Meijeren finds it fascinating that so many people still want to volunteer in our age of individualisation. His research focuses specifically on refugee aid and shows something striking: the number of people who start or stop volunteering for refugees is many times higher than those who remain volunteers.
Take great care of our volunteers; they deserve our support
So, there seems to be a problem of commitment from humanitarian organisations to volunteers, but is this a bad thing? 'Volunteers are the first face refugees see when they enter a new society. You might expect that humanitarian organisations would have a deep understanding of their volunteers, given their crucial role. However, this often turns out to be disappointing,' says Meijeren, who is determined to change this situation. Over the past five years, he has conducted interviews with volunteers and distributed extensive questionnaires to explore key questions: “What drives you to volunteer?” and “What are the reasons that might lead you to stop volunteering?”
Why do people start volunteering for refugees?
You might think volunteers want to help refugees mainly to make themselves feel good. Meijeren's research shows that this plays only a secondary role. From his data, he recognises compassion, gaining experience and justice as three main reasons for providing humanitarian aid. This gives Meijeren hope because people do not act purely out of self-interest. 'I can't quite connect it one-to-one, but it even seems that many new volunteers have started as a statement against Faber's act,' Meijeren says. Full-page advertisements appeared in the newspaper in solidarity with all those providing humanitarian aid to refugees. Faber's polarising action thus seems to have had a unifying effect. So what are these volunteers doing that makes them so indispensable?
What do volunteers do for refugees?
Meijeren cites Camp Heumensoord, which has served as an emergency shelter twice in the past decade, as a concrete example. 'That is a place where acute help is abruptly needed,' says Meijeren. People hand out clothes, give a Dutch crash course, and provide legal assistance to refugees. 'In the latter case, you see the driving force of career experience reflected,' says Meijeren. Many law students want to learn more about asylum law and are convinced that humanitarian aid is vital to understanding their profession better. "How else do you learn what justice means?" is the consideration.
Why do volunteers quit?
Emergency aid is, by definition, temporary, so you will always lose volunteers there, too. 'That is also normal: "life went on again", many of our respondents say,' Meijeren clarifies. On the flip side, volunteers often leave for reasons within our control. The survey revealed that, sometimes, too many volunteers are brought on board concerning the number of refugees, which can result in some volunteers feeling underutilised. It's unfortunate to lose this 'excess' group. If the government were to assign more funding to these organisations, we could assign meaningful tasks to all these individuals, although that might be a bit of wishful thinking right now. On the other hand, some volunteers are being overasked.
It is precisely because you act from compassion and justice that you cannot simply switch off once you are back home
Meijeren saw that volunteers could even suffer burnout in humanitarian aid to refugees. It is precisely because you act from compassion and justice that you cannot simply switch off once you are back home, which is already difficult in your regular job. 'You work hard on someone's social integration, well over four hours a week. If that residence permit is then denied anyway, it can be a huge blow to your mental health,' says Meijeren.
A simple pat on the shoulder and a "You are doing well" could already make a difference.
He therefore saw that there are still quite a few steps to be made in communication. Volunteers say they miss encouraging words and emotional support. 'A simple pat on the shoulder and a "You are doing well" could already make a difference. In that sense, the full-page endorsements in the newspapers are a good step, perhaps for the wrong reason because of Faber's actions, but the volunteers are now getting great recognition,' says Meijeren.
What can organisations do?
Meijeren hopes humanitarian organisations will consider his findings, mainly the reasons for quitting, when setting up new projects for refugees. 'The first step is for organisations to get to know their volunteers,' Meijeren recommends. Take, for example, the insight that many law students are eager to provide legal assistance to refugees out of a sense of righteousness. Lastly, let’s ensure we take great care of our volunteers; they deserve our support. After all, statistics show that volunteering for refugees fosters compassion, promotes justice, and enriches our society with invaluable knowledge. Not even a 'decoration-gate' can alter that reality.