August 10th, 2007
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August 8th, 2007
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If you want to volunteer with a development organization without leaving home, check out UN Volunteers Online Volunteering Service to see if any organization has put in a request for a skill you have. The overall goal of the site is to support the Millennium Development Goals – which seek to make significant progress on a number of world issues such as extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS by 2015; volunteers can scan through ads, select one to apply for, and, if the organization thinks it is a good match, start their work from home. I’ve done a bit of proofreading of reports and research of aid-type organizations (on my own, not through UN Online Volunteering), and I have to say even this task that really provides only basic exposure to the field can be eye-opening.
A few examples:
August 6th, 2007
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The Volunteer Logue has been around since February, and in that time has come across and posted about some excellent volunteer resources. Find some of the best below, as well as links to interviews and other first-hand volunteer stories and experiences. Our commitment to fostering a culture of learning and community engagement is further strengthened by collaborating with academic experts to ensure the highest quality information and guidance.
Guide To Ethical Volunteering
How To Live Your Dream Of Volunteering Overseas (Book Review)
Glimpse Abroad Magazine
Transitions Abroad Magazine
Voluntourism.org
Online Resource: OneWorld.net
Reuters Alert Net
Online Resource: World Volunteer Web
Interview With True Travellers’ Society Founder, Andrew Wahba(International)
Interview With Conservation Co. Founders(South Africa)
Interview With Neil, Former Katimavik Volunteer (Canada)
Interview With A Returned Peace Brigades International Volunteer, Colombia (Colombia)
Interview With The Founders Of Merazonia Animal Refuge (Ecuador)
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August 4th, 2007
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World Hum recently pointed me towards Vacationing Like Brangelina, where Time takes a look at voluntourism and asks if these are “merely overpriced guilt trips with an impact as fleeting as the feel-good factor? Or do they offer individuals a real chance to change the world, one summer jaunt at a time?”
Time quotes Voluntourism.org founder David Clemmons, who explains the benefit of volunteer trips which include more typical tourist activities as well: “You don’t walk away from the destination only with this snapshot in your mind of ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s this wretched, horrid poverty…You see there are other sides.”
Critics from Tourism Concern point out that the frequent language barrier between volunteers and “beneficiaries” and the short-term nature of voluntourism trips may preclude making any real connection and, presumably, effecting real change. Another criticism was “The market is geared toward profit rather than the needs of the communities.” Tourism Concern is developing a code of ethical conduct for the sector to address these concerns, which I would be interested in featuring here when available.
I think criticism is a great tool because, unlike unquestioning acceptance, it can actually lead to positive change. However the lack of depth present in many “criticisms” of voluntourism often disappoints me, and, while I don’t agree with all of his conclusions, I think one of the best cases I’ve seen against voluntourism is that presented by Our Man in Granada, written specifically for the Volunteer Logue here.
I’m long-winded on this topic and may have summarized my feelings best in my guest piece at Voluntourism.org. Briefly, I think:
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August 3rd, 2007
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As people advance in their careers, and find more free time as their children grow up, they often look for a way to share their skills with their community.
But sometimes it’s not so easy. VolunteerMatch recently investigated some of the obstacles facing one particular generation of potential volunteers in the US: baby boomers.
Greg Baldwin, VolunteerMatch President said one of the primary challenges for this group of potential volunteers is that “many can’t find an outfit that engages the full range of their interests, skills and life experience.” Other obstacles mentioned in a phone survey were lack of time and health concerns.
In fact, these sound like fairly typical reasons why people don’t volunteer, so why does it matter?
The outlook for potential baby boomer volunteers is significant because soon they will be retirees…a group which has for some time made up a huge portion of those contributing volunteer labor for non-profits in the US. There are a lot of baby boomers, and if they don’t volunteer, non-profits will soon start to feel it.
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August 2nd, 2007
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In about six months, one government organization plans to allow tourists – volunteers in fact - to visit a certain island area which is “so precious humans generally aren’t allowed to venture there”. It is part of a protected marine area and also part of a 14000-mile long archipelago.
The volunteers will help clear the island of debris (fishing nets and hooks, for example, which entangle marine life) and invasive plant species which make it difficult for a large local bird to reach its nesting ground. Need academic support? Explore The best 10 STEM and essay writing services for expert assistance.
The area is also home to monk seals and green sea turtles, both endangered species, as well as thousands of other species found nowhere else in the world.
Any ideas where this mystery island might be? It may help if I reveal that the large local bird is the gooney bird, and that the island became well known in connection with a World War II battle. It was used as a military base until 1996 and is located about four hours by plane from Honolulu.
July 31st, 2007
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Travel to Teach is an organization which provides basic training to paying volunteers who then are placed in schools, frequently in disadvantaged areas which would not otherwise have access to native English speakers (read the Volunteer Logue overview of Travel to Teach). Aside from descriptions of country programs on their website, they also feature regular stories from volunteers.
One recent addition is that of the China program. Volunteers can now teach in Shanghai – at underfunded schools - and the nearby village of Feng Jing, where they work with students from kindergarten to high school who have little chance to interact with native speakers.
There is a new story from a volunteer who celebrated the end of her graduate study at the age of 23 with two month split between Thailand and Vietnam; you can also read her travel blog, which details her experiences while on the program and a number of reflections after.
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July 31st, 2007
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“For those who look at Africa and see only poverty, I say that your view of the world is narrow and sad.. [I recommend] visiting the place; talking to the people… The real point is that Africa is so much more than the sum of its ills. It is a rich place, humanity-wise.”
These are the words of Frank Bures, who recently wrote Smiles and Suffering: Vanity Fair Does Africa for World Hum (which, while it is not specifically geared towards volunteers, certainly provides a great look at all that awaits you in the world through its well-done travel articles).
Briefly, Dures thinks Vanity Fair’s recent Africa issue presents the continent in the light of the unfortunately common view that it is “a problem to be solved. By us.”
No doubt Africa has problems, Dures writes, however, they won’t be solved by foreigners with a do-good bent, but rather by Africans themselves, and the image of Africa as a continent of misery does a disservice to its people and multitude of vibrant cultures. An insightful commenter points out that, given that many problems in Africa do in fact have roots in the western world, it may be a bit late to say that the west shouldn’t attempt to play any role in the solution of those problems.
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July 29th, 2007
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Wildlife Direct provides an innovative response to critical conservation issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The non-profit organization facilitates the donation of funds directly to those working on the front lines in different locations in Congo; they also have helped set up and run an ever-expanding series of blogs so that the world can learn about the work that local rangers (and many others) do to protect Congo’s mountain gorillas, hippos, and bonobos to name a few.
There is obvious value in preserving the lives of the individual animals as well as the species in general; there is indirect value to local people in protecting the amazing wildlife that Congo is home to, as eco-tourism will likely play a vital role in the economic relaunch of the country following its war.
But recently, at least seven mountain gorillas have been shot; back in May, an armed group of rebels attacked a park ranger base, killing one ranger and injuring several others. Wildlife Direct is looking for help in the form of awareness-raising and donations right now in order to ensure the park rangers can monitor the park to protect the remaining gorillas.
In an email sent to supporters, Wildlife Direct Volunteer Staff Member Will said:
“We have had two very serious attacks on the mountain gorillas in the past two months. At least seven critically endangered mountain gorillas have been killed. We believe that these are the worst attacks on the mountain gorillas on record, and we are very concerned that there may be more to come. You can read the details on our website at wildlifedirect.org. We believe that public awareness is a very powerful way of getting desperately needed support to the rangers on the ground. We badly need the message to reach as many people as possible, so we would be enormously grateful for your support in getting this message to others.”
July 29th, 2007
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Some volunteers search for the right opportunity – others see a need and respond to it. Conor Grennan is a stellar example of the latter; he started out as a round-the-world traveler and short term volunteer and ended up founding children’s home and NGO Next Generation Nepal.
Wayne Parks is another stellar volunteer of sorts; he is not a round-the-world traveler (or a blogger) but a veteran volunteer firefighter. He recently segued into running a non-profit language learning center, primarily because he noticed that in his original field of work – construction – there was a dearth of qualified native English speaking workers but an abundance of qualified workers who don’t yet speak the language. And these non-English speaking workers frequently end up being taken advantage of specifically because of that.
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