Towards a sustainable change in the field of organised, international volunteering: An exploratory study of experiences and reflections from the Danish field of organised, international volunteering: An exploratory study of experiences and reflections from the Danish field of organised, international volunteering
Authors
Jensen, Anna Odds ; Jørgensen, Anja Vind
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-04-19
Pages
95
Abstract
This study examines how Danish organizations that offer organized international volunteering work and learn. It is based on two Danish international volunteer programmes and a Danish association that seeks more sustainable change in the market for international volunteering. The study takes place amid growing criticism of international volunteering and a rising global interest in social sustainability. To analyze this, it combines post-development theory, which questions traditional development ideas and highlights power relations, with experiential learning theory, which looks at how people and organizations learn from experience. Using these perspectives, the study explores the power structures in the field and how organizations use experience and knowledge to change their practices. It also highlights a key tension: these organizations operate like travel agencies in a competitive, customer-driven market, while they must also maintain credibility as humanitarian actors. Together, the theories support a discussion of how broader structures and individual agency interact, and how power and knowledge shape practice.
Dette studie undersøger, hvordan danske organisationer, der tilbyder organiseret internationalt frivilligt arbejde, arbejder og lærer. Det bygger på to danske internationale frivilligprogrammer og en dansk forening, der arbejder for mere bæredygtige forandringer på markedet for internationalt frivilligt arbejde. Studiet udspringer af stigende kritik af internationalt frivilligt arbejde og en voksende global interesse for social bæredygtighed. Analysen kombinerer post-udviklingsteori, som udfordrer traditionelle udviklingsforståelser og undersøger magtforhold, med erfaringslæringsteori, som ser på, hvordan mennesker og organisationer lærer af erfaringer. Med disse perspektiver udforsker studiet de magtstrukturer, der præger feltet, og hvordan organisationerne bruger erfaring og viden til at ændre deres praksis. Det fremhæver også spændingerne i, at organisationerne både fungerer som rejsebureauer på et konkurrencepræget, kundedrevet marked og samtidig skal bevare troværdigheden som humanitære aktører. Kombinationen af teorier bidrager til en diskussion af samspillet mellem struktur og handlekraft samt mellem magt og viden.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords