A gift for our peace of mind: volunteering with immigrants through the lens of autoethnography

ABSTRACT

Migration as a stressful process can be detrimental to the mental health of immigrants. However, social support may protect against those negative impacts. Volunteering is a venue for exchanging social support and boosting mental health. Taking an autoethnographic methodological approach and Frankl’s theoretical framework, I investigated how my volunteering experiences uplifted my mental health by opening some space to navigate social relationships and social support. I have explained my experienced ‘aha’ moments and transformations in my being and meaning in life. Those revelations highlight the importance of the culture of love and care in the elevation of ourselves and others.

KEYWORDS:

• Immigrant
• mental health
• social support
• volunteering
• Frankl
• existentialism
• meaning in life
• family volunteering
• migration

Acknowledgments

I gratefully acknowledge Dr. Penelope Ironstone through whom I was exposed to the world of autoethnography, Dr. Martha Kuwee Kumsa, who helped me initiate this project, and Dr. Eliana Suarez whose feedback contributed to the final version of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).