BARBIE SAVIOR: POLITICIZING VOLUNTOURISM THROUGH INSTAGRAM PARODY

This Major Research Paper explores the Barbie Savior parody Instagram account to understand how the account attempts to politicize voluntourist/local relationships and how its posts constitute a strategy of social critique. Barbie Savior Instagram posts parody the white saviour complex enacted by short term missionaries who post their volunteer experiences on social media. A mixed methods approach provides quantitative and qualitative insights into how this intersectional critique addresses the phenomenon of voluntourist selfies on Instagram that promote a self-brand centered on touristic and religious authenticity through strategic use of captions and hashtags. Key words: Voluntourism; Short Term Missions; Instagram; Parody; White Saviour Complex; Authenticity

BARBIE SAVIOR: POLITICIZING VOLUNTOURISM THROUGH INSTAGRAM PARODY

This Major Research Paper explores the Barbie Savior parody Instagram account to understand how the account attempts to politicize voluntourist/local relationships and how its posts constitute a strategy of social critique. Barbie Savior Instagram posts parody the white saviour complex enacted by short term missionaries who post their volunteer experiences on social media. A mixed methods approach provides quantitative and qualitative insights into how this intersectional critique addresses the phenomenon of voluntourist selfies on Instagram that promote a self-brand centered on touristic and religious authenticity through strategic use of captions and hashtags. Key words: Voluntourism; Short Term Missions; Instagram; Parody; White Saviour Complex; Authenticity

Using Teachers’ Volunteer Experiences in the Dominican Republic to Develop Social Responsibility in Canadian Middle-School Students: An ‘Authors in the Classroom’ Approach

Using Teachers’ Volunteer Experiences in the Dominican Republic to Develop Social Responsibility in Canadian Middle-School Students: An ‘Authors in the Classroom’ Approach

Animals, Community, and Justice Matters in Critical Times

In this essay, I explore my story as an activist and my current critical community engagement project, Animal Advocates of Greater Lafayette. Animal Advocates merges my activism and my scholarship. I begin by providing stories of my experience as a student and community activist in Boston in the 1980s. I then discuss my more recent volunteer experiences, which led to the formation of Animal Advocates of Greater Lafayette. I share stories of the early challenges and my experiences with this group and how my activism and my scholarship now simultaneously shape and move each other. Through this discussion, I hope to expand the possibilities for being and acting in the world outside of the academy to engage with the communities where we live, thinking about the multiple ways in which justice matters in critical times.

Signaling and social influence: the impact of corporate volunteer programs

PurposeThis study aims to provide insight on how work–life initiatives impact employees. Using corporate volunteer programs as an example, the authors examine the role of coworker social influence in shaping the reactions of both employee participants and non-participants of the program. The paper further identifies several factors that may moderate these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed employees before and after the implementation of a new corporate work–life initiative. 99 employees provided data pre and post. OLS regression and hierarchical linear modeling were used to test hypothesized relationships.FindingsEven in the context of low participation, work–life initiatives engendered positive organization-related perceptions among employees. These positive outcomes were due in part to coworkers' sharing of their volunteer experiences and were most prominent for employees in positions that afforded flexibility, and employees who reported close ties with coworkers.Practical implicationsThe study deepens our understanding of employee reactions to work–life programs and underlines the importance of these programs even when employee participation is low. The role of coworker influence as a determinant of employee reactions suggests there may be value in purposefully fostering participants' sharing of volunteer experiences in the workplace.Originality/valueThis study takes a unique approach to examining the role of coworker influence in shaping employee reactions to corporate initiatives.

Pathways to Leadership: Reflections of Recent Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Leaders During Conception and Launch of the Inclusion, Diversity, Access, and Equity Movement Within the IDSA

Opportunities for leadership in the specialty of infectious diseases (ID) have markedly increased over the last decade, including in newly recognized areas. Commensurate with the expansion of opportunities in ID, pathways to leadership positions within the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) are expanding as the Society seeks to advance the field for IDSA members. Acknowledging both the importance of diverse leaders to organizational success and shortfalls in diverse representation within IDSA leadership led to concentrated efforts to enhance transparency and opportunities for members to participate broadly in the work of IDSA. Herein, IDSA leaders reflect on their paths to IDSA leadership, hoping to help guide members seeking to partner with the Society. Features identified as important to individual success include mentorship, networking, participation in ID and IDSA volunteer experiences, passion for ID, and working with IDSA staff to advance the programs and initiatives of IDSA on behalf of members.

Volunteers, Place, and Ultramarathons: Addressing The Challenge of Recruitment and Retention

Ultramarathons are often hosted in peripheral areas featuring challenging natural landscapes. Given limited local volunteer pools in these areas, the recruitment and retention of visiting volunteers is crucial to the sustainability of these events, yet little is known about the importance of the destination or place in terms of the volunteer experience. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gain insight into the role that place plays in volunteer experiences at an ultramarathon in a peripheral area. A case study methodology was adopted with a focus on volunteers at the Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache (GC), Alberta, Canada. Semistructured interviews with event hosts, local volunteers, and visiting volunteers provided insight into the place dimension of the volunteer experiences. In phase 1, interviews with event/community hosts confirmed that local volunteer retention was challenging due to the growing demands of the event and to local volunteer fatigue. A systematic thematic analysis in phase 2 found that volunteers were connected to the destination through the place-based themes of: 1) beauty, 2) remoteness, 3) event, and 4) community. These findings demonstrated that "place mattered" in the experience of local and visiting volunteers. Therefore, organizers should actively recognize the importance of place when recruiting and retaining volunteers for these types of events in remote communities.