Volunteer Involvement in an Academic Camp in the Dominican Republic: An Examination of Participation in a CBPR Project

Abstract

This chapter examines the expansion of volunteer participation in a participatory research project, which explored possibilities to enhance volunteer involvement in an academic camp operated by a non-governmental organization in the Dominican Republic. Although there are numerous studies that identify how organizations should involve volunteers, these studies typically represent an outsider perspective. Therefore, the concerns, ideas, and agency of volunteers—all of which may facilitate improvements in their participation—are often overlooked. For the purpose of this chapter, volunteers are elevated as key actors in the development of the organization. Specifically, community-based philosophy's concept of participation is applied to identify key moments in the project when the broadening of volunteer involvement was important for achieving a greater understanding of the issue of interest. The objective is to advance an appreciation of how projects with volunteer participation, albeit in fluctuating levels, can result in the co-creation and elevation of local knowledge.