Volunteer Research Entries

By Claire Lassaline

A struggle that is often faced by refugees in difficulty in creating a social network within their new area of residence. As newcomers to an area, there exists barriers that hinder one's ability to create, maintain or even find a social network. The various reasons for these issues may include language barriers, cultural differences and not knowing the previously existing platform or communities which exist. Having a network is critical for many peoples connection into the community as they may rely on it for making friends in a social setting, as a source of daily advice, as a source of support or to maintain a sense of connection with the greater community. As such, the importance of creating a network that can be relied on is of the utmost importance. This is an issue that is critical as the establishment of a network leads to benefits of bettered well-being, social fulfillment, higher community awareness and improved mental health. Further, the failure to create a network may contribute to feelings of loneliness, isolation and difficulty creating connections with people or the community at large. As such, the importance of creating of a network can not be understated.  

Investing time in an organization that you are passionate about is often a great way to create a network. By spending time on a passion, you can improve upon the skills they may already have, or hope to gain, but also meet like-minded people. This has a wide variety of potential for many people who may also be interested in pursuing hobbies, careers or making friends within an area of passion. Volunteer communities are also great sources of creating a sense of community. Volunteering also has numerous benefits such as boosting life satisfaction, creating a sense of achievement and often serves as a source of personal skill development. Many volunteer communities are always looking out for new people to join so it may be helpful to look around. Academic institutions such as universities, colleges and high schools often host classes or run programs for those who are hoping to learn a new subject or play a new sport. Participating in these also allows a low-commitment opportunity for many people. As such, you can take plenty of time trying out different skills and meeting more people to expand upon your social network. Furthermore, oftentimes these programs are group-based which allows for a snowball effect of expanding your network. 

Building a social network may be difficult however, there are various ways that you can try to expand it. While the difficulties may pose challenges, the benefits are tremendous.