本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛"I strongly recommend that you think carefully before you go on one of those trips -- that is if you actually want to make a positive impact on the world. I don't know about all those organizations but I have looked at Me to We specifically and it illustrates some general issues with voluntourism programs.
The first thing is the cost of the trips. I know that a few weeks in Kenya with Me to We costs around $5000 -- on that particular trip you help build a school. The key word being help. Me to We actually hires locals to do the work year round, because a group of high schoolers popping in for half a month isn't going to do the trick. Consider whether it's actually beneficial and/or cost effective to ship middle class kids thousands of kilometers from developed countries to lay some bricks. I'm pretty sure there are no lack of willing and physically fit workers in the towns and villages that are being targeted -- wouldn't it be better to feed that money right back into the community? Perhaps more importantly, it's been estimated that it costs about $1000 to save the life of a child in poverty. If you actually care about helping other people and not just making yourself feel good, you'd be better off fundraising the money to save five lives. That's something really concrete and amazing that you could do.
I also take issue with the fact that organizations like Me to We and many others encourage you to fundraise for the trip. Considering that the cost includes airfare plus room and board ("luxurious and comfortable", with running water and amazing chefs, according to a Me to We brochure), you are basically having people pay for your holiday -- and in the process, potentially diverting donations away from organizations that can make a bigger impact by working directly in impoverished areas.
An issue specific to trips like those offered by Me to We is the fine line between helping out and being paternalistic or neo-colonialist. I find all the pictures of Africans welcoming (primarily) white and well-off teens and basically being used for photo ops very disturbing. And all those stories of how inspiringly happy and kind the locals are despite their poverty... I feel like these trips can make areas like sub-Saharan Africa look like some kind of poverty theme park. Me to We also likes to talk about how you'll be interacting with community members and playing with local kids, but again, that just makes you an overpriced babysitter. For some reason people in the developed world seem to find poor Africans appealing and almost glamorous. Poverty is anything but, though. There are plenty of people in Canada that need help -- like poor white people (whom many dismiss as white trash) and aboriginals living in third-world conditions on reservations.
The last thing that comes to mind right now is the environmental cost of flying in an airplane. It seems minor but it's just another negative effect of the trip.
Some general criteria to consider for any volunteer abroad program include the length of the committment (longer is better, and the best organizations will be strict about demanding a certain chunk of time from volunteers so that they're actually worthwhile), the ties to the local community (working with local NGOs, respecting culture without treating it as an interesting oddity), the resources that will be made available to you vs. those available to the community (if you're getting hot showers and a breakfast buffet while the locals starve and bathe in a pond, something's up), how the trip affects the environment there and worldwide (the world's poorest people are often the worst hit by environmental degradation because of their dependence on agriculture), what (if any) skills the organization requires (sadly, a good one will probably want volunteers with marketable skills, i.e. adults), and where the money you're paying for the trip goes (into somebody's pockets, back into the organization, or into the community?).
MOST OF ALL, remember to think globally, act locally! If you want a vacation, fine, buy one from Me to We, as long as you don't come back and act like you're the next Mother Teresa because of it. If, however, you truly care about poverty, the environment, or whatever you'd be helping with, a) donate the money to a well-researched organization (check out http://givewell.com) and b) see what you can do closer to home (poverty - homeless shelters, habitat for humanity; environment - office work with NGOs is unglamorous but helpful; etc.).
I apologize for offering up an essay where you probably wanted trip testimonials, but voluntourism is one of my pet peeves. I'm sure you have good intentions - I looked into it a few years ago, hence my many complaints - and I hate to try and crush your dreams. These trips are made to look (and probably are, superficially) very appealing, and most people will worship you for going on one -- but I strongly feel that choosing to go on most of these trips (like I said, there are SOME good organizations; I'm condemning easy-outs like the Me to We ones) just isn't the right thing to do. If you choose to do the dirty work to make a difference, either by picking a great organization to travel with or by keeping it local, I applaud you. "更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
The first thing is the cost of the trips. I know that a few weeks in Kenya with Me to We costs around $5000 -- on that particular trip you help build a school. The key word being help. Me to We actually hires locals to do the work year round, because a group of high schoolers popping in for half a month isn't going to do the trick. Consider whether it's actually beneficial and/or cost effective to ship middle class kids thousands of kilometers from developed countries to lay some bricks. I'm pretty sure there are no lack of willing and physically fit workers in the towns and villages that are being targeted -- wouldn't it be better to feed that money right back into the community? Perhaps more importantly, it's been estimated that it costs about $1000 to save the life of a child in poverty. If you actually care about helping other people and not just making yourself feel good, you'd be better off fundraising the money to save five lives. That's something really concrete and amazing that you could do.
I also take issue with the fact that organizations like Me to We and many others encourage you to fundraise for the trip. Considering that the cost includes airfare plus room and board ("luxurious and comfortable", with running water and amazing chefs, according to a Me to We brochure), you are basically having people pay for your holiday -- and in the process, potentially diverting donations away from organizations that can make a bigger impact by working directly in impoverished areas.
An issue specific to trips like those offered by Me to We is the fine line between helping out and being paternalistic or neo-colonialist. I find all the pictures of Africans welcoming (primarily) white and well-off teens and basically being used for photo ops very disturbing. And all those stories of how inspiringly happy and kind the locals are despite their poverty... I feel like these trips can make areas like sub-Saharan Africa look like some kind of poverty theme park. Me to We also likes to talk about how you'll be interacting with community members and playing with local kids, but again, that just makes you an overpriced babysitter. For some reason people in the developed world seem to find poor Africans appealing and almost glamorous. Poverty is anything but, though. There are plenty of people in Canada that need help -- like poor white people (whom many dismiss as white trash) and aboriginals living in third-world conditions on reservations.
The last thing that comes to mind right now is the environmental cost of flying in an airplane. It seems minor but it's just another negative effect of the trip.
Some general criteria to consider for any volunteer abroad program include the length of the committment (longer is better, and the best organizations will be strict about demanding a certain chunk of time from volunteers so that they're actually worthwhile), the ties to the local community (working with local NGOs, respecting culture without treating it as an interesting oddity), the resources that will be made available to you vs. those available to the community (if you're getting hot showers and a breakfast buffet while the locals starve and bathe in a pond, something's up), how the trip affects the environment there and worldwide (the world's poorest people are often the worst hit by environmental degradation because of their dependence on agriculture), what (if any) skills the organization requires (sadly, a good one will probably want volunteers with marketable skills, i.e. adults), and where the money you're paying for the trip goes (into somebody's pockets, back into the organization, or into the community?).
MOST OF ALL, remember to think globally, act locally! If you want a vacation, fine, buy one from Me to We, as long as you don't come back and act like you're the next Mother Teresa because of it. If, however, you truly care about poverty, the environment, or whatever you'd be helping with, a) donate the money to a well-researched organization (check out http://givewell.com) and b) see what you can do closer to home (poverty - homeless shelters, habitat for humanity; environment - office work with NGOs is unglamorous but helpful; etc.).
I apologize for offering up an essay where you probably wanted trip testimonials, but voluntourism is one of my pet peeves. I'm sure you have good intentions - I looked into it a few years ago, hence my many complaints - and I hate to try and crush your dreams. These trips are made to look (and probably are, superficially) very appealing, and most people will worship you for going on one -- but I strongly feel that choosing to go on most of these trips (like I said, there are SOME good organizations; I'm condemning easy-outs like the Me to We ones) just isn't the right thing to do. If you choose to do the dirty work to make a difference, either by picking a great organization to travel with or by keeping it local, I applaud you. "更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net