Volunteering in humanitarian non-governmental organizations

Reflective solidarity and inclusion work as mechanisms of social transformation

Abstract

In America, in the midst of a populist wave during Trump’s presidency, activists who rejected the torrent of xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia volunteered to work with humanitarian NGOs that aid migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. These volunteers repeatedly engage in activities, such as driving refugees to their doctors’ appointments or teaching migrants English, that cause the volunteers to be exposed to and interact with people whose backgrounds and daily experiences are much different than their own. Personal relationships are formed between the volunteers and those they are helping, and these relationships produce solidarity and change the volunteers. Both the volunteer and the refugee must adjust to each other, which is usually obvious to the refugee, who is in a state of transition often associated with post-traumatic stress, massive confusion, and status diminishment, but often less obvious to the volunteer. “Affective solidarity” forms because of emotions and common interests, but “reflective solidarity” is based not on friendship or even sympathy, but on mutual respect and concern. The volunteer and the refugee may have different political opinions and beliefs (for example, many refugees were exposed to and believed anti-vax conspiracies theories about COVID-19 vaccines) but, if they establish reflective solidarity, these differences do not pull them apart. The changes in consciousness produced in volunteers through working with refugees can create transformation in and a new reality for the volunteers, which can contribute towards a larger societal change.