Building on the discussions of the first day, breakout sessions on Day 2 will invite delegates to explore the different ways we can think about solidarity. We will provide time and space to reflect together on what we mean by solidarity, where it might already be present in our relationships and how the process of asking questions might help us to strengthen it further.

In this Human Library Session, speakers will focus on will focus on sharing knowledge about working in volunteering and development and responding to crises through storytelling, allowing delegates to gain an in-depth insight into the experiences of others in a conversational and creative format where 'readers' interact with different 'human books'.

Moderator: Reem Talhouk (Northumbria University)

• Speakers: Dervla King and Fiachra Brennan (Comhlámh)
• Title: “Creating Cultures of Care”

Solidarity-based volunteering does not happen in a vacuum – it occurs in a complex global context of injustice and inequality. In this session, this presentation will draw on Comhlámh’s work on psychosocial resourcing to explore how volunteers who are witnessing and responding to suffering can be profoundly affected by their experiences. The speakers will discuss the importance of deepening understanding of resilience, trauma, and the impacts of sustained stress.  Drawing on the concept of the window of capacity/tolerance, the discussion will consider how regulation/dysregulation can affect people who are trying to make meaning of their experiences and the injustices, inequalities and violence to which they may be bearing witness. The final “chapter” will consider ways in which organisations can work to create containers of care that resource volunteers, at individual and collective levels.

• Speakers: Lily Adjoa Elolo Bright and Alula Million Ketsela (COVOG)
• Title: “Failing forward: Embracing complexity in volunteering”

Volunteering is often seen as a selfless act with inherently positive outcomes. However, the reality is that volunteering can be complex and its impact can be limited or even harmful if not approached thoughtfully. This presentation will explore the need for a shift in mindset, recognising that failure and learning are essential parts of the volunteering journey. It will look at the limitations of traditional approaches to volunteering and the importance of embracing complexity, uncertainty and failure as opportunities for growth and improvement. The speakers will explore how, by acknowledging and learning from failure, volunteers and organisations can adapt and innovate, leading to more effective and sustainable social change.

• Speaker: Sumana Banerjee (Northumbria University)
• Title: “Volunteering in the climate-affected Indian Sundarbans”

The residents of Indian Sundarbans, a part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta, are no strangers to the fragmentation that the impacts of climate change cause to their daily lives. In such a fragile context, volunteering as a part of individual, community, and institutional responses helps not only in adapting to a changing climate or preparing for and responding to disasters but also in creating identities, solidarity, and trust. However, this voluntary and unpaid labour is not always bereft of exploitation which compounds the marginalisation of the marginalised populations. Based on experiences of a collaboration between researchers and civil society organisations in the Indian Sundarbans as the Voluntary Labour, Climate Adaptation and Disasters (VOCAD) initiative, the speakers will focus on the role of volunteers in climate adaptation and disasters, highlighting the creation of new identities and the burdens on the poor at the frontline of climate change.

*Four different modalities of breakout sessions have been designed to amplify diverse voices and promote opportunities for delegates to share their experiences in engaging ways during IVCO 2024.
Click here to find out more about what to expect from each type of breakout session.