Before explaining the concepts of liminality and Othering and their connection to volunteerism, I will first explain how volunteerism is scientifically defined and approached. The term volunteerism is a coalescence from the words volunteering and tourism. Stebbins and Graham (2004) define volunteerism as volunteering “in an organized way to undertake holidays that might involve the aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society, the restoration of certain environments or research into aspects of society or environment (Stebbins and Graham 2004, 211). According to Beigbeder (1991) and Clark (1978), a volunteer is someone who voluntarily offers personal services, time and skills for the benefit of others. Stebbins and …show more content…
Brown (2005) defines volunteerism as a “type of tourism experience where a tour operator offers travellers an opportunity to participate in an optional excursion that has a volunteer component”. For this research I will look closer into the motivations of volunteers and the activities undertaken by these volunteers within two volunteerism projects, considering this holiday component in volunteerism projects. I will also look into how volunteerism projects create cultural understanding between people with different cultural backgrounds, since experiencing another culture is a big aspect with which volunteerism projects are being promoted (Brown 2005). According to Schulz (2007), there are certain things needed to create the possibility for cross-cultural understanding. She, for example, states that it is important that there is awareness about how various factors, such as history and religion, can have an impact on cultural perspectives, products and …show more content…
The concept of liminality was first introduced in the field of anthropology by Van Gennep (1909). He described rites of passage in which the people who are undergoing the ritual are stripped of their social status at the beginning after which they are in a liminal period of transition until they get back their new status at the end. After Van Gennep’s work on the concept there was a long period of silence around it until Turner (1967) drew on Van Gennep’s ideas for his interpretation of liminality. He started to apply liminality to small-scale societies stating that liminal individuals or entities are “neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention, and ceremony” (Turner 1967, 95). According to him, there are liminal communities within which all community members are equal. An example of such a community is the hippies who, according to Turner, freed themselves from the ruling social structure. He defines liminality as following: “Liminality may perhaps be regarded as the Nay to all positive structural assertions, but as in some sense the source of them all, and, more than that, as a realm of pure possibility whence novel configurations of ideas and relations may arise” (Turner 1967: 97). This connects to the work of Rabinow (1977) again, in which he describes how the informants of an anthropologist
The painting called The Volunteer’s Return (The Kunstmuseum Basel Oil on canvas, 97 x 77 cm.) was made by Swiss artist, Frank Buchser in 1867. Based on the title, we know that the painting represents the end of the American Civil War which lasted 4 years (1861-1865)
volunteering is a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task. In this report i will talk about the different types of volunteering in the:
Volunteering in America is something that has helped this country to grow the way it has. Services that were given through volunteering are a necessary part of how this country has dealt with its challenges. Beyond the wars that have made and changed the lives of Americans, this country has also had to deal with tragedy that strikes with natural
When one volunteers, it is not for their personal gain, yet rather for the benefit of others. The volunteering opportunity would enable one to make a direct connection with others. Thus, the volunteers get
The United States is a country of volunteers. In 2002-2003, 64 million Americans (28.8 percent of those 16 and older) donated 52 hours a year, the equivalent of more than one full work week, to building shelters, coaching Little League, caring for the elderly, teaching literacy, and countless other community-minded pursuits. Statistics show in Source F that “groups mandatory and nonvolunteers – were less likely to volunteer 8 years after high school than persons who strongly encouraged to volunteer or did it for strictly voluntary reason (43 percent).”
There are many different places that you can volunteer at, and they are very good choices. Places like the Salvation Army, Meals on Wheels, and Red Cross are all excellent places to volunteer, and I respect and encourage any person that is willing to put in time for an organization and not get anything out of it. I know how hard it is to say to yourself that you will get up and help an organization for nothing because I have done it. I also know the how rewarding it is to volunteer. This is partially one of the reasons that I volunteer. I personally prefer an organization, called Camp of the Rising Son. I prefer to volunteer at Camp of the Rising Son as a cabin counselor because of the fact that they are a Christian organization that teaches young children about Christ, and that I already have the necessary skills needed to excel, and because of the impact it makes on my life personally.
To me, the volunteer spirit means that you lead by example, take advantage of all opportunities, and are always looking to reach out and give a helping hand.
I believe that volunteering is an important experience that shows us to just how a group of individuals can come together for a common and selfless good. While volunteering at the Croatian Cultural Center I was able to truly see men, women, and children all come together to celebrate their Croatian heritage. While I was there, I was able to read to children not only in Croatian, but with Croatian books and texts that had significant cultural references and meaning. I also taught children and young adults cultural dances and saw just how important it was to be able to connect back to your heritage and culture even though you were an ocean away. I would describe my experience as being: fulfilling, genuine, and hopeful.
Volunteers are vital to the operation of an organization, as they give credibility and allow for positive communication between the community and the organization (Haski-Leventhal et al., 2010). With that said, volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations throughout the country and many organizations depend on people giving their time to execute their vision and mission. The word volunteer is well known, but it has taken on a more diverse meaning with different types of people who engage in a number of different activities (McAllum, 2014). It is common for people to take on different volunteer roles at various points in their life. Social networks and motivation play key roles in how and when a person volunteers. Whether one is married,
To understand the importance of volunteering, I volunteered at one cultural event in San Antonio downtown. It was the festival of Diwali, a festival of light celebrate in India every year, organized by the San Antonio municipal and Indian Association. In San Antonio’s downtown we have a Riverwalk and the booth was on one side of river with the bleacher and on the other side was the stadium. Folk dances of India were performed on the stage. I volunteered at a booth of drink. My job was to sell soft drinks like coke for a dollar. I made a working there on the booth and we both had almost same interests due to that I was very surprised. There was also another booth next to us. I helped them to load, carry and organize their booth with food. This
Volunteering through my local churches, school and college has allowed me to interact with many individuals with differing socioeconomic status, education, race, religion and culture. However, these differences never stopped us from working together or giving our time, love and hard work to something.
Do you you think students should be required to volunteer in their communities to receive their high school diplomas? I for one do not think you should be required to volunteer for your community in order to get your diploma. In my eyes no one should be forced to volunteer to do anything however, volunteering does teach responsibility and builds character. Volunteering for something on your own shows what type of person you are however, being forced to volunteer isn’t really volunteering. I do not feel like you should be forced to volunteer for your community in order to get a high school diploma but I do think volunteering is a good thing to do.
For many years, millions of people have engaged in some kind of volunteering act that has contributed to a number of unimaginable hours of work. Of these people though, 49% have represented the adult population with a quarter of them having devoted their time to 5 or more hours per week for volunteering (the motivations to volunteer). These figures for volunteering have been inspiring for psychologists to seek and understand the instrumental factors that lead people to volunteer. Several arguments have been stirred throughout the years, but importantly,
Diana Dickson (pseudonym) is a 48-year-old female, born and raised in New Zealand who works as a microbiologist in a large urban hospital in Auckland. She is happily married and has three grown children - two girls and one boy. She currently lives with her husband and her youngest son. At age 20, Diana had a lump in her left ankle which was surgically removed . The lump was misdiagnosed as spitz nevus when it was in fact malignant melanoma. According to literature, melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer which progresses quickly and can be life threatening. If not diagnosed early or is misdiagnosed, the cancer can spread (metastasis) to other parts of the body (Brown, Edwards, Seaton & Buckley, 2015). Diana received the correct diagnosis ten years later when she discovered another lump in her left groin, which made the doctors looked at the biopsy slide of the previous lump on her ankle and confirmed that it originated from there.At age 40, she had the lump and the lymph nodes surgically removed. Her lymph nodes were removed as a precaution because her doctors thought it is possible for cancer cells to spread to the lymph nodes without causing them to enlarge. The removal of the lymph nodes in her left groin caused her to be diagnosed with lymphoedema in her left lower limb.
This research is being conducted to investigate volunteer motivation, satisfactions and dissatisfactions. As is stated by Becsi et al (2008), much of the literature in the social sciences focuses on predicting volunteering behaviour with underlying theories of resources availability.