I put up my thoughts on voluntourism on the World Pulse site and had received some thoughts and feedback. One of the questions came from someone struggling with how to give back with her skills when her skills lay in math and physics. I interpreted her question as saying something like “If there are people […]
In the last post, I wrote about how voluntourism can be ineffective if the right match between traveler and program is not found. I suggested placing volunteers in a role they are a natural fit for: as tourists. Here is how this example fits into our work at PEPY in Cambodia. I would be interested […]
In recent years Voluntourism it has gotten a bad name. There are a lot of valid reasons that people have been turned off by voluntourism, including: voluntourism’s potential to foster colonialist attitudes and cause harmful side effects (as in Illich’s thoughts on Peace Corps) projects which place unskilled foreign travelers in jobs requiring skilled laborers […]
A blog I wrote was featured in an article on Worldchanging today… funny how the social media world works… you never know who is reading what you say. (sort of fun, sort of scary) Anyway, Carissa Bluestone is clearly a much better writer than I am and was able to take my verbose and train-of-thoughty […]
Thank you for being a part of the PEPY Cause! Only 5 years ago PEPY hadn’t even been named yet, and now we are one of 10 finalists in a 600+ entry contest by Nat Geo/Ashoka thanks to the lives our small group has helped to change and the over $1 million dollars y’all have […]
I was recently asked what I thought about the argument that international volunteers often take work away from local people. I thoroughly considered this objection when we designed our trips at PEPY, and I’m constantly aware of the question. At the same time I believe that it is important to encourage a spirit of volunteerism, […]
Someone asked what the impact of many tour companies and individuals looking to offer philanthropic opportunities in developing areas might be…. here are my thoughts and a story from my experiences in Cambodia. I think that it can be a tricky line to walk for those entering a new culture or area and looking to […]