Volunteers and Aid in Disaster Contexts

The frequency and intensity of natural hazards continue to rise and climate change is a distinct threat at the global level. Combined with existing structural and systemic inequality, natural hazards become disasters and climate change becomes a climate crisis. The impacts of disasters and the climate crisis can be catastrophic, especially for historically marginalized populations. The impacts of disaster and climate change have partially led to the growth of a large humanitarian effort to help those affected. Governments, not-for-profit organizations, and citizens are increasingly reliant upon a finite resource of emergency service volunteers across the range of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery activities. Disaster volunteers, be these individuals or those associated with specific agencies, are arguably the very backbone of disaster management. As the global population continues to face environmental crises, further research on humanitarian efforts is of the utmost importance. In this session, we invite disaster scholars and researchers to submit and discuss their work that coincides with volunteerism and aid within the context of disaster and climate change. This session will also consider contemporary and emerging challenges, including declining volunteerism, sustainable models to mitigate this trend, spontaneous volunteering as well as volunteer mental health, training, and education. It aims to discuss new strategies for engaging and retaining a more diverse demographic of volunteer, inclusive of gender, race, and environmental justice. This session also encourages the sharing of individual volunteer experiences, programs or emerging challenges and success stories, through case studies, research, or organizational actions.