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Volunteering as a pathway to integration and belonging: migrant experiences in Ireland
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Date
2025
Authors
Martin, Shirley
Scanlon, Margaret
Journal Title
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Publisher
Springer Nature
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Abstract
This article explores how volunteering functions as a multidimensional pathway to migrant integration and belonging in Ireland, drawing on a mixed-methods study conducted in Cork city and county. Grounded in Heckmann’s integration model, Yuval-Davis’s concept of belonging, and Erel and Ryan’s theory of migrant capitals, the research investigates migrants’ motivations, experiences, and perceived outcomes across formal, informal, and migrant-led forms of volunteering. Findings reveal that volunteering supports integration across structural, cultural, social, and identificational domains, enabling migrants to build networks, improve language skills, maintain professional expertise, and gain recognition. Volunteering also fosters emotional and symbolic belonging, particularly through peer support and civic engagement. However, access remains uneven, with barriers such as language limitations and residence in Direct Provision constraining participation. Migrants emerge not only as beneficiaries but as active agents of integration, contributing to Irish society through advocacy, informal support, and community leadership. The study calls for inclusive policies that recognise and resource both formal and informal volunteering, and that value the civic agency of migrants in shaping integration outcomes.
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Keywords
Volunteering , Pathway to migrant integration , Direct Provision
Citation
Martin, S. and Scanlon, M. (2025) ‘Volunteering as a pathway to integration and belonging: migrant experiences in Ireland’, SN Social Sciences, 5(11), 206 (17pp). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-025-01255-x
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© 2024, the Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.