EXPECTATIONS FOR VOLUNTARY WORK VS. THE REALITYTeemu Manninen

Univerity of Jyväskylä

teemu.s.manninen@jyu.fi

manninenteemu.wordpress.com

RESEARCH QUESTIONHow does the expectations for

voluntary work differ from the reality? – An auto-ethnography of a finnish volunteer in Thailand

EXPECTATIONS?

REALITY?

PURPOSE FOR STUDYI’m interested in studying this issue

because I volunteered in Thailand for three months in a children’s home and I found out that my own expectations for the work differed from the reality I faced

I want to share my experiences with people who might be interested in volunteering abroad and help them to get information about the work

HYPOTHESESThe expectations for voluntary

work are much more world changing than the work really is.

Volunteers go to a poor country and they are going to solve all the probles the people face there

CRITICAL SOURCES CITEDLyons, K. (2006). Globalization

and social work: International and local implications. British Journal of Social Work 36, 365-380.Globalization is affecting local

social workers’ practices (e.g. problems in cross-border marriages)

“International social workers”?

CRITICAL SOURCES CITED Davis, M. , Mitchell, K. , Hall, J. ,

Lothert, J. , Snapp, T. & Meyer, M. (1999). Empathy, expectations, and situational preferences: Personality influences on the decision to participate in volunteer helping behaviors. Journal of Personality 67:3)Two groups of people: “self-oriented” and

“other-oriented”“other-oriented” would more likely to do

voluntary work

METHODOLOGYGathering:

Auto-ethnography based on my own expectations and comparing them to a diary I kept

THANK YOU!If you have any questions about

voluntary work abroad I would be glad to give answersteemu.s.manninen@jyu.fi