Perceived Effects of International Volunteering - Center for Social ...

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wider range of challenges including cultural imperialism, gender and racial tensions, concerns over local labor replacement, local conflicts, resource consumption, dependence, and challenges resulting from differences in power and privilege between volunteers and host community members. Volunteer international social networking. WorldTeach alumni were more likely than CCS alumni to report international social contacts, which means they are connected to organizations that work internationally and correspond frequently with these contacts. It is not known whether or not these predated their international volunteer experience. While WorldTeach alumni were more likely to use these contacts to link people or organizations with resources, alumni from both organizations were equally likely to provide resources directly to contacts they met while volunteering. Sixty-five percent of all alumni provided money or other resources directly to the host organization or community members. Volunteer intercultural understanding. More than 95 percent of all alumni reported that international volunteering increased their appreciation of other cultures, exposed them to communities different than the ones they grew up in, helped them gain a better understanding of the community where they worked, exposed them to new ideas and ways of seeing the world, and challenged their previous beliefs and assumptions about the world. The international experience also was attributed with increasing the amount of time that volunteers socialize with individuals from other racial or ethnic groups. Volunteer civic engagement. Nine out of ten alumni agreed that international volunteering increased their participation in cultural, environmental, or leisure activities. Many reported that their experience particularly strengthened their commitment to volunteer service, both at the local and international levels. Volunteers from the two different programs reported no differences in civic engagement behaviors or interest. Volunteer career goals. Many respondents concluded that volunteering internationally changed the course of their lives and increased their commitment to international or social and economic development. WorldTeach volunteers were more likely than CCS volunteers to pursue education or careers in development or international areas. Alumni from both organizations believed the international experience improved their future and current employment. Longer-term volunteers reported a stronger effect in these areas. Thirty-five percent of WorldTeach alumni believed volunteering had a substantial influence on their chances of finding a job, compared to 17 percent of CCS volunteers. Likewise, 41 percent of WorldTeach alumni agreed that volunteering substantially improved their performance at their current jobs, compared to 28 percent of CCS volunteers. Seventy-five percent of alumni claimed that their cross-cultural encounter was a transformational experience—one that resulted in significant life changes that would not have occurred if they stayed in their home country. Alumni reported this change regardless of the model with which they served. On average, 95 percent of all respondents were satisfied with their volunteer experience. Conclusions Consistent with other research, these analyses suggest that international voluntary service (IVS) has the potential to positively affect volunteers and host organizations. International volunteer service C ENTER FOR S OCIAL D EVELOPMENT W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY IN S T . L OUIS 5
positively affected volunteers’ cross-cultural understanding and career path, in many cases transforming their lives. The majority of volunteers also believed they made a significant contribution to the host organizations and communities, including transferring a specific skill or providing money, time or other resources. The vast majority of volunteers did not believe that their presence in the community caused problems, and nearly all believed the community desired their services. In conclusion, the two IVS models shared many of the same outcomes. These findings are a valuable addition to current research on IVS, which has not yet compared differences across models. However, the study design does not allow claims of impact, and the limitations temper these results. Forthcoming reports from the larger research project will minimize limitations of this study through rigorous longitudinal, comparative research and will provide more definitive results. C ENTER FOR S OCIAL D EVELOPMENT W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY IN S T . L OUIS 6
Page 1 and 2: Perceived Effects of International
Page 3 and 4: List of Tables and Figures Table 1:
Page 5: met while volunteering. They also w
Page 9 and 10: country. 11 Volunteers serve as ind
Page 11 and 12: the continued support of full-time
Page 13 and 14: Table 1: Respondent Characteristics
Page 15 and 16: WorldTeach alumni were more likely
Page 17 and 18: Volunteer Activities and Perceived
Page 19 and 20: When compared with WorldTeach volun
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Page 23 and 24: working with males as colleagues in
Page 25 and 26: Network-Related Resources Internati
Page 27 and 28: countries with the host community o
Page 29 and 30: valued skill in an increasingly glo
Page 31 and 32: Life Plans Education and Career Man
Page 33 and 34: This finding is reflected in differ
Page 35 and 36: It's difficult to explain the chang
Page 37 and 38: International networks. Respondents
Page 39 and 40: Appendix Impacts of IVS on Voluntee
Page 41 and 42: Dhooper, S. S., & Moore, S. E. (200
Page 43 and 44: McBride, A. M., Sherraden, M., Ben
Page 45: Woolcock, M. (1998). Social capital

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