Emerging Perspectives on International Volunteerism in Asia

Created for the International Forum on Development Service’s FORUM Research series, this paper presents an assessment of knowledge on international volunteerism in Asia. Data for the assessment come from an online survey of 80 organizations that send volunteers to Asian countries, face-to-face interviews conducted with staff in 47 organizations, and focus group discussions with 32 volunteers after their return from international service. The findings have implications for volunteers, their managers, hosting organizations, researchers, and policymakers.

The paper served as the foundation for the Forum Research 2010 address before the annual conference of International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations. Slides as video from that address are also accessible: Presentation slides, presentation (Part 1, Part 2) by Caroline Brassard, and presentation by Margaret Sherraden.

Project: Emerging Perspectives on International Volunteerism in Asia