Young people in cross-national volunteering: Perceptions of unfairness

Abstract

This qualitative study explores young people’s perceptions of unfairness when involved in cross-border volunteering. It extends the theoretical understanding of volunteering, by adding to the notion of barriers of access, the idea that poor volunteer management may pose obstacles in the process of volunteering. The research indicates that the young people are not passive, but justice-sensitive when faced with situations perceived as unfair. It argues that volunteering is prone to the same patterns of responding to dissatisfaction that have been researched for employment. Yet, this article adds a fifth generic decision types for quitting, namely quitting as an ethically minded statement of disapproval. This demonstrates that the tendency to invariably position young people as “morally responsible” for dropping out is often limiting and reproduces structural intergenerational power. Ultimately, the article seeks to improve organizations’ knowledge on “what does not work,” for the purpose of advancing the ethical management of international volunteering.

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