Volunteer Service's Lasting Humanitarian Impact Across the Globe: Influence of Past Charitable Efforts on Today's Scene, Even from a Great Distance
At the World Extreme Medicine Conference 2023, a session led by Ben LaBrot, founder of Floating Doctors and professor at USC, delved into the long-term impacts of humanitarian aid work on volunteers.
The talk encouraged reflection on how volunteer work shapes both medicine and the medic, focusing on the effects on both the communities served and the volunteers. The session highlighted personal transformations that can occur from volunteering, emphasising the importance of preparation, ethical program design, and post-deployment integration.
One of the key aspects discussed was the emotional and psychological effects volunteers may experience. These can range from feelings of gratification to stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compassion fatigue, or burnout. The nature of the work, exposure to traumatic events, and the duration of the assignment all play a role in these impacts.
Volunteers often report significant personal growth, enhanced empathy, and a more nuanced understanding of global issues as a result of their work. This can lead to career changes or a deeper commitment to humanitarian work.
Social and community engagement is another significant impact. Volunteers often develop strong bonds with colleagues and the communities they serve, leading to lasting friendships and a broader sense of community.
Exposure to diverse cultures can enhance cultural competence and understanding, which can be invaluable in future professional and personal endeavours.
Participation in humanitarian aid work can open up new career paths or enhance existing ones by providing valuable experience and skills. Volunteers often develop a broader global perspective, which can influence their worldview, political engagement, and personal choices.
Emerging data indicates the impact of humanitarian aid on confidence, empathy, global stewardship, and leadership. The session also discussed the concept of "shadow outputs" related to volunteering, referring to the unintended but significant impacts that can occur long after the initial service work.
Mentoring was identified as crucial for volunteers before, during, and after deployment. Post-deployment integration is important for volunteers to sustain the impact of their work and manage any emotional or psychological effects.
The ripple effects of volunteer work matter, even decades and continents away. Understanding these impacts is essential for ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of humanitarian aid work. While the specific impacts discussed by Ben LaBrot at the conference cannot be fully detailed without access to the conference materials or an interview with him, the general implications are clear: humanitarian aid work can have profound and lasting effects on volunteers.
- At the World Extreme Medicine Conference 2023, Ben LaBrot, founder of Floating Doctors and professor at USC, emphasized the long-term impacts of humanitarian aid work on volunteers, focusing on the effects on both the communities served and the volunteers themselves.
- The session underscored the importance of personal transformations that can occur from volunteering, as well as the need for preparation, ethical program design, and post-deployment integration.
- In discussing the emotional and psychological effects volunteers may experience, LaBrot highlighted the potential for feelings of gratification, stress, PTSD, compassion fatigue, or burnout, all of which can be influenced by the nature of the work, exposure to traumatic events, and the duration of the assignment.
- LaBrot also mentioned that volunteers often report significant personal growth, enhanced empathy, and a more nuanced understanding of global issues, which can lead to career changes or a deeper commitment to humanitarian work.
- Furthermore, exposing oneself to diverse cultures can enhance cultural competence and understanding, which can be beneficial in future professional and personal endeavors, while participation in humanitarian aid work can open up new career paths or enhance existing ones by providing valuable experience and skills.
