Gift and Return in Volunteerism: Interpreting the “Model Volunteer” Through Gift Theory

The activities of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) can be described as an act of giving to “others (local people)” with the goal of improving their problems and issues through the skills and knowledge of JOCV volunteers or necessary material things, while at the same time confirming the aspect of growth of the volunteers themselves. In other words, the act of volunteering, which appears to be a “pure gift”, is not limited to material goods, but also has the reverse vector of “giving in return” in the sense of exchange. In this chapter, based on interviews with JOCV participants, the experiences of former JOCV participants, and the results of research on international volunteering, I will examine the common phrase of JOCV participants, “I was taught (given) many things,” or in other words, the narrative that they received “gifts in returnGiftreturn” from local people. I will use this to clarify what was ultimately given to them as a result of practicing the gift of cooperative action.