The impact of international volunteering on returned volunteers’ engagement with social action in relation to international development

ABSTRACT

International development volunteering is a potential route to returned volunteers’ engagement in social action on development issues after placement. Using data from a two-stage qualitative study with returned Voluntary Services Overseas volunteers, and by considering the pre-conditions and motivations for social action, this article shows that although returned volunteers commit to social action, they face challenges to engagement. Motivated by deepened, critical understandings of development, they reject some forms of action, whilst other action they value proves problematic and does not sustain. Barriers include how others respond and the lack of meaningful opportunities provided by organisations at home. Despite these challenges, some returned volunteers develop alternative, sustainable ways of engaging that have greater direct impact on development. This is significant in informing how organisations support returned volunteers (RVs) in taking action.

KEYWORDS:

• International volunteering
• international development
• social action
• social engagement

Acknowledgments

I extend my thanks to my co-researchers from the first part of the study: Nicole Blum (UCL IOE) and Doug Bourn (UCL IOE), VSO, and the returned volunteers.

Disclosure statement

The original research was funded by VSO and the subsequent follow-up study was un-funded. Although the corresponding author had previously worked as a VSO trainer, at the time of conducting the research this work had ceased. There are therefore no potential conflicts of interest reported on the part of the author or co-researchers.

Notes

1. This article is single authored at my colleagues’ request, as they were not involved in the second part. I have acknowledged them at the end of the article and refer to us collectively as ‘the research team’ where appropriate.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Voluntary Services Overseas.