Connecting, belonging: Volunteering, wellbeing and leadership among refugee youth

The paper argues that volunteering has proven a critical source of wellbeing, belonging and leadership for refugee background youth in Canterbury, New Zealand, following the earthquakes of 2010-2011. In support of this claim, the paper considers the voluntary participation of refugee youth in two post-earthquake youth-created and -driven initiatives. The first initiative is the Student Volunteer Army, which mobilised thousands of volunteers to assist residents with the immediate-post-disaster clean-up following each of the major earthquakes in Canterbury. The Summerz End Youth Fest, which in April 2014 brought young people together for a day of celebration and fun, constitutes the second initiative.