Volunteering, social cohesion and race: the German Technical Relief Service

Abstract

This paper contributes to the debate on whether volunteering influences social cohesion, and argues that issues of race equality should be considered in this discussion. Whilst the German government, like other European states, promotes volunteering as a way of improving social cohesion, discussions on social cohesion in Germany tend not to mention race explicitly, whilst studies on volunteering tend to neglect to explore race at all. When they do, race is simply considered a factor influencing engagement, rather than a structural issue. Employing the example of the German Technical Relief Service for civil defence, the paper explores race relations and representation in Germany, where discussions on race generally remain taboo, drawing on theories of structural racism and whiteness. The paper concludes that it cannot be unproblematically assumed that volunteering leads to social cohesion in an ethnically diverse society if racial inequalities are not addressed.

Immigrant Integration Through Volunteering: The Importance of Contextual Factors

“…The challenge for immigrant integration through volunteering is not about what volunteer activities immigrants undertake, but more about whether or not they are able to cross the participation threshold. This insight makes it imperative to design policies that encourage immigrants’ initial participation in volunteering and remove systemic obstacles (Chadderton, 2016).…”

“…Volunteering also provides immigrants with opportunities for skill and language development (Handy and Greenspan, 2009), access to workforce experience (Baert and Vujic, 2016), exposure to the host country's cultural norms (Schoeneberg, 1985), and opportunities to co-produce social services for more recent arrivals (Strokosch and Osborne, 2016). Nevertheless, immigrants may also face discriminatory anti-immigrant sentiment from the local community and limited volunteer opportunities in mainstream organisations (Chadderton, 2016; Tomlinson, 2010).…”

“…The centrality of contextual factors suggest that immigrants' lower levels of participation are grounded in lack of equal opportunities and discriminatory, or at least inequitable, practices more than personal barriers. For instance, as Chadderton (2016) has demonstrated with regards to the Technical Relief Service, a Federally-created volunteer-oriented agency, the German organisational system is embedded in 'racialized structures' (2016: 239) and assumptions of immigrant's cultural deficit, resulting in attitudes and norms that can contribute to the exclusion of immigrants from membership organisations and volunteer opportunities. Thus, overcoming structural barriers to increase levels of immigrant membership and volunteering will not be an easy task.…”

“…Volunteering policies can be implemented at various levels (local, national) and by various actors (government, NGOs, corporations, educational institutions). For instance, Chadderton (2016) argued that structural racism often exists in the opportunities to volunteer; therefore, volunteering cannot lead 'to social cohesion in an ethnically diverse society if racial inequalities are not addressed ' (2016: 233). But, as Handy and Greenspan (2009) argue, if nonprofit organisations actively sought to provide an immigrant-welcoming environment, it would better enable immigrants to take up volunteer opportunities.…”