Social participation of youth through volunteering: Case study of Centre for Peace Studies in Zagreb.

This article presents an ethnographic study of youth volunteering at the Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) in Zagreb, Croatia, focusing on their motivations and cultural identities in supporting asylum-seekers and refugees. The research reveals that volunteers are driven by interconnected altruistic and intrinsic motivations, including humanitarian values, solidarity, personal development, and a critical stance toward Croatian state policies and societal attitudes toward migrants. The volunteers’ cultural identities emphasize inclusivity, intercultural dialogue, and resistance to dominant exclusive national and ethnic norms, with volunteering serving both as an expression and reinforcement of these values. While the findings are specific to CPS and its volunteers, they offer insights into the complex relationship between identity, motivation, and civic engagement in the Croatian socio-political context.