What Is Voluntourism? The Volunteer Check List!

To our Patreon supporters - don't worry :) we have found an amazing project to partner with and we have donated to them already and this will be shown to you in tomorrows episode.

This video is not part of series 2 but simply a support video to the next episode (Episode 7 - Nicaragua)

As travelers we believe we have a responsibility to be informed and to always travel as responsibly as possible. This video is a sum up of how I feel about a very controversial topic that we're not talking about, voluntourism.

Regardless of how you feel about it, remaining blissfully ignorant is not an option. It's time to start the conversation about voluntourism. It's time to ruffle a few feathers and stop walking on egg shells in an attempt to avoid feeling uncomfortable!

NOT ALL volunteer projects are bad however, it is important to do your research and carefully look into any project before getting involved. Always think critically and use your gut!

Love and responsible adventures to you all!! xx Lina

DISCLAIMERS
1. Wanting to volunteer and help others always comes from a good place. I know this.

2. THESE ARE NOT LINDSAY MC'S OPINIONS. I cannot speak on her behalf.

3. I am not an expert. I am simply drawing from my studies, my own independent research and my personal experiences.

4. I love Paddy and Thijs and this video is not meant to insult them, their work or their character in any way. I love my boys unspeakable amounts! ❤

A few reads I like...
1. The Voluntourist's Dilemma

2. Ethical Inquiry: May 2013

3. As 'Voluntourism' Explodes in Popularity, Who's it Helping Most?

4. Barbie Challenges the 'White Savior Complex"

[erinstephenson]

Hi Budgeteers. As someone who works in humanitarian aid, I am so thankful for you addressing this issue. All of your points are extremely valid. I admit to being guilty of several of your points myself, but the longer I am in this field the more I realize how often we overlook sustainability- when it should be our number one goal. Thanks for braving a topic most people would rather just avoid.

[karenfaywalker]

I absolutely love you guys and have been rewatching while in lockdown here in Aus. I know this video is so old - but interesting point, my husband is Cambodian and he cringed watching the first series with me the first time and flat refused to rewatch all but the volunteering ep. He was a mototaxi then tuktuk driver in PP for 10 years and its the hitchhiking that gets him so wound up - hitchhiking is asking someone to give you the service for free while some driver and his family go hungry. You guys are asking people to be your volunteers in their country and by the grace of their generosity and hospitality and civic duty (which in SEA is regiously engrained) they oblige :/ just to give another perspective

[TheCossak]

give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime

[IIBriantII]

as a backpacker that was raised without a dad in a dangerous hood in a country nearly impossible to travel from (Dominican Republic) i can say that, i met a lot people as a kid that got to my country from all around the world and yes it can be emotional when they leave, but it just made me stronger. you were born alone and you are going to die alone. is simple. have fun and share love with all the people you can along the way, because helping others is going to help you grow. and that's what is all about. isn't it? still, i do respect a lot your opinion Lina and i can see your poing of view. keep on going guys i love your videos! if you come to the caribbean you have a place to crash in the DR. :)

[IshmaelS]

The only problem that I have, although I think that your points are very valid, is that the majority of people who travel, travel as tourists. They fly in. Take a shuttle to their hotel, take pictures, buy souvenirs and leave. This is the industry that has children in the streets selling souvenirs to tourists instead of being in school.In the grand scheme of things, the average traveler visits these countries with no humanitarian intentions at all. It would seem that you are stigmatizing the small segment of travelers who do actually have intentions to do something good. I personally understand that you're not stigmatizing anyone, and that your objective is to make those who want to help think critically about the actual BEST way to help, but I wouldn't say visiting an orphanage is cringe-worthy. Struggling with attachment comes with the territory of being an orphan, you're basically saying if you can't stick around for that kid's whole life then you're going to make them sad. So dont even visit. In my own personal experience I have more than one brief encounter with a person who has made a significant impact on my life. The random person who goes to visit an orphanage for three months, might be an astronaut that convinces one of those kids to grow up and study astronomy. Any encounter with a stranger has the possibility to be an impactful one for one of those kids.

[TheBudgeteers]

Hello :) Thanks for starting this conversation below it seems we have (at the very least) shed a little light on this issue within or own awesome community here on this channel. We fully respect all your opinions and responses and we will be 100% committed to responding to all of you ASAP - for all those questions/ comments for Lina. she is currently in the Philippines and will get back to you as soon as she finds decent wifi :)

[bobwetzler]

Wow, I absolutely love all your points and wonderful perspective that you’ve shared. Thank you so much for your vulnerability and incredible honesty. I do want to offer a positive to volunteering. Over my entire professional life in nonprofit work. What I’ve noticed is a deep intimate content volunteers establish within the organizations they serve. The more personal sacrifice, the greater bond that forms. What this inevitably does is makes someone an advocate for life. Their experience shapes them into a living breathing billboard. Everyone they meet, their passions come pouring out into the conversations. The long term result is this organization now will have a lifetime of support.

[tiredtobits]

Environmental Voluntourism is necessary because nobody is willing to give enough nor is there enough money and resources to repair the damage humans have done to the environment so the less organisations spend on employees, the more they can spend on the tools and training to improve the areas they're working on. Hope you guys keep on budgeteering and having a great time doing it!gl!

[patriciadoyle]

Hi lina paddy s mam here, loved your honest video and it s great to highlight this issue and get people talking ... I have volunteered myself and I agree with your points, especially arround having the time and skills factor. In order to really support other communities you need to dedicate real time and effort. The main point I would add is that in my experience sharing your knowledge and skills in order to give those your working wth the leadership behaviours to continue the work as well as challenge and make changes when necessary once you ve gone is the crucial aspect of volunteering and this takes time and effort and sacrifice of your own agenda x x I will still advocate volunteering but as you say lina only if your willing to sacrifce real-time and fully understand the comminitues needs x x hopefully meet uou one day lina x

[natashab]

I don't get what is wrong with having a patreon account ? You didn't really explain in the video. Can you elaborate? Thanks xx

[llcn]

I respect your point of view, Lina. But I also respectfully disagree.

For the most part, organizations that ask for volunteers do so because they lack resources to employ people to do the same task. Thinking locally, a soup kitchen asks for volunteers because they aren't able to actually hire and pay people to do the same thing.

On the topic of taking jobs from people, like I said, most organizations can't even afford to pay for staff that even if someone was qualified enough to build a house for a charitable organization, who's to say that they will be able to get paid.

As far as having communities dependent on foreigners, I think that you're looking way too narrowly here. the point of volunteerism and charity work is to help people without any expectation of recompense. I think you're underestimating the potential of people who aren't fortunate as we are by saying that just because they're receiving help from foreigners, that they suddenly lose any sort of self sufficiency. Sometimes people just need a a hand to get back on their feet, doesn't make them dependent.

I find the premise of the white saviour complex so ridiculous and shows just how we still divide the world between the western/eurocentric and everyone else. Of course it is important for a community to learn to be self sufficient but there is nothing wrong with people wanting to help other people get to that point.

I think you're too caught up on the details that you've missed the bigger goal of volunteerism, which is to help people. I'd challenge your views in asking if any of these would even apply in my own community. And if not, why wouldn't it? What's the difference between me volunteering my time to build a house for habitat for humanity in my community and building a house for someone in Guatemala?

Now more than ever, we should be encouraging more people to help each other as people, not as foreigners and locals.

[femkevanleeuwen]

Really nice video to make people aware of the fact that volunteering is not always really helping on long term. After watching this video, people, who have plans to volunteer somewhere abroad, will think about it twice and do their own research! 🌿🌿

[CDTVvlogs]

Thanks for bringing up this topic! I definitely agree with the points mentioned. I was a part of a university subject where we went to an indigenous community in Papua New Guinea to build compost toilets (they used pit toilets previously). Before going, we spent 4 days in Australia building/training for the build (speaks to the skills part of the video). Most of the locals that we were working with were more than capable of building, just needed a bit of guidance and a bit of learning for certain aspects of the build. Many of them were even better than some of the students I went with... 

Went back 6 months later to undertake independent research on how the compost toilets were doing, assembled a work crew while there, and we went and bought more supplies with left over money from the first trip. The locals actually ended up building another compost toilet all by themselves this time.

It is important to not have people rely on you/foreign aid, but as Lina mentioned, empower them. Super proud of that community and was a great experience. If you are going to do any voluntourism, definitely do your research and make sure it's done properly :) 

Great stuff guys, keep up the great work!!

[WorldTowning]

My family and I travel the world and volunteerism is always part of our agenda. We think it is really important for the kids to learn to give back. We spend about 9 months in a country and develop roots with the community and the groups that we volunteer with. We are in France now. We also vlog about it as well, but the value for the kids is immeasurable as they travel this great world of ours.

[smrdistribution]

Some really good stuff Lina! i agree completely with all your points. when i was recently traveling along the same route you guys are taking it was a slew of these problems everywhere. mostly taking jobs out of the hands of people that so desperately need them. but this is never a thought that crosses the mind of your average traveler and that is a shame! definitely something that should be spoken about more and avoided as just a way to prolong your "dream vacation". i never thought to ask a local what they thought about it but i assure you i will the next time i get a chance and i'm sure i wont be surprised by the answer. P.S. You guys are all killing it on this series! keep up the good work! cant wait to get back on the road exploring and creating again myself, until then i got you guys. cheers!

[mikebailey]

Thank you Lina for your thoughts. You have presented your ideas in a clear and understandable way. Each person will have to look at each individual situation to decide whether their involvement with a project leaves a group or community better served. Thank you for your perspectives. You are a good person.

[dezarydrak]

Thank you Budgeteers for bringing this issue for discussion. It's so important to know how much of the donations(money, labor, time, etc) goes to the non profits overhead verses the 'actual cause'. In the U.S. a ratio is usually 70% to the cause 30% to the overhead. Anything less than 70% to the 'actual cause' signaled that the agency wasn't giving enough of the 'donations' to the cause. Ask the agency to see their previous itemized expense reports.
If you want to know if you are good with kids if you live in the U.S. volunteer with foster kids and other local agencies in your community. They need us

[conniehuerta]

6:40 for anyone who wants to go straight to hearing her points

[May_]

I totally agree with everything you just said!!! I'm from Kenya and we see this all the time and I always felt bad about feeling this way, ,
Thanks for this!!!

[emilyliu]

Love that you are speaking out on this issue. I definitely think it is an uncomfortable topic and many people don't like hearing that volunteering in orphanages can be detrimental to children's psychological and emotional wellbeing. We all like to think that we can do nothing but good, and as you said, most opportunities are pursued with good intentions. however sometimes it is necessary to reevaluate our actions and have the awareness to accept they are not quite right.