Volunteering at soup kitchens, going on service trips, and tutoring inner-city school children are all awesome ways for individuals to spend their time. Volunteers play a very essential role in the ultimate success of many organizations and programs by providing free assistance to those who would otherwise not have access to resources.
While it is true that most volunteers have kind-hearted and benevolent intentions, some of them do not have the best mindsets about the process of volunteering. Many individuals, whether consciously or not, believe that they are “saving” the people they’re working with. This skewed mindset is not only detrimental to the overall volunteer experience, but also damaging to society as a whole.
Volunteers have the ability to gain perspective, understanding, and knowledge from the individuals and populations they are working with. However, going into the experience with a savior-oriented mindset makes it much harder for them to gain these things. Instead, they end up falling into the trap of seeing themselves strictly as givers and those they are helping strictly as receivers, putting up an unnecessary barrier between two individuals that share one huge commonality…They are both human. Volunteers have so many similarities to those they are helping, but they must be willing to step down from their savior-complex throne in order to understand that. Volunteering should be a mutually beneficial situation. Volunteers benefit by being able to learn from those they are working with, through the process of relationship building and compassionate conversation. When the “us” vs. “them” mindset dissipates, volunteers are put in the wonderful position of being vulnerable and present with individuals who have a unique set of life experiences and insights. Through this vulnerability, volunteers are able to learn more about those they are working with, while also learning more about themselves.
The savior complex that volunteers hold is additionally harmful to society. We live in an ultra-polarized world where individuals are constantly putting up walls between themselves and those who differ racially, socio-economically, or politically. Going into a volunteer experience with a savior-oriented mindset perpetuates this growing divide between members of society, as volunteers see themselves as superior to those they are working with. Therefore, dismantling this salvation mentality is not only beneficial in the context of volunteering, but also for society as a whole.
Changing the mindset about volunteering is not a one person job. We must all be held accountable because we are each guilty of falling into the trap of the savior complex at some point. No one is perfect, but becoming aware of our weaknesses is the only way we can begin learning, growing, and changing for the better. So, the next time you go into a volunteering experience, be aware of your mindset. If you catch yourself slipping into a savior mentality, acknowledge the error and fix it. Consciously working towards eliminating the negative aspects of volunteerism culture is incredibly important and will ultimately allow for great personal and societal benefits.