Do foreign voluntary schemes do more harm than good for communities? Some people have been voicing concerns.
This summer, VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) created waves by suggesting that young people might be better off solely travelling during a gap year rather than taking up dodgy voluntary work.
The international development charity claimed that there were a number of badly planned and supported schemes that benefit no one but the people who pocket the money.“Spending your gap year volunteering overseas has become a rite of passage for young people and the gap year market has grown considerably,” Judith Brodie, Director of VSO UK explains. “While there are many good gap year providers we are increasingly concerned about the number of badly planned and supported schemes that are spurious.”
With 200,000 Britons taking a gap year every year and the average expenditure of a gapper being £4,800, the industry may seem very attractive to unscrupulous organisers.
“Young people would be better off traveling and experiencing different cultures, rather than wasting time on projects that have no impact and can leave a big hole in their wallet,” argues Judith. Other people who work in the gap year industry have voiced concerns over VSO’s claims, however. Tom Griffiths, founder of GapYear.com, said: “I’ve been doing this for 10 years now and hear very few complaints, so can vouch for the quality of the operators. The vast majority are in it for the right reasons, which is to make a difference to the world and the lives of young people.” In order to minimise the chances of having a negative experience while volunteering, VSO are encouraging young people to carefully research who they go with.
Tom agrees with this approach: “If volunteers ask the right questions beforehand and speak to those who have been then they shouldn’t be caught out. I would take a dim view of any organisation that wouldn’t let you speak to someone who has done it before you.”
This isn’t the first time that VSO has spoken out negatively about the voluntourism sector – last year they suggested that gappers were in danger of becoming the ‘new colonialists’, with the gap year market increasingly catering to the needs of volunteers over those of the communities they support. In order to help young people decide which are the best voluntary schemes, VSO is currently working with established gap year providers to devise a code of good practice to help would-be gappers weigh up their options. They have also devised a checklist to assist you in assessing providers’ commitment to volunteering, the communities they work in and the young people they work with.
Gap year checklist
If you’re planning on heading overseas to volunteer, VSO suggests you ask the organisation you contact these questions before you decide:
1. Will you be given a defined role and purpose?
2. Will you meet face to face with your provider and attend a selection day to assess your suitability for the volunteering opportunities and gain detailed information about the structure of your placement?
3. How much will it cost and what does this pay for?
4. How will you be supported with training and personal development needs before, during and after your placement?
5. Is the work you do linked to long-term community partnerships that have a lasting impact? And how do volunteers work in partnership with the local community?
6. Does the organisation you are going with have established offices overseas that work in partnership with local people?
7. Can your organisation guarantee you 24 hour a day health, safety and security assistance?
8. Does the organisation have a commitment to diversity amongst its volunteers?
9. How does the organisation encourage long-term awareness of real development issues?
10. How will your work be monitored and evaluated so that others can build on what you have done?
Case Study
Hannah Saunders, 19 from London, took up a placement teaching in India with a commercial organisation
“I paid over £1000 to teach English and maths to children in Pune. I didn’t have any training or preparation from the organisation before I went, and they didn’t expect me to have any qualifications.
“I had a really tough time and suffered from culture shock, as India is so different from anywhere else, which I wasn’t ready for.
“I turned up at the learning centre and the teachers didn’t even know I was coming. It was very hard to find out what I was supposed to be doing. It wasn’t value for money, as there was very little support from the organisation before or during my time there.”
Tom Griffiths from GapYear.com is interviewed and responds here.
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