COLUMN: The mystique of voluntourism


brynn2

BrynnI've been able to save up some cash for travel after I graduate, and I couldn't be more fortunate.

When looking at opportunities abroad to do humanitarian work instead of having a “traditional vacation," I was elated to find hundreds of organizations dedicated to providing service opportunities for young graduates overseas.

For example, for $3,000, I could help raise orphaned baby elephants in the jungles of Thailand, all while completing the package with an adventure tour around the country. Other areas included teaching English, working on environmental projects and other assorted advocacy issues.

As someone who volunteers on campus, I wanted to expand my thirst for adventure while providing service hours to my host country. I have no doubt that, as students, we can make the earth a better place.

Our generation is facing never-before-faced hardships – freshly exiting three wars and an economic disaster –but we are a generation of volunteers. The Alternative Breaks program alone counted 415 participants last year.

However, students should be cautioned when seeking to volunteer abroad. While Central Michigan University’s Alternative Breaks program has eight quality components of a break, including education, training, reflection and strong and direct service – many organizations do not value such an intense, educational experience.

It might seem tempting to get the “warm and fuzzies” when exploring international service opportunities. Saving children from AIDS, curing world hunger, and all the other promises these organizations make can appeal to students. However, many times these programs do not address the causal factors to these issues.

Because volunteer abroad trips are short-term, the underlying problems relating to the issue often go untreated. Instead, a Band-Aid is put over the wound and it never fully heals.

In many circumstances, projects are evaluated from the perspective of the participant, and not the community that is being affected. Instead of asking the community, “what do you need?” these organizations are asking the participants, “What do you want to contribute?”

In many more instances, due to the high demand for volunteerism, advocacy companies make a hefty profit off the industry.

Is our thirst for ethical adventure really worth the capitalization of poverty? I think it is important to analyze using the eight components to reflect on the ethics of such opportunities.

At a university where an overwhelming number of students volunteer, this is an issue that needs to be examined. Strong and direct service is more than hopping off a plane into a foreign land to go “help” poor people not be poor anymore.

Strong and direct service involves understanding the root of why social problems occur. I think it is important to think before someone goes off and teaches young children without any training or experience. They must first be taught how to be a successful member of the global society.

Share: