Volunteering: A Tool for Social Inclusion and Promoting the Well-Being of Refugees? A Qualitative Study

Silje Sveen (), Kirsti Sarheim Anthun, Kari Bjerke Batt-Rawden and Laila Tingvold
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Silje Sveen: Department of Health Sciences in Gjøvik, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 2815 Gjøvik, Norway
Kirsti Sarheim Anthun: Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7047 Trondheim, Norway
Kari Bjerke Batt-Rawden: Department of Health Sciences in Gjøvik, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 2815 Gjøvik, Norway
Laila Tingvold: Centre for Care Research East, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 2815 Gjøvik, Norway

Societies, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Background : The Norwegian government’s increased expectations that volunteering can be used as a means of integration and the scarce research regarding refugees’ experiences with volunteering is taken as the background for this study. Our purpose is to adopt a salutogenic perspective to investigate whether and how formal volunteering contributes to developing a sense of social inclusion and well-being among refugees in Norway. Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 volunteers with refugee backgrounds in a semi-rural district in Norway. Stepwise deductive induction was used for analysis. Results : Three themes were identified as a result of the analysis: (1) feeling safer due to increased knowledge regarding cultures, values, and systems and achieving mutual acceptance; (2) feeling more confident when communicating in Norwegian and contributing to society, and (3) feeling more connected via social relations. Conclusions : Our study indicates that participation in volunteering may contribute to social inclusion and that the participants’ resources and volunteering experiences may have a health-promotive impact under certain conditions.

Keywords: social inclusion; refugees; sense of coherence; community participation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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