Developing Partnerships: How Local Development Organisations can Empower Themselves through the Integration and Management of International Volunteers; A Case Study with Aspire, South Africa

<p>International partnerships between developed and developing country agencies are typically presented as a way of working toward specific development goals that will benefit the local, developing country partner. Sending international development volunteers from developed country agencies to assist, or build the capacity of local partners is an increasingly common practice within these international partnerships. Yet research about international partnerships and international volunteer sending is typically focussed on the perspective of developed country agencies or the returned (developed country national) volunteers. There is a silence in the literature where the perspective of the local 'undeveloped' country partners' voice should be heard. By overlooking the voice and perspective of local partners, who host international volunteers, the success and worth of international partnerships cannot be ascertained. This research addresses the topic; 'Developing Partnerships: How local development organisations can empower themselves through the integration and management of international volunteers, a case study with Aspire, South Africa'. In addressing this topic the research aims to build a better understanding of how host organisations experience international partnerships. Field research was carried out over a three month period and centred on an in depth organisational case study with Aspire; Amathole. Aspire is a rural development agency in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa which has a cosmopolitan and diverse staff team of local and national employees, and international volunteers. This research topic was developed in collaboration with Aspire to build a better understanding of the Aspire experience of international volunteer hosting within its international partnerships. By better understanding local partners' perspectives, wider lessons can be drawn relating to the principles of ownership, partnership and local empowerment which may influence future development practice. The research was underpinned by a participatory ethos, and utilised a mixed methodology with a qualitative emphasis including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analyses. The research found that the 'Aspire approach' of fully integrating and managing international volunteers into a single, unified, staff team, and managing international volunteers within Aspires own employee systems is a strengths-based and assertive approach. This study of the 'Aspire approach' identifies tangible day-to-day measures that local partners in development can take to empower themselves and to promote and assert their ownership of international volunteer hosting partnerships. The 'Aspire approach' ultimately provides a positive model for future development practice and partnership relations.</p>

Developing Partnerships: How Local Development Organisations can Empower Themselves through the Integration and Management of International Volunteers; A Case Study with Aspire, South Africa

<p>International partnerships between developed and developing country agencies are typically presented as a way of working toward specific development goals that will benefit the local, developing country partner. Sending international development volunteers from developed country agencies to assist, or build the capacity of local partners is an increasingly common practice within these international partnerships. Yet research about international partnerships and international volunteer sending is typically focussed on the perspective of developed country agencies or the returned (developed country national) volunteers. There is a silence in the literature where the perspective of the local 'undeveloped' country partners' voice should be heard. By overlooking the voice and perspective of local partners, who host international volunteers, the success and worth of international partnerships cannot be ascertained. This research addresses the topic; 'Developing Partnerships: How local development organisations can empower themselves through the integration and management of international volunteers, a case study with Aspire, South Africa'. In addressing this topic the research aims to build a better understanding of how host organisations experience international partnerships. Field research was carried out over a three month period and centred on an in depth organisational case study with Aspire; Amathole. Aspire is a rural development agency in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa which has a cosmopolitan and diverse staff team of local and national employees, and international volunteers. This research topic was developed in collaboration with Aspire to build a better understanding of the Aspire experience of international volunteer hosting within its international partnerships. By better understanding local partners' perspectives, wider lessons can be drawn relating to the principles of ownership, partnership and local empowerment which may influence future development practice. The research was underpinned by a participatory ethos, and utilised a mixed methodology with a qualitative emphasis including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analyses. The research found that the 'Aspire approach' of fully integrating and managing international volunteers into a single, unified, staff team, and managing international volunteers within Aspires own employee systems is a strengths-based and assertive approach. This study of the 'Aspire approach' identifies tangible day-to-day measures that local partners in development can take to empower themselves and to promote and assert their ownership of international volunteer hosting partnerships. The 'Aspire approach' ultimately provides a positive model for future development practice and partnership relations.</p>

Organization of Volunteer Camps at Historical and Сultural Heritage Sites in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: International Experience

Цель исследования – выявление принципов и правил организации международных волонтерских кампусов в области сохранения историко-культурного наследия в условиях пандемии COVID-19 на примере деятельности некоммерческих организаций HistoriCorps (США) и Ассоциации REMPART (Франция), специализирующихся в этой сфере. Использованы документы данных организаций, программные материалы по волонтерской работе. Изучены нормы, касающиеся вопросов проживания участников международных проектов, их численности, питания, проезда, организации культурно-досуговой программы и длительности проведения лагеря в период пандемии. Установлено, что во время карантина появились принципиально новые стандарты реализации международных проектов волонтерскими организациями. Сформулированы общие требования к организации волонтерских кампусов: от обеспечения волонтеров средствами индивидуальной защиты до их размещения принимающей стороной, создание системы мониторинга самочувствия волонтеров и сотрудников проекта. The aim of the study was to identify the principles and rules for organizing international volunteer camps in the field of preserving historical and cultural heritage in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic using the example of the activities of non-profit organizations HistoriCorps (USA) and the REMPART Association (France), specializing in this field. The study used reports, guidelines and instructions for working with participants on volunteer camps of these organizations during quarantine and in the subsequent post-pandemic period. The author applies a structural-functional approach using the methods of interpretation of legal norms and a comparative method. The practice of conducting volunteer camps was studied on the example of the activities of the American organization HistoriCorps. The data on the number of volunteers, the number of man-hours, employment conditions, peculiarities of the organization of activities, requirements for the personality, competencies and duties of the head of the volunteer brigade were revealed. The changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related to the rules and principles of preparing HistoriCorps volunteer camps, new requirements for organizing a volunteer camp and creating conditions for safe volunteer activities were investigated in detail. The HistoriCorps protocols regulating the procedure for actions in case of suspected signs of coronavirus infection in project participants were analyzed. The changes in the methodology of conducting volunteer camps, developed by the French volunteer association REMPART and related to the response of this organization to the spread of COVID-19, were studied. Specific actions, helping to ensure the sanitary safety of the participants, were identified in relation to the organization of volunteer labor. It was determined that the condition for participation in the volunteer camp should be the provision of a medical document (the PCR test result), indicating that the candidate does not have COVID-19, the passage of special training on health and safety by employees, and the provision of personal protective equipment to volunteers in accordance with the requirements of local authorities. The study resulted in a generalization of the experience accumulated by international volunteer organizations on taking additional measures related to the safe conduct of camps during the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of a number of universal recommendations that can become a practical guide for organizers and participants of volunteer camps, regardless of the location of the projects.

The spatial imaginaries of international volunteer teachers: Contrapuntal and disconnected geographies

Scholars argue that international volunteering must not be framed as altruism or charity; rather, it should invoke themes from decolonial justice theorizing. Volunteers who have benefited from colonial-imperial structural advantages should understand their labor as a kind of reparation for ongoing structural dispossession. I argue that spatial imaginaries are central to this project. Volunteers can better situate themselves with decolonial intentionality if they adopt what Edward Said called contrapuntal theories of geography. The volunteer orientation phase is the best time to instill this spatial imaginary. This study analyzes how volunteers theorize “home” and “away” as they become teachers in Namibia. Drawing from a “netnographic” discourse analysis of their public blogs, I find that volunteers are likely to subscribe to a geographical imaginary of atomized and disconnected spaces, lacking the conceptual tools needed to grapple with decolonial justice and to implement dues-paying volunteering in their classrooms.

Volunteering at Landsmót: gaining knowledge and experience.

Landsmót (the National Championship of the Icelandic horse), the main equestrian event in Iceland, provides an opportunity to present Icelandic nature and culture in many ways, through horses, clothing, equipment and food. Landsmót is a biennial sports event which has become a meeting place for local and national participants (audience and volunteers) and also international audiences and volunteer tourists. It provides access to what is commonly termed 'the world of the Icelandic horse'. The findings in this chapter are based on interviews with volunteers and fieldwork at the Landsmót event at Hólar, Iceland, in 2016. There were two types of volunteers at the event: volunteer tourists who signed up due to their interest in the core activity; and members of local non-profit associations that took on tasks for the event as a fundraising activity. The findings suggest that these two groups require different volunteer management approaches and that a clearer strategy for managing international volunteer tourists is needed to meet their needs and expectations of the event community and to facilitate their co-creation of memorable experiences.

"Backpack Refugee Rights Advocating" in Greece – Access to Justice through Legal Empowerment

The moment asylum seekers arrive in Greece, they are often denied access to justice on different levels. At the same time international volunteer field advocates or Backpack Refugee Rights Advocates have the goal of assisting asylum seekers to master the difficulties of the complex European asylum process. More importantly they can play an important role in the process of legally empowering asylum seekers. This paper will first analyze the different forms of access to justice that are denied to asylum seekers in Greece. Then then paper will proceed with the concept of legal empowerment of asylum seekers and it is argued that the main purpose of Backpack Refugee Rights Lawyers should be enabling asylum seekers and refugees to know and enforce their own rights. At the same time the paper identifies and addresses several problems of the work of Backpack Refugee Rights Lawyers. Overall, it is hoped that this paper will provide field advocates with information about how they can play an integral part in the legal empowerment of asylum seekers and refugees if they act according to certain guidelines.

Hedonic and Utilitarian Performances as Determinants of Mental Health and Pro-Social Behaviors among Volunteer Tourists

International volunteer tourism is an emerging and sustainable trend of the global tourism industry. In this study, we attempted to provide a clear comprehension of volunteer tourists’ mental health increase and pro-social intention formation. A survey method and quantitative approach were used. Our result from the structural analysis showed that hedonic and utilitarian performances, mental health, and volunteer tourism engagement had significant associations and that these relationships contributed to improving pro-social intention. In addition, results from the metric invariance assessment revealed that the volunteer tourism engagement and pro-social intention relation was under the significant influence of problem awareness and ascribed responsibility. Mental health and engagement acted as significant mediators. The comparative importance of volunteer tourism engagement was uncovered. Overall, our results provided a sufficient understanding of volunteer tourists’ pro-social decision-making process and behaviors.