As Volunteerism Popularity Explodes, Who's It Helping Most?

[niemand88f]

I know we've discussed this on the board many times and it might even be a unity horse, but I'm sharing this story anyway I didn't realize it was becoming such a huge industry.


As Volunteerism Explodes In Popularity, Who's It Helping Most?

As you plan — or even go — on your summer vacation, think about this: More and more Americans are no longer taking a few weeks off to suntan and sight see abroad. Instead they're working in orphanages, building schools and teaching English.

It's called volunteer tourism or "volunteerism." And it's one of the fastest growing trends in travel today. More than 1.6 million volunteer tourists are spending about $2 billion each year.

But some people who work in the industry are skeptical of volunteerism's rising popularity. They question whether some trips help young adults pad their resumes or college applications more than they help those in need.

Judith Lopez Lopez, who runs a center for orphans outside Antigua, Guatemala, says she's grateful for the help that volunteers give.

All visitors and volunteers get a big warm welcome when they walk in the doors of her facility, . It's part orphanage, part after school program and part community center.

Most of the kids at Prodesenh don't have parents, Lopez says. They live with relatives. Some were abandoned by their mothers at birth. Others lost their fathers in accidents or to alcoholism.

There are three volunteers here now, all from the U.S. Lopez says they give the kids what they need most: love and encouragement.

One those volunteers is Kyle Winningham, who just graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in entrepreneurship. "Yeah my real name is Kyle, but mi apodo aqui es Carlos," he says.

Winningham didn't have a job lined up after school. So he decided to spend his summer at Prodesenh. "When the kids have homework, I help with homework," he says. "When they don't, I generally help out with teaching a little bit of English."

But today they are cooking. Lopez hands out bowls filled with bright red tomatoes, onions and mint. She's teaching the kids to make salsa.

Haley Nordine, an international relations major at American University in the District of Columbia, is also spending her entire summer at Prodesenh. During her first six weeks here, the 19-year-old helped build the newest addition to the center, a small library. Now she's tutoring.

"I've met a lot of international relations majors here so it seems like a trend," Nordine says.
An Ethiopian woman and her child stand next to an Arborloo latrine.

Most volunteer tourists are women. And they're young adults, between the ages of 20 and 25, says the industry consulting group , based in Glasbory, Wales. But more and more high school students are also traveling and volunteering.

Sam Daddono is a junior at Rumson Fair Haven High School in New Jersey. His whole Spanish class is in Antigua, sharping up their Spanish skills. But they're also hiking up the side of a volcano every morning to help tend to a coffee plantation — and learning about what life is like here in Guatemala.

"The way I view things now is a lot different than before," Daddono says. "I've visited other countries, but I've never done hands on work or really talked to the people about the problems that they face in their lives."

That worldview for many American teens is a lot different than it was two decades ago, says Ken Jones, who owns, a volunteer tourism company out of Antigua. He got his start in the travel business, offering only Spanish language classes. But young people today, he says, want a richer experience.

"It used to be beach and beer," Jones says. "And now it's, 'Well, I want to come down and learn something and figure out how to help or be a part of something.' It was more superficial 20 years ago, maybe."

The industry has exploded in the past few years, says Theresa Higgs, who runs in Boston. The nonprofit offers what she calls a cultural immersion program.

But Higgs is on the fence about whether the rise in popularity of volunteerism is a good thing. She's heartened by the altruism of volunteers. But she's worried about the flood of for-profit organizations bursting onto the scene.

"What I think often gets lost is the host communities," she says. "Are they gaining? Are they winning? Are they true partners in this? Or are they simply a means to an end to a student's learning objective, to someone's desire to have fun on vacation and learn something?" she asks.

Higgs urges travelers to do their homework and research companies, just as you would before giving to a charity or volunteering for any organization.

About a dozen youth from the United Church of Christ from Yarmouth, Maine, are learning how to count to 10 in the Mam language, from an elderly Indigenous woman in Guatemala City. They are volunteering for a week at the nonprofit , which helps children and parents who live and work in the capital's sprawling garbage dump.

It's pouring rain outside, but 17-year-old Mary Coyne isn't bummed. She's glad she spent her summer vacation here instead of at the beach, she says. "Yeah, I'm not getting a tan and not eating ice cream," Coyne says. "But it's something different. It's like your whole being is satisfied because of experiences like this."

----------------------------

I give a giant WTF to my first bolding. "Volunteering" at a coffee plantation? Isn't that um... taking jobs from locals? ^o)

And I'm sure 90% of the people who do these trips don't even give a thought to my second bolding's questions

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Those are definitely the right questions. It seems like the main goal is to get a FB profile pic with a little brown kid in it. There doesn't seem to be any regard for what happens after they leave. But hey, if it makes you feel better about your salvation/resume!

[debatethis]

Jul 31, 2014 10:07:34 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

Those are definitely the right questions. It seems like the main goal is to get a FB profile pic with a little brown kid in it. There doesn't seem to be any regard for what happens after they leave. But hey, if it makes you feel better about your salvation/resume!

And law school/grad school application padding.

[ttt]

6-Day Visit To Rural African Village Completely Changes Woman’s Facebook Profile Picture




ST. LOUIS—Calling the experience “completely transformative,” local 22-year-old Angela Fisher told reporters Tuesday that her six-day visit to the rural Malawian village of Neno has completely changed her profile picture on Facebook. “As soon as I walked into that dusty, remote town and the smiling children started coming up to me, I just knew my Facebook profile photo would change forever,” said Fisher, noting that she realized early in her nearly weeklong visit just how narrow and unworldly her previous Facebook profile photos had been. “I don’t think my profile photo will ever be the same, not after the experience of taking such incredible pictures with my arms around those small African children’s shoulders. Honestly, I can’t even imagine going back to my old Facebook photo of my roommate and I at an outdoor concert.” Since returning, Fisher said she has been encouraging every one of her friends to visit Africa, promising that it would change their Facebook profile photos as well.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

A guy I went to college with just recovered from a 2-week bout of dengue fever in rural Cambodia. All I could think of was the amount of resources that were spent on him in a place where those resources probably aren't easy to come by, and all because he has the funds (and nothing better to do) to spend a year traveling the world and living among "the natives."

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

Any of you read GOMI? The Noonday Poverty Tour thread really covers the voluntourism thing. Mostly in the name of religious. Really great thread.

[ttt]

Jul 31, 2014 10:15:39 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

I'd like to hear @mx's thoughts on the following:

What is wrong with plain old tourism to these places?

I have a friend with an MPH who has only ever vacationed in Africa lite (aka South Africa) and the rest of her extensive time in Africa is spent working there. She once half joked/ half shamed me for only going to Africa on vacation.

Is there something bad about tourism there? Because NYC, Miami, London, Paris and lots of other places welcome tourism dollars. Obviously don't trash the place and try to have sex with 14 year olds, but going to restaurants and markets, buying stuff, taking pictures, etc - isn't that a good thing?

I don't get why people feel like it's bad to go unless you're there to "help"?

As I recall, mx was pretty positive on actually going to developing countries as a tourist and spending your money on local hotels, restaurants, stores, etc. That's what helps develop economies and provide jobs. 

[CrazyLucky]

I don't think this is a horrible thing. Why is it worse than volunteering in the US, at a local place? I'm working hard to get my kids to understand the joy of volunteering and giving back. I could definitely see us doing a family trip like this when they are teenagers.

[pixy0stix]

Jul 31, 2014 11:30:36 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

I don't think this is a horrible thing. Why is it worse than volunteering in the US, at a local place? I'm working hard to get my kids to understand the joy of volunteering and giving back. I could definitely see us doing a family trip like this when they are teenagers.

lmgtfy.com/?q=poverty+tourism

[ESF]

Jul 31, 2014 10:07:34 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

Those are definitely the right questions. It seems like the main goal is to get a FB profile pic with a little brown kid in it. There doesn't seem to be any regard for what happens after they leave. But hey, if it makes you feel better about your salvation/resume!

OMG, thank you.  This is one of my biggest pet peeves.  

You do not see TFA volunteers parading around pictures of them with little Johnny in Appalachia. But if the kid isn't white, it's a photo op!

Throw in some ridiculous commentary like, "His spirit was sooooo beautiful." and I will unfriend you.  

[niemand88f]

Jul 31, 2014 11:30:36 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

I don't think this is a horrible thing. Why is it worse than volunteering in the US, at a local place? I'm working hard to get my kids to understand the joy of volunteering and giving back. I could definitely see us doing a family trip like this when they are teenagers.

These are some of my main problems with it:
-Usually the volunteering being done is building things, "digging wells", visiting orphanages, etc. Locals can build their own things, they don't need a team of untrained American high schoolers to come in and build a school that will collapse in 5 years. It would be better for the money you would spend on a trip to go towards purchasing local supplies and training or employing locals to build those things.
-Visiting orphanages, who is screening the visitors? There was a recent story about a volunteer abusing children at an orphanage. Or the kids just have a constant turnover of randoms coming through to play with them (gawk at them), it seems like that could worsen some attachment issues. It would be better for such trip money to be spent hiring locals to be like daycare employees and keep the children connected to that community.
-People do this to expand their world view, by seeing how people live in poor countries. It makes them feel better and enriches their life, but not necessarily the lives in the community they visited. It can also turn into 'poverty tourism'.

Here's a little essay I skimmed that touches on some more points: blog post

[debatethis]

Jul 31, 2014 10:19:59 GMT -5 ttt said:

Jul 31, 2014 10:15:39 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

I'd like to hear @mx's thoughts on the following:

What is wrong with plain old tourism to these places?

I have a friend with an MPH who has only ever vacationed in Africa lite (aka South Africa) and the rest of her extensive time in Africa is spent working there. She once half joked/ half shamed me for only going to Africa on vacation.

Is there something bad about tourism there? Because NYC, Miami, London, Paris and lots of other places welcome tourism dollars. Obviously don't trash the place and try to have sex with 14 year olds, but going to restaurants and markets, buying stuff, taking pictures, etc - isn't that a good thing?

I don't get why people feel like it's bad to go unless you're there to "help"?

As I recall, mx was pretty positive on actually going to developing countries as a tourist and spending your money on local hotels, restaurants, stores, etc. That's what helps develop economies and provide jobs. 

I think to some degree it depends on the country and what you're going to see, too. Developing countries often are lacking environmental protections which can destroy natural resources - arguably the citizens of Belize benefit from the tourist dollars that come from snorkelers and divers, but the same snorkelers and divers are hurting the reefs.

[Scout'sHonor]

How timely, my cousin just posted this regarding her boyfriend doing this:

M leaves for Africa today! So excited for him , and his opportunity to love on ten boys at camp life. I am so grateful for him, and his heart for Jesus. We have been in love with Africa for around two years, and he finally is going! I love you M. Thank you for loving me, living out the gospel, and helping me love Jesus more!

[pixy0stix]

So excited for him , and his opportunity to love on ten boys at camp life.

I'm dying over here.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

I will say that the building houses/digging wells gets a big fat no from me, but I think medical missions are really noble. I have an ophthalmologist friend who screened and fitted a village with glasses last summer. Another nurse friend and her doctor husband just returned from 3 weeks in Ghana providing basic medical care and teaching hygiene techniques. Both of those left the community with something useful. Is there a reason they're bad, too?

[meshaliuknits]

Jul 31, 2014 12:21:04 GMT -5 Scout'sHonor said:

How timely, my cousin just posted this regarding her boyfriend doing this:

M leaves for Africa today! So excited for him , and his opportunity to love on ten boys at camp life. I am so grateful for him, and his heart for Jesus. We have been in love with Africa for around two years, and he finally is going! I love you M. Thank you for loving me, living out the gospel, and helping me love Jesus more!

Why do people refer to Africa as if it's the same all over? She must know where he's actually going. Why not say that?

[decemberwedding07]

Jul 31, 2014 11:47:56 GMT -5 niemand88f said:

Jul 31, 2014 11:30:36 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

I don't think this is a horrible thing. Why is it worse than volunteering in the US, at a local place? I'm working hard to get my kids to understand the joy of volunteering and giving back. I could definitely see us doing a family trip like this when they are teenagers.

These are some of my main problems with it:
-Usually the volunteering being done is building things, "digging wells", visiting orphanages, etc. Locals can build their own things, they don't need a team of untrained American high schoolers to come in and build a school that will collapse in 5 years. It would be better for the money you would spend on a trip to go towards purchasing local supplies and training or employing locals to build those things.
-Visiting orphanages, who is screening the visitors? There was a recent story about a volunteer abusing children at an orphanage. Or the kids just have a constant turnover of randoms coming through to play with them (gawk at them), it seems like that could worsen some attachment issues. It would be better for such trip money to be spent hiring locals to be like daycare employees and keep the children connected to that community.
-People do this to expand their world view, by seeing how people live in poor countries. It makes them feel better and enriches their life, but not necessarily the lives in the community they visited. It can also turn into 'poverty tourism'.

Here's a little essay I skimmed that touches on some more points: blog post

And if these are the sorts of things that you're into, you can do them more effectively here, since they typically require longer time commitments than a week in order to work well.
-Habitat for Humanity is really good at taking people with all levels of abilities and giving them something to do.
-Programs like Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Club don't just let you waltz in and hang out with the kids for a week and then leave.  I mean, I guess that if you want to stop volunteering with them, they can't stop you, but they make it clear that they want you to commit to several months.

[Scout'sHonor]

Jul 31, 2014 12:23:06 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

So excited for him , and his opportunity to love on ten boys at camp life.

I'm dying over here.

Yes, that was what really raised my eyebrow.

[decemberwedding07]

Jul 31, 2014 12:27:34 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

I will say that the building houses/digging wells gets a big fat no from me, but I think medical missions are really noble. I have an ophthalmologist friend who screened and fitted a village with glasses last summer. Another nurse friend and her doctor husband just returned from 3 weeks in Ghana providing basic medical care and teaching hygiene techniques. Both of those left the community with something useful. Is there a reason they're bad, too?

Oh, I absolutely think that if you are someone who is highly trained with a desirable skill set, you are helping out big time by doing stuff like this.  A 16 year old whose parents think that she needs to see how hard life is for some people?  Not so much.  Poor people don't exist so that your daughter can realize that she's lucky to have a Honda Accord, even if it isn't the Land Rover that she wanted.

[Scout'sHonor]

Jul 31, 2014 12:30:08 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Jul 31, 2014 12:21:04 GMT -5 Scout'sHonor said:

How timely, my cousin just posted this regarding her boyfriend doing this:

Why do people refer to Africa as if it's the same all over? She must know where he's actually going. Why not say that?

Very true.  We're never like "I'm going to Europe!" unless we're actually doing multiple countries.  Probably just to elicit the response of "Oh Africa, yes, those boys need loved on."

[decemberwedding07]

Jul 31, 2014 12:30:08 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Jul 31, 2014 12:21:04 GMT -5 Scout'sHonor said:

How timely, my cousin just posted this regarding her boyfriend doing this:

Why do people refer to Africa as if it's the same all over? She must know where he's actually going. Why not say that?

It is all the same.  HTH.  YWIA.  Morocco=Nigeria=Egypt=South Africa=Ivory Coast, etc.

[decemberwedding07]

Jul 31, 2014 12:37:45 GMT -5 Scout'sHonor said:

Jul 31, 2014 12:30:08 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Why do people refer to Africa as if it's the same all over? She must know where he's actually going. Why not say that?

Very true.  We're never like "I'm going to Europe!" unless we're actually doing multiple countries.  Probably just to elicit the response of "Oh Africa, yes, those boys need loved on."

Please, please, please plan a trip to Tangier and make a HUGE deal about how Jesus has given you a heart for Africa and you're finally going.

[ttt]

Jul 31, 2014 12:27:34 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

I will say that the building houses/digging wells gets a big fat no from me, but I think medical missions are really noble. I have an ophthalmologist friend who screened and fitted a village with glasses last summer. Another nurse friend and her doctor husband just returned from 3 weeks in Ghana providing basic medical care and teaching hygiene techniques. Both of those left the community with something useful. Is there a reason they're bad, too?

I think if you have something to offer that the community doesn't already have, then it's a good thing. So your friend was there to provide something that they wouldn't have been able to get easily otherwise (and that they really needed), then it's a net positive for the community. Unless that village is teeming with unemployed ophthalmologists, of course. 

[ttt]

Jul 31, 2014 11:43:46 GMT -5 ESF said:

Jul 31, 2014 10:07:34 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

Those are definitely the right questions. It seems like the main goal is to get a FB profile pic with a little brown kid in it. There doesn't seem to be any regard for what happens after they leave. But hey, if it makes you feel better about your salvation/resume!

OMG, thank you.  This is one of my biggest pet peeves.  

You do not see TFA volunteers parading around pictures of them with little Johnny in Appalachia. But if the kid isn't white, it's a photo op!

Throw in some ridiculous commentary like, "His spirit was sooooo beautiful." and I will unfriend you.  

Somebody I know went to Brazil, apparently spent ten minutes with some little girl in a favela, and posted this on her blog: 


A great shot of this Brazilian lovechild and I playing in Rocinha.

We stopped at one of the peaks of Rocinha to catch a view of the boundless spread of shanty homes. Upon looking out, I made a dua - the specific words I don’t remember - but it was one of gratitude that left me resounding with humility. It was then that I felt little hands grasping my calves, and when I looked down I found her. This beautiful lovechild full of joy at my feet. I bent down to meet her eye to eye and she smiled at me, shining with her two front teeth missing, and started patting my hair. I returned the favor and started patting hers and we both broke out in laughter. She started bouncing with joy, so I grab both of her hands to bounce her higher - as captured in this picture. We shared so many laughs and for that moment brought joy to one another’s lives. My group had to leave so I walked her back to her family - her mother and two brothers; one naked, the other barely clothed, sitting under a tree with a styrofoam cooler of bottles water to sell.

When I kissed her bye, it hit me how different our worlds were. And how we never anyone like one another before. However we shared a moment full of laughs, love and divine joy. And for that I will never forget her.



(also I don't think "lovechild" means what she thinks it means...)

[cattledogkisses]

Yes! When people write about this stuff it always seems to be full of "noble savage" kind of language.

[penguingrrl]

Huh, the HS mentioned was my rival HS. I'm completely unsurprised to hear that families there would mistake vacationing with helping the needy. Anything that makes your application look better to Harvard. It's a place that is very interested in appearances and this looks good to neighbors ("oh, MY son is spending his summer volunteering in South America" sounds much better than "Oh, I'm paying for him to travel and drink on my dime.").

[elleblue]

Jul 31, 2014 12:21:04 GMT -5 Scout'sHonor said:

How timely, my cousin just posted this regarding her boyfriend doing this:

M leaves for Africa today! So excited for him , and his opportunity to love on ten boys at camp life. I am so grateful for him, and his heart for Jesus. We have been in love with Africa for around two years, and he finally is going! I love you M. Thank you for loving me, living out the gospel, and helping me love Jesus more!

Well that's some unfortunate phrasing.  :?

[elleblue]

Jul 31, 2014 12:36:21 GMT -5 decemberwedding07 said:

Jul 31, 2014 12:27:34 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

I will say that the building houses/digging wells gets a big fat no from me, but I think medical missions are really noble. I have an ophthalmologist friend who screened and fitted a village with glasses last summer. Another nurse friend and her doctor husband just returned from 3 weeks in Ghana providing basic medical care and teaching hygiene techniques. Both of those left the community with something useful. Is there a reason they're bad, too?

Oh, I absolutely think that if you are someone who is highly trained with a desirable skill set, you are helping out big time by doing stuff like this.  A 16 year old whose parents think that she needs to see how hard life is for some people?  Not so much.  Poor people don't exist so that your daughter can realize that she's lucky to have a Honda Accord, even if it isn't the Land Rover that she wanted.

And if perspective is really the concern, what's wrong with sending your kid to volunteer at the local food pantry/homeless shelter/whatever? There are plenty of places within the U.S. that can use volunteer help, no need to travel far or commit for such a short amount of time.

[cattledogkisses]

Jul 31, 2014 13:40:13 GMT -5 elleblue said:

Jul 31, 2014 12:36:21 GMT -5 decemberwedding07 said:

Oh, I absolutely think that if you are someone who is highly trained with a desirable skill set, you are helping out big time by doing stuff like this.  A 16 year old whose parents think that she needs to see how hard life is for some people?  Not so much.  Poor people don't exist so that your daughter can realize that she's lucky to have a Honda Accord, even if it isn't the Land Rover that she wanted.

And if perspective is really the concern, what's wrong with sending your kid to volunteer at the local food pantry/homeless shelter/whatever? There are plenty of places within the U.S. that can use volunteer help, no need to travel far or commit for such a short amount of time.

Exactly.  Traveling to Central America or Africa costs quite a bit of money that could probably be put to better use closer to home.

[gpw]

Jul 31, 2014 12:21:04 GMT -5 Scout'sHonor said:

How timely, my cousin just posted this regarding her boyfriend doing this:

M leaves for Africa today! So excited for him , and his opportunity to love on ten boys at camp life. I am so grateful for him, and his heart for Jesus. We have been in love with Africa for around two years, and he finally is going! I love you M. Thank you for loving me, living out the gospel, and helping me love Jesus more!

:?

Someone should read things out loud before committing them to the internets.