TY - JOUR
T1 - More Than Help? Volunteerism in US Latino Culture
AU - The Abriendo Caminos Promotora Project Group
AU - Schwingel, Andiara
AU - Wiley, Angela
AU - Teran-Garcia, Margarita
AU - McCaffrey, Jennifer
AU - Gálvez, Patricia
AU - Hawn, Rachel
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank the Illinois Extension for supporting this study with funding from the University of Illinois Extension and Outreach Initiative and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture for awarding a Hatch Grant to A. Wiley (Project No. ILLU-793-321-0205791). Special thanks go to Amy Blumstein and the Abriendo Caminos Promotora Project Group for being actively involved in this project. The Abriendo Caminos Promotora Project Group includes Elizabeth Villegas, Sarai Coba, Marcela Vizcarra, Gisele Luty, and Ramona Montez.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins University.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - Volunteerism makes critical contributions to individual lives and society as a whole. However, to date, few studies have investigated volunteerism within Latino communities, a large and growing US population. The aim of this study was to understand how non-metropolitan US Latinos perceive volunteerism, as well as to determine what motivates and what deters their participation in volunteer programs. Our research team conducted six focus groups with 36 Latina women living in the State of Illinois. The focus groups covered topics such as the definition of volunteerism, participation motives and barriers, personal volunteer experience, and Latino culture, community, and organizations. We also assessed demographic information. Results from this study indicate that Latinas have a unique understanding of the concept of volunteerism. Participants associated everyday “helping” with volunteerism, establishing commonplace forms of aid as perhaps a “Latino way of volunteering.” We found time-consuming activities such as family responsibilities and work to be deterrents to Latinas participating in more formal volunteer activities.
AB - Volunteerism makes critical contributions to individual lives and society as a whole. However, to date, few studies have investigated volunteerism within Latino communities, a large and growing US population. The aim of this study was to understand how non-metropolitan US Latinos perceive volunteerism, as well as to determine what motivates and what deters their participation in volunteer programs. Our research team conducted six focus groups with 36 Latina women living in the State of Illinois. The focus groups covered topics such as the definition of volunteerism, participation motives and barriers, personal volunteer experience, and Latino culture, community, and organizations. We also assessed demographic information. Results from this study indicate that Latinas have a unique understanding of the concept of volunteerism. Participants associated everyday “helping” with volunteerism, establishing commonplace forms of aid as perhaps a “Latino way of volunteering.” We found time-consuming activities such as family responsibilities and work to be deterrents to Latinas participating in more formal volunteer activities.
KW - Hispanics
KW - Latinos
KW - Minorities
KW - Non-metropolitan
KW - Volunteerism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84969932239&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84969932239&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11266-016-9731-2
DO - 10.1007/s11266-016-9731-2
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84969932239
VL - 28
SP - 162
EP - 183
JO - Voluntas
JF - Voluntas
SN - 0957-8765
IS - 1
ER -