Working Paper Series

VOLPOWER Working Paper Series features recent research output by the team members.

VOLPOWER Policy Recommendations:
Fostering Youth Volunteering among EU Nationals and Third-Country Nationals

Marie Lehner (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Astrid Mattes (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Ursula Reeger (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Andrea Carlà (Eurac Research), Heidi Flarer (Eurac Research)
This document summarises policy recommendations that were developed as part of the research project VOLPOWER: Enhancing Community Building and Social Integration through Dialogue and Collaboration amongst Young Europeans and Third-Country Nationals. VOLPOWER explores the contribution of volunteering in sports and creative arts/culture associations among EU and third- country national youths (age 18-27) to interaction and processes of integration and empowerment. Funded by the AMIF (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund), the project was conducted over more than two years in seven EU geographical contexts (Austria/Vienna, Croatia/Zagreb, Scotland/Glasgow, the Netherlands/Rotterdam, Slovenia, Malta and the Italian province of South Tyrol).

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VOLPOWER Guidelines for Advanced Leadership Training

Glasgow Caledonian University: Dr Fiona Reid, Dr Fiona Skillen, Prof Umut Korkut, Dr Maggie Laidlaw, Marcus Nicolson, Doga Atalay

This report covers the guidelines for advanced leadership training for our international group of volunteers due to take place in April 2020.

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VOLPOWER Summary Report on Innovative Approaches to Sports Volunteering

Glasgow Caledonian University: Dr Fiona Reid, Dr Fiona Skillen, Prof Umut Korkut, Dr Maggie Laidlaw, Marcus Nicholson, Doga Atalay.
Austrian Academy of Sciences: Dr Ursula Reeger, Dr Astrid Mattes, Marie Lehner.

Summary Report on innovative approaches to sports volunteering and integration

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VOLPOWER: Innovative Approaches to Volunteering and Integration in the Creative Arts Sector

Erasmus University Rotterdam, EURAC-Institute for Minority Rights Bolzano, SOS Malta, Zavod APIS Slovenia

Based on a co-designing principle, this report identifies and matches innovative practices to enhance inclusion and youth empowerment through volunteering in the creative arts sector. This is based on research carried out by the AMIF-funded VOLPOWER research project.

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Focus: Re-Examining Integration Through the Study of Narrative, Personal Experience and the Everyday

Umut Korkut, Doga Atalay and Marcus Nicolson (Glasgow Caledonian University)
The recent media footage of migrants trying desperately to cross the English Channel in dinghies and other small boats has been dominating everyday discussion of migration to the UK. Even if the UK is no longer an EU member migration still remains high on the agenda. In fact, despite the Brexiteers’ claim that leaving the EU would allow the UK to control its borders, an absence of collaboration between UK and its EU neighbours is actually likely to increase irregular migration into the UK.  At the same time, the acute increase in irregular crossings into Britain from the continent also presents a challenge and the migration system requires a comprehensive elaboration involving all policy fields from reception to integration. Thereby, the policy essence of migration politics should concentrate on essential issues of social inclusion.

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How Can Youth Empowerment and a Sense of Belonging Benefit From Creative Arts?

Maggie Laidlaw, Ilona van Breugel, Eleonora Psenner and  Francesca Lori
Creativity has a universal language that crosses all borders. It teases out, questions and challenges our thoughts from micro to macro politics. It allows us to express ourselves without pre-fabricated barriers, and offers us an insight into experiences unlike our own. VOLPOWER explores how creative practices enable young migrants and their peers in host communities to express themselves to each other.

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Volunteering in the Super-Diverse City: How Young Urban Volunteers Negotiate Belonging

Astrid Mattes, Marie Lehner, Ilona van Breugel, and Ursula Reeger
Volunteering is widely understood to foster community building, and therefore it is often also studied in the context of integration, for example asking how volunteering can help refugees in their transition to the labour market. Whereas there is no lack of studies demonstrating the positive impact of volunteering activities on individuals and communities, there is limited understanding of linkages between the two in light of super-diversity. Moving beyond socio-economic integration, how does volunteering affect volunteers’ sense of belonging? What does this furthermore mean in the context of increasingly diverse cities?

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Beyond Appearances: Negotiating Disclosure and Policies on Diversity in Scotland and South Tyrol

Marcus Nicolson and Andrea Carlà
Addressing diversity (whether cultural, racial, religious, or linguistic) is an issue faced not only by nation-states, but also by regions and sub-national entities. In this regard, such a challenge is well epitomized by Scotland, with its civic nationalist claims, and South Tyrol, an Italian autonomous province with German and Ladin-speaking minorities and a sophisticated system to protect them. Both areas have become destinations for migrants, who represent both 9% of the Scottish population and 9% of South Tyrolean population. Scotland and South Tyrol present interesting case studies within which to explore discourses and policies on diversity and their influence on individuals and wider society.

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VOLPOWER Work Package 3

Dr Fiona Reid, Dr Fiona Skillen, Prof Umut Korkut, Dr Maggie Laidlaw, Marcus Nicolson, Doga Atalay (Glasgow Caledonian University)
The approach to our work package has been to create and understand the journey of our volunteers within the sport sectors in Scotland and Austria and to explore the possibilities that volunteering offers as a way to build a sense of community and empowerment amongst Third Country Nationals (TCNs) and European Union Nations (EUNs) between January 2019 and December 2020.

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VOLPOWER Country Reports

Glasgow Caledonian University
Austrian Academy of Science, Institute for Urban and Regional Research Erasmus University Rotterdam
EURAC-Institute for Minority Rights Bolzano
IRMO Croatia
SOS Malta
Zavod APIS Slovenia

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The effect of volunteering on empowerment and inclusion among EU and third-country national youth: An in-depth mixed-methods research

VOLPOWER WP2 Final Report

Heidi Flarer (Eurac Research)
Andrea Carlà (Eurac Research)
Marie Lehner (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Astrid Mattes (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Ursula Reeger (Austrian Academy of Sciences)

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