MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract:
Voluntourism is a rapidly increasing form of tourism in the world. Participants often believe that they are only doing good because they are volunteering their time in an underprivileged community; however, there is strong evidence that many of the popular volunteer projects are hurting the communities that the volunteers are working in. I will explore the different popular types of voluntourism: “orphan tourism”, ecotourism, edutourism, and health aid tourism. Different types of voluntourism projects are not created equally in terms of benefits to participants and the community. I will report on the costs and benefits of each type of voluntourism. Finally, I will provide guides for interested participants. The guides will include how to choose a reputable organization, how to choose an appropriate project, and how to be respectful in the community while volunteering. The main purpose of this paper is to inform future participants about the possible dangers or costs to volunteering with the wrong organization and give the future participant a way to find appropriate organizations.

Citation Type: Common Language
Word Count: 166

Reader Profile:
A student considering volunteer trips who wants to do a lot of good in the world.

Reader’s Response:
I am disheartened by the knowledge that most of the options have some associated cost. This paper showed that even well intentioned people are doing a lot of harm to communities. This has made me rethink even volunteering; however, it did provide links to reputable organizations that benefit communities.

J, you may want to look a bit at her website:
https://barbarajacobyconsulting.com/about-barbara-jacoby/

She has a new textbook on this topic but I do not think the library has ordered this yet.

You could refer people to this book, as service learning is a bit broader. This means that your reluctant reader, concerned about costs, might find a program closer to home, under broader service idea. Possible work-around.