A whopping number of volunteer programs pass before my eyes in my research for this logue; I also browse through a good deal of advice on how to select a program. There are many different lenses you can look at this advice through, and I appreciate the effort that goes into compiling tips that are general enough to apply to different types of programs throughout the world and yet specific enough to be meaningful. But one thing I don’t feel I see enough of is this tip: focus on a program that will give you the chance to learn – sure, to learn about yourself, but more importantly to learn about the local culture and people and what both have to offer.

It’s fair enough to argue that if you are truly volunteering, you shouldn’t focus mainly on yourself, how much money you have to spend, or what you can gain from it all. It kinda makes it seem not-so-altruistic after all. I most certainly agree that you should do what you can to ensure that whatever work you do partake in does not have unexpected negative consequences for the “beneficiaries”.

But I think one unintended negative consequence is the perpetuation of the stereotype that the (well-off, western) volunteer is always the one with something to offer, and the local person is always the one with something to gain in this “exchange”…which is not much of an exchange after all if the giving is one-directional.

I don’t think this outlook is always conscious, but by framing a location or people only or mainly as one to be helped, this view is often implicit. To me it is just common sense that it is a positive thing for anyone to realize that they do in fact have something to offer. I take this to be something that volunteers can demonstrate by learning the language (or even a few interesting phrases), by respecting the expertise of locals and simply by making an effort to interact with people and learn about them as individuals. Choosing a volunteer program which has interaction with locals as equals or supervisors, and not only other volunteers, facilitates this.

Showing people that you respect their culture and believe it has something of value to offer is another kind of contribution, and one which I think is often even more valuable - to both sides - than the concrete outcomes of a volunteer trip. And as such, I think it makes sense to look out for how much value a placement organization puts on this.