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Voluntourism
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Voluntourism. Here's one of those word mash-ups which means exactly what you think it means.
According to a recent LA Times article by Kimi Yoshino, more and more people are giving up the traditional frivolous holiday of merrymaking and mirth and opting instead to volunteer their time wherever it is needed most.
In response to such philanthropy, United Way and CheapTickets.com have combined forces to launch a website which helps do-gooders plan their vacations with volunteer work in mind. The cool thing about the website is that one doesn't have to donate their entire vacation to some type of work project. The site is organized so that people who want to donate just one day (or more) of their vacation can do so.
Currently interested travelers can search for opportunities by specific social issues, or by zip code or state (the site is currently limited to just U.S. locations). Interested in voluntourism abroad? Check out i-to-i, a British company that specializes in the larger world.
This is a great idea folks! It's time to give back to the same planet that has so graciously hosted your travels for so many years. And, it's probably good for your taxes as well.
Filed under: Activism
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ourman Mar 22nd 2007 12:33PM
Voluntourism - one of my bug bears.
First, as great as it sounds, for example, to go and build a school for someone, if you're helping by just labouring and building then the chances are you are taking a job from a local person.
If you are, on the other hand, an architect who brings skills that could not be afforded or found locally then cool.
I still believe that if your skills are of genuine professional and useful standard then grant money can be found from governments or NGOs to pay for you.
There is something very wrong with some college kid on their holidays paying a couple of thousand dollars to join a project and effectively pricing out of the market some local guy who only expects a couple of dollars a day.
I was a volunteer for two years in Hanoi via VSO. www.vso.org.uk - they ensure that your skills are sustainable and that whatever work you do, you also teach a local person to take over your role when you go.
While I was there I recall having a charitable group over who wanted to spend a week with us. They spent a week painting and hanging out with the at-risk kids we work with. Nice. But they also kept the kids from doing lessons. There were more than 30 of the group. I reckon the trip must have cost $50,000. How much more use to us would $50,000 be?
Neil Mar 22nd 2007 5:13PM
Ourman, very interesting perspective I never really thought about!
Scott Hughes Mar 22nd 2007 5:44PM
The problem is that help is needed more during non-holiday seasons, because there is already so much help during holiday seasons.
You might like the Activism Forums.
Pickles Mar 22nd 2007 7:56PM
Not all projects need specific skills though, some just require manpower, and if someone wants to spend their free time trying to help, even if it is just for a month, then who are we to begrudge that? It is important that they do not get in the way of skilled locals though and the projects are properly managed.
As for the money issue, this is the biggest problem we face - distributing aid money, sometimes it can cause more problems than good. This needs very careful management and the right people in charge, which in some of these countries can be very difficult to find.
Dobromila Divinova Sep 12th 2007 3:42AM
Hello,
We are part of a company which provides English language training in China and we wondered if you would consider adding our website to your websides.
Our address is:
http://www.englishfirst.com/trt/index.html
Please have a look around our site and get back to me if you have any queries.
If you do decide you want to link to us, we’d be grateful if you could use our format:
Teach English in China with English First
…but please use whatever you feel is in keeping with your existing content.
Best wishes,
Dobromila Divinova,
Teacher Recruitment & Training,
EF English First,
26 Wilbraham Road,
Fallowfield,
Manchester, M14 6JX
United Kingdom
e: dobromila.divinova@ef.com
t: +44 (0)161 256 1400
f: +44 (0)161 256 1936
w: www.englishfirst.com