pubTalk

I must say this is an interesting perspective indeed, and sort of fun to see this issue from a different angle than I do nearly every other day in my life. Not to mention it is a good conversation topic around the office. To preface, I work for a youth-driven nonprofit called Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF) – www.stlf.net. Our core program is the Pay it Forward Tour, a multi-day, multi-city road trip with components of service, travel, education, reflection, and relationships.

First of all, I would be the first to tell you that the impact of a few hours of volunteering is short-lived and is not going to be the end-all be-all solution to any social issues or community problems. That being said, of the 800+ service projects that students in STLF have taken part in all across the country, you would be pretty hard-pressed to find any of our project partners to find anything other than complete positivity and inspiration from their experience. The types of projects are varied, and include environmental restoration, packaging food at a food bank, visiting with residents at a nursing home, making a meal at a shelter, sorting clothes at a thrift store, working with kids at a YMCA, and many more. I cannot for the life of me grasp how these projects and a group of energized and passionate young people are anything but beneficial to the communities and organizations who host them.

When service is combined with travel, reflection, leadership activities, and positive relationships, young people return home with a new perspective on the world, their own community, and their life. The Tour itself is not changing the world or solving social issues…the real lasting impact is through changing people who will lead lives of service and leadership. They are the ones who will change the world.

Now, all that being said, I am not naive to the fact that some programs out there do fall into the trap and possible downsides implied in the 11 rather loaded questions stated in this post. While even I agree with several points made in the post, I would just hope that readers be careful not to jump to judgment and generalize each program out there that involves travel and service.

I’m interested in some others’ thoughts…let’s keep the conversation going.

Brian, thank you for weighing in on this! I appreciated hearing your perspective and learning more about STLF. This was exactly the goal of this post - to raise some questions and hopefully lift up some models that work well. And you are right – loaded questions indeed! I would say they were fully loaded – and they reflect the loaded and complex nature of this work.

I wholeheartedly agree that the world cannot be saved through the service performed on voluntourism trips. Like you said, the impact that one person or a group can have in a week of service, let alone a few hours, can be minimal in the direct alleviation of systemic social problems. But the continuous flow of groups into the same communities most definitely has an impact – and we hope a positive one (and oftentimes I think there is definitely a positive benefit). I am wondering how organizations measure the impact that they have on a community – what program evaluation tools or cost/benefit analysis they employ. Seems like we agree on some central tenets of this discussion.

Perhaps where we differ is the consideration of action as good just because it can be considered service. I have seen undue economic dependency created through the presence of visiting groups (and here I am talking international programs), and very negative effects from the imposition of programs by volunteer groups or an organization that were not created in conjunction with the community. And when that program decides to move in a new direction, or leave the community, there is a HUGE impact. That is why I am interested in learning ways that organizations engage local people in the decision-making processes, and that is what the post is trying to tackle.

There is no doubt that these programs have an impact on the visitors – I am myself a product of many such volunteer experiences. It seems to me that if we only focus on the impact it has on the "tourists," and assume that an action is good because it can be considered service – without fully knowing or understanding the effects of those actions – how can we be sure that our programs are beneficial for all? If the community itself does not see the service as meaningful, is the community a means for developing the character of the visitors? I think this can be a slippery slope bordering on exploitation.

I ask these questions in honest reflection because these are what I struggled with as I worked for and attended these types of programs, and I hope that we can work together to find meaningful solutions and continued dialogue.

I have no doubt that service trips - paired with education and reflection - can change a person's life and teach him or her to embrace a life of service. As someone who has attended similar trips, one of which could accurately be described as "voluntourism," I can say that they had an incredible impact on my view of public service and influenced educational and career choices long after the trips were complete. But Jackie's original posting doesn't argue with that; what I believe it argues with is whether these trips are good for the people and communities they are attempting to serve. And my opinion would be no.

While I feel strongly that service programs abroad need careful reconsideration, most of my experience is with domestic service programs, so I will focus on those.

One-time volunteers fill an important niche in the community. Many events would not occur if the planners couldn't depend on hundreds of one-time volunteers to make them happen. In addition, countless national tragedies would be even more tragic if it were not for those one-time volunteers.

But as someone who works with volunteers regularly, I know that those food shelves, thrift stores, and YMCAs that Brian has referenced would have probably preferred one committed, dependable weekly volunteer to the ten volunteers who show up at once.

Again, I am not suggesting that groups who want to volunteer together are not doing something good and important, but it is crucial to recognize what they are demanding. They need to be given a service opportunity that matches with their time frame, their interests, and has enough meaning that they can later debrief and pull life lessons from their experiences. I realize it may sound snarky, but when it comes down to it, a group of volunteers that is going to help once requires a lot of the organization they are intending to help. In some cases, it just isn't worth it to get ten volunteers for three hours when you take into account the planning, preparation, training, orienting, and supervising that is required. And then it all has to be repeated for the next group.

My argument here is that service for service's sake does not necessarily help the community or an organization. I would argue that voluntourism - domestic, at least - helps the volunteers more than it helps the community, and that's not really the point, is it?

Great conversation, everyone!

It is important that organizations and people think critically in order to improve, strengthen, and grow. In my opinion, at the end of the day, the world needs all types... of people, organizations, and perspectives. I don’t personally want to be a doctor, bookstore employee, or pool manager. Thank goodness, though, there are people out there that DO want to do those things! Collectively, we all (whether intentionally or not) work together to make our world tick.

I believe this is true for this topic as well. People, communities, etc have needs that are not being met. Can ONE method or program be THE answer to ALL needs? Of course not! But collectively, we can work toward that result of “everyone’s” needs being met.

I work for STLF as well (see previous post). Community centers, afterschool programs, and other youth-serving groups reach students STLF can’t reach, while STLF is reaching students that they can’t reach. As a collective group of youth-serving organizations—we are making a positive impact among youth, and that is the point.

Translating this to service in general, and emphasizing the positive impact on communities (this blog’s focus), I see a parallel. Service needs are seemingly limitless and can be fulfilled in many ways—by daily or weekly volunteers, one-time service, by offering technical skills, in large group capacities, and more. Does domestic service (particularly in the one-time, large group volunteering that STLF does) solve ALL the service needs our world possesses? Definitely not! But yes, there still a place for this type of work.

Excellent point regarding the specificity requested for one-time, large group volunteering. It DOES take time on the part of the organization served to manage a large group of volunteers (it’s quite a talent!). For example, let’s say I’m a volunteer coordinator and there is a request for 40 people to volunteer for 3 hours. I ask myself - IS THIS WORTH IT? I begin thinking… this can equal approximately 120 hours of work, or 3 weeks for one of my full time staff, or 12 weeks for my 10 hour per week volunteer. Conservatively, let’s say it takes me an entire 40-hour work week to manage this project, start-to-finish.

At this point, it’s cost versus benefit dilemma. Do I spend a week of work on my end, for a potential three weeks worth of work back? Is that a worthwhile return on my investment of time, as a staff member of this organization? For some organizations, the answer is no and the need is not there. If I worked for one of these organizations, I would not accept the request for 40 volunteers. However, there are a lot of organizations that this does make sense for, and this does enhance their program/offerings. In this situation, I would accept the request.

Additionally, a great portion of the projects that large groups complete would not be completed otherwise. Over the last 5 years, STLF has served annually in a “one-time” volunteering capacity, with an organization called Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) that is located in DC. We have served there seven times, but we have removed 20 tons (literally) of garbage from the Anacostia River, which is one of the dirtiest rivers in the US. Without large groups of volunteers, that would not have been possible.

Other examples are large groups being the impetus for kick-off events for existing initiatives within a city or county. Memphis, TN and Stark County in OH, are two entities that have used one-time volunteers in this capacity. During these kick-offs, as one group of volunteers/tourists, we may not be DOING the physical service year-round. However, we are one part of “teaching a community to fish” so to speak, and energizing communities to continue on their own.

To address the argument of benefit—of volunteers/tourists, and of organizations/communities: I do believe that service, in nearly all types, can benefit both the volunteer and the organization. I am unable to quantify and/or qualify which party receives “more” benefit. The only “evaluation” or “evidence” I have is that communities keep saying yes. Organizations are not forced to take volunteers. In some cases STLF is emailed up to nine months in advance, requesting that we come back to a previous service site.

My opinion stands that there are positive impacts to both the people serving and the organization/community served. Although it is not a perfect system, I believe that the benefits outweigh the costs and/or harms. I maintain that there is a place for one-time, large group volunteer opportunities.