Dilemmas and ambiguities in the experience of international volunteering: responses and transformative processes in global citizenship education

International volunteering is recognised as an immersive service experience that transcends borders, offering a potential learning space for global citizenship education. This study examines a 10-month international volunteering programme in which volunteers engage in community living, structured training and ongoing support from sending and hosting organisations. The article explores how volunteering contributes to transformative learning and the development of global citizenship subjectivities. Within this framework, international volunteering is conceptualised as a context in which encounters with alterity can prompt critical reflection and personal transformation. The study employs phenomenological vignettes as a qualitative method to analyse how young volunteers respond to dilemmas and interactions with otherness. Findings reveal three key response patterns: reproduction of existing norms, avoidance and transformative engagement. While international volunteering holds potential for global citizenship development, challenges remain, including issues of privilege and postcolonial power dynamics, and the complexity of navigating transformative learning experiences. The study underscores the role of informal learning spaces in shaping citizenship through critical reflection, emotional engagement and intercultural encounters. Ultimately, it calls for structured educational interventions to support volunteers in leveraging their experiences for deeper personal and societal transformation.