Volunteering is an awesome way to make yourself feel good and give back to your community. However, there should be some precautions taken when volunteering to make sure you are truly making a difference. One new term that has popped up recently is “voluntourism”. Google the definition of “voluntourism” and you will find something along the lines of “a form of tourism in which travelers participate in charity, volunteer work”.
Now, here are some ways to make sure you are actually volunteering and making a difference, rather than “voluntouring”:
1.Make sure you’re qualified
With most “voluntourism” trips you are advised to have a “go get ‘em” attitude, never mind if you are truly qualified. If you never built a house before, I recommend that you do not go to another community to build one. Be sure that you have had proper training and experience before traveling to another community to serve.
2. Beware of “for-profit” companies
Make sure the company that sponsors your trip is a creditable one. Some companies are for-profit and will charge participation fees. Thus, they set up the program to make money.
3. Be sure to avoid the “voluntourism experience”
No one can resist a good selfie, however, when volunteering that’s not all you are there to do. Some companies will emphasize the “voluntourism experience” which stresses you take lots of pictures with the smiling members of the community to be used on their website and your social media pages. The companies will want you to work just hard enough to make you feel like you’ve made a difference. With true volunteering there is a bigger emphasis on the community benefiting from your work more so than yourself.
4. Make sure you’re there long enough to make a difference
Most times, you cannot truly make a difference somewhere by only staying a few days or a few weeks. With “voluntourism” you volunteer with the community some, and the rest of your trip is spent vacationing. Many true volunteer programs are at least two to three months long, and the whole point of the trip is to serve.
5. Don’t limit yourself to other communities
Don’t have the money or time to volunteer in the other communities? No problem! You can still make a difference in your own community by volunteering a few hours every week at local schools, assisted-living facilities, and homeless shelters just to name a few.