Volunteering as a Means of Fostering Integration and Intercultural Relations. Evidence from Six European Contexts

• Authors: Andrea Carlà , Heidi Flarer , Marie Lehner , Astrid Mattes , Ursula Reeger

Abstracts

EN

Migrant integration remains a continuous challenge in many EU countries, as shown by the retreat from multiculturalism and the concerns regarding Muslim migrants. In recent years, the increase in asylum-seekers has added further complexities to the issue. Meanwhile, volunteering is considered to be an important aspect of today’s society and a thermometer of civic well-being. Bringing together the field of migration studies and research on volunteering, we investigate whether volunteering would foster processes of integration and intercultural relations. We do so by presenting an innovative empirical study based on interviews and self-administered questionnaires conducted at two points in time over a period of about a year in a specific setting that brought together EU and third-country nationals in volunteering activities in six European contexts. Thus, we are able to provide an in-depth account of volunteering experiences and their effects on intercultural relations and processes of integration. The research highlights how volunteering fosters social interactions, intersecting with dynamics of inclusion. It is a valuable tool that strengthens the community as well as the process of social integration, helping to overcome the tensions and conflicts that persist in European societies. At the same time, we argue that volunteering cannot make up for all integration challenges since the process of societal integration requires a more comprehensive approach which includes tackling discrimination in structural integration.

Keywords

EN

migrants; volunteering; youth; integration; intercultural understanding; belonging

• Publisher: Ośrodek Badań nad Migracjami Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego oraz Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Central and Eastern European Migration Review
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 49-63

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Andrea Carlà

• Eurac Research, Italy

author

Heidi Flarer

• Eurac Research, Italy

author

Marie Lehner

author

Astrid Mattes

• University of Vienna, Austria

author

Ursula Reeger

• Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria

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Identifiers

DOI

10.54667/ceemr.2023.07

Biblioteka Nauki

2233805