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Exploring Hispanic American Involvement in Community Leadership through Volunteerism

June 26, 2002 

"The United States is the only country in the world where giving and volunteering are pervasive characteristics of a total society (O'Connell & O'Connell, 1989).  The need and demand for human services continue to grow, specifically in cities and large urban communities where large numbers of individuals live and work in a concentrated area. 

Hispanics are an urban population, more so than most other Americans (Longres, 1995).  Nichols (1990) declared that by the end of the century, one out of every three Americans will belong to a minority group. 

The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes, motivations, and barriers of Hispanic Americans toward participating in volunteer programs in Cuyahoga County (i.e., Cleveland), Ohio.  Specific objectives include to investigate: (1) the degree and type of involvement of Hispanic Americans as volunteers; (2) attitudes of Hispanic Americans towards volunteerism; (3) motivations and reasons of Hispanic Americans for volunteering or not volunteering; or volunteering more; (4) barriers toward volunteering; and benefits from volunteering of Hispanic Americans; and (5) potential involvement of Hispanic Americans in volunteer activities.

The researchers selected a qualitative design in order to portray potential complex patterns of volunteerism among Hispanic Americans in sufficient depth and detail so that one who has not experienced it could understand it.  Moreover, qualitative research seeks to interpret human actions, institutions events, customs; etc., and in doing so constructs a 'reading', or portrayal of what is being studied (Ary, Jacobs, & Razavieh, 1996, p. 476).

The researchers contacted leaders of Cuyahoga County Hispanic American organizations to identify potential study participants.  Leaders of The Spanish American Committee, El Barrio, Esperanza, Inc., and several cultural organizations of the greater Cleveland area identified 20 potential study participants from the Cuyahoga County Hispanic American community.  Each potential participant received a letter (instructions to participants) from the researchers explaining the purpose of the study.  If they elected to participate, they signed a consent form in the presence of a witness to assure confidentiality.  Letters of consent were translated into Spanish for those participants who did not speak English.  The researchers answered any questions and clarified any doubts the participants had prior to the interviews.  Eight males and 12 females participated in the interviews.  Participants ranged from 20 to 70 years of age.

The researchers conducted face-to-face interviews in order to gather data while experiencing a maximum participation (Ary, Jacobs, & Razavieh, 1996).  Interviews averaged 22 minutes in length, with a range of 17 to 28 minutes. 

Six major recurring themes emerged from the data (listed in no particular priority) including: (1) the influence of family and friends on volunteering; (2) the importance of volunteering to benefit youth; (3) the importance of church and religious beliefs in volunteering; (4) volunteering as a requirement of employment or education; (5) the connections between volunteerism and the community; and (6) personal satisfaction and growth experienced through volunteering.

Conclusions and Implications

-Family member and friend involvement is a motivation for volunteering according to the 20 Hispanic American participants interviewed for this study.

-The majority of the Hispanics in the study participated in volunteer activities when their own children were involved in these activities.

-The researchers concluded that the church is both a motivation and a setting for volunteering for some of the participants in the study.

-The Hispanic American participants had mixed opinions regarding employer-required volunteerism, but the majority believed that volunteering as a job expectation should not be required.

 -The Hispanic American participants expressed a strong desire that students participate in volunteer activities as a requirement for high school graduation.

-The 20 Hispanic Americans interviewed indicated that they became interdependent through volunteering.

 -The 20 Hispanic Americans interviewed displayed positive attitudes toward themselves through volunteering.

-Finally, most of the participants in this study were more likely to volunteer without being asked.

Since Hispanic Americans receive personal satisfaction and recognition as a result of volunteering, and are willing to volunteer without being asked.  Hispanic American community agencies should conduct diversity workshops for the majority population aimed at eliminating cultural biases toward Hispanics, and encourage the targeted recruitment and participation of Hispanic Americans in volunteerism.  Such workshops should also include strategies to encourage Hispanic Americans to help themselves by utilizing self-help resources that continue to develop their positive attitudes toward volunteerism (Safrit & Lopez, 2001, pp. 3-19)."

Reference:  Safrit, R. D.  & Lopez, J. (2001).  Exploring hispanic american involvement in community leadership through volunteerism.  The Journal of Leadership Studies, 7(4).

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Created: 2008-02-25, Updated: 2009-02-17