Young evangelical Christians participating in faith-based

international volunteering in Latin America

Peter Hopkins, Matt Baillie Smith, Nina Laurie and Elizabeth Olson

“Each year the AHRC provides funding from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. Only applications of the highest quality and excellence are funded and the range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. For further information on the AHRC, please see our website www.ahrc.ac.uk”

Young Christians in Latin America

The main aim of this project is to investigate what

happens to the religious identities and spiritual

understandings of young evangelical Christians

participating in faith-based international volunteering projects in Latin America

Objectives …• To detail what happens to religious identities

and meaning in the lives of young people before, during and after their participation in faith-based international volunteering in Latin America.

• To explore the ways in which young people’s experiences of faith-based volunteering relate to their experiences of being a young person, their transitions to adulthood and what it means to be a religious adult.

• To understand the role of faith-based volunteering in young people’s formulations of citizenship and social justice.

Framework …Four main themes:

(1) Youth transitions

(2) Religious identities, experiences and transformations

(3) Global citizenship

(4) International development and social justice

Young people’s religious identities and spiritual understandings as shaped, transformed and/or consolidated by participating in faith-based international volunteering projects in Latin America.

Case study focus …

• Latin Link - ‘an international charity with a focus on Latin America. We aim to be a channel whereby people can develop their God-given potential in the service of others’.

• Step Teams – visit Latin America for 4 weeks, 7 weeks or 3 months.

• Step Teams work on a variety of projects including building work, youth and community work, music and drama groups etc.

The team …Peter Hopkins (PI) Senior Lecturer in Social Geography

- Interests in social and cultural geographies including: youth geographies; religious identities; and qualitative research.

Matt Baillie Smith (Co-I) Reader in Sociology

- Interests in international development including: development education; citizenship; and social justice.

Nina Laurie (Co-I) Prof of Environment and Development- Interests in Latin American development including: gender and development; indigenous communities and social movements

Elizabeth Olson (Co-I) Lecturer in Human Geography

- Interests in cultural geographies and development studies including: religion; gender relations; and political ecology

www.ycla.org.uk

Methodological approach …

• Individual interviews – motivations, expectations and hopes of volunteers.

• Field diaries – completed by young people whilst in the field (interactions; observations; and moments and meditations).

• Follow-up interviews

• Stakeholder interviews

• Focus groups

Young people’s involvement

• Recruited through Latin Link

• Interviewed before departure

• Diary kept whilst in Latin America

• Interviewed upon return to the UK

• Participate in focus groups at Latin Link de-briefing event

• Invited to share experiences at final workshop

Emerging themes and challenges

Emerging findings:• Multiple discourses of ‘youth’ and ‘transition’• Experiences reinforcing and clarifying

religious identities

Methodological issues and reflections:

• Negotiating issues of positionality• High return rate for diaries

Young evangelical Christians participating in faith-based

international volunteering in Latin America

Peter Hopkins, Matt Baillie Smith, Nina Laurie and Elizabeth Olson

“Each year the AHRC provides funding from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. Only applications of the highest quality and excellence are funded and the range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. For further information on the AHRC, please see our website www.ahrc.ac.uk”