Nations We Need, and the Malaysian Youth SDG Agent 22/23 and 23/24 Cohort initiatives. The objective of the study is to identify the demographic involvement of youths in volunteerism through the initiatives of APPGM-SDG. This research analyses the nature of youth participation in SDG-oriented volunteerism, investigating their demographic concentration in active engagement, including engagement by gender, organisational affiliation, and prior experience in volunteerism and how these factors contribute to voluntary work related to the SDGs. Descriptive analysis was conducted to identify the demographic distribution of youths toward the involvement in SDG-oriented volunteerism. Findings indicated a moderate distribution between males and females, a greater number of participants affiliated in organisations, and a greater number of participants with prior experience in volunteerism. By examining the quantitative nature of these volunteers with the comprehensive study of literature and discussion, we gain valuable insights into the dynamics of youth engagement in localising the SDGs. These insights, rooted in the context of Malaysia, can inform strategies for fostering youth-driven progress toward the SDGs both nationally and globally, providing recommendations to parliamentarians, civil societies, and youth groups as a whole.

The Relationship Between Voluntary Participation Status and Health Promotion Lifestyle Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the Community.

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between the characteristics, health status, and health-promoting lifestyles of volunteer workers who participate in the community among middle-aged and older adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from 173 middle-aged and older adults volunteers from 2 communities in North Taiwan. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included Demographic Characteristics Form, Self-Rated Health Status Scale, and Health Promotion Lifestyle Scale. Most of the volunteers were female, with an average age of 60.41 (±9.30)years. The average item score for the health promotion lifestyle was 74.07 (SD=19.27). Participants scored highest on the social support subscales and lowest on the exercise subscales, followed by health responsibility subscales. Multiple regression analysis revealed that an average of 6 to 8hours of volunteer services per week, diversity of volunteer services, and self-rated health status were each significantly associated with a greater health promotion lifestyle. Community health care workers should strengthen community volunteer support networks and motivate volunteers to attend health-related classes. Various community activities can remind each volunteer of their health responsibilities and awareness of a healthy promotion lifestyle.

Policy variation and refugee integration: a natural experiment comparing the effects of local integration programs

ABSTRACT This article investigates the extent to which policy variation matters for refugee integration, focusing on two parallel local integration programs varying in intensity and comprehensiveness and their effects on refugees’ economic and socio-cultural integration. We employ 3-wave panel data including detailed information on Syrian refugees from the moment they were granted asylum status in the Netherlands up to four years later. After accounting for treatment assignment bias using coarsened exact matching, random effects analyses showed a significant increase over time in refugees’ Dutch language proficiency, identification with the host community, self-reliance, participation in volunteer or paid work, and welfare independence. However, we did not find convincing evidence to suggest that refugees’ integration process developed differently depending on the integration program. We discuss possible explanations for our findings and advance policy interventions that aim to foster refugee integration.

Correlations between the euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide rates and the non-assisted suicide rates at the municipal level in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, rates of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (henceforth “EPAS”) display substantial variation at the municipal level. If a similar variation can be found in non-assisted suicide (henceforth “suicide”), this may enable us to establish a possible correlation between these variations. This cross-sectional study assessed proportions of suicide in the years 2013–2017 in The Netherlands. Negative binomial regression analysis was performed to identify potential explanatory variables and to calculate adjusted proportions. The magnitude of variation was calculated by ratios between the highest and lowest municipality proportions. Outliers were detected by Funnel Plots. A possible correlation between suicide and EPAS was calculated. From 2013–2017 the suicide rate between Dutch municipalities varied by a factor 6.7. This variation could only be partially explained by gender, political orientation, the availability of voluntary workers, and mobility limitations. No correlation was found with the variation in EPAS. A “waterbed effect” between suicides and EPAS-cases could not be confirmed. Advice for further research is given.

“Who am I?”: an autoethnographic self-study on teacher identity and emotional labour of a volunteer teacher during COVID-19

ABSTRACT Teachers may undergo emotional and identity dissonance during professional practice due to various personal and contextual factors. These types of dissonance may provide opportunities for teachers to address challenges, thus enabling personal transformation and professional development. Despite a surge in research interest in teacher identity and emotional labour, few studies have used an autoethnographic lens. In this autoethnographic paper, I share my lived experiences as a volunteer teacher during campus closure from March to May 2022 in Changchun, China, a COVID-19 pandemic hotspot in the aforementioned period. I conducted an exploration of my emotion management processes in negotiating conflicts between my teacher and volunteer identities and the challenges associated with online teaching and volunteering activities. Thematic analyses of my reflective journals revealed three strands of emotional/identity dissonance involved in online teaching, volunteer work and final exams. The autoethnographic vignettes include epiphanic moments highlighting the identity dissonance and adverse challenges that led to negative emotions and, in turn, emotional labour. The findings reveal how my emotional labour prompted the construction and negotiation of volunteer teacher identity. This study confirms the importance of engaging in self-reflective narration to cope with challenges and the implications of this process for teachers in emotional quandaries.