why do people do gap year abroad working with children

Original post by Viva Emptiness

It's because they care about the travel and not about other people. If anything, there are questions over whether "voluntourism" actually causes more harm than good.

This is ridiculous.

Reply 3

Original post by A-LJLB

This is ridiculous.

Welp, guess I'm wrong then.

Reply 4

Original post by Viva Emptiness

Welp, guess I'm wrong then.

Why do you feel that way? I mean everyone I know who has volunteered abroad has done it due to the sympathy towards those who don't have the same facilities as we do, and the desire to make a different even if just for a few weeks

Reply 5

Claire461

Children in local authority care in the UK are well provided for. Children in other countries are not and its a good thing that young people want to leave their homes and families and go and give of themselves to children who are not so lucky.

Reply 6

Original post by A-LJLB

Why do you feel that way? I mean everyone I know who has volunteered abroad has done it due to the sympathy towards those who don't have the same facilities as we do, and the desire to make a different even if just for a few weeks

Ok, so I'm probably being a tad cynical about people's motivations but

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/holidays/editorial-feature/voluntourism-should-i-volunteer-abroad

is an interesting read, which links to a study about orphanages in which children are separated from their parents and told that they will be sent to have a good education but in reality are sent to these desperate places to feed demand for well-meaning westerners to pay a lot of money to go over and "help".

Reply 7

Original post by Viva Emptiness

Ok, so I'm probably being a tad cynical about people's motivations but

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/holidays/editorial-feature/voluntourism-should-i-volunteer-abroad

is an interesting read, which links to a study about orphanages in which children are separated from their parents and told that they will be sent to have a good education but in reality are sent to these desperate places to feed demand for well-meaning westerners to pay a lot of money to go over and "help".

If that is true then that is disgusting! Poor children.

I hadn't heard of that, so maybe I'm naive - I've always just looked at it as people really wanting to help, and it's easier to do placements abroad as there are no qualification and experience restrictions

Reply 8

Original post by A-LJLB

If that is true then that is disgusting! Poor children.

I hadn't heard of that, so maybe I'm naive - I've always just looked at it as people really wanting to help, and it's easier to do placements abroad as there are no qualification and experience restrictions

That's another part of the problem - with no qualification and experience what can you really offer a developing country that the locals couldn't themselves with the funding? And they'd probably do a better job of it tbh, since they are the ones living with the results.

Reply 9

Claire461

The article is about well-meaning westerners, and not young people with good intentions willing to go and help children less fortunate than themselves.

Reply 10

Original post by Viva Emptiness

That's another part of the problem - with no qualification and experience what can you really offer a developing country that the locals couldn't themselves with the funding? And they'd probably do a better job of it tbh, since they are the ones living with the results.

A lot of it is simply that there are too many people that need help and too little people able to offer help.
So they turn to volunteers. Building schools may be different, but for placements in care and medicine/psychology, I can't see it being anything other than a big help

Reply 11

SMEGGGY

Original post by looloo2134

when they could volunteer in Britain wth children who are in local authority care.

'looks good' on their CV

Yes look after children here and other countries. All need care and love

:biggrin:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 12

Original post by A-LJLB

A lot of it is simply that there are too many people that need help and too little people able to offer help.
So they turn to volunteers. Building schools may be different, but for placements in care and medicine/psychology, I can't see it being anything other than a big help

Absolutely, skilled help is desperately needed and welcomed, but when you get to the wealthy-gap-yah end of the spectrum I suspect that is where it starts to do more harm than good.

Reply 13

Original post by Viva Emptiness

Absolutely, skilled help is desperately needed and welcomed, but when you get to the wealthy-gap-yah end of the spectrum I suspect that is where it starts to do more harm than good.

What about medical placements? They help to look after the patients with minor injuries, allowing he skilled professionals to focus on more serious incidents. Mental health help is very poor in underdeveloped countries as well, although you tend to have to have studied psychology to get these placements. I think it depends entirely on the role you want to undertake, but I can definitely see your point

Reply 14

999tigger

Original post by Seamus123

Children in local authority care in the UK are well provided for. Children in other countries are not and its a good thing that young people want to leave their homes and families and go and give of themselves to children who are not so lucky.

Do you know people who have been through the UK care system?
More likely to be in prison, go into prostitutiom many times less likely to get GCSE's or go to Uni, more chance of mental health issues, pregancy and suicide.

The UK care system is scandalously poor.

Reply 15

looloo2134

OP

17

Original post by Seamus123

Children in local authority care in the UK are well provided for. Children in other countries are not and its a good thing that young people want to leave their homes and families and go and give of themselves to children who are not so lucky.[/QUOT

Children in local authority care in the UK are not well provided for
1) more likely to have mental illness than children not in local authority care,
2) more likely to be criminalized for normal teenage behavior such as come home late at night.
3) more likely become homeless after leaving care
4)do less well at school and less likely to go to university or get employment
5) can be in ten different care homes by the age of 12.

If you think that children in local authority care in Britain are well provided for you are very wrong and have never meet a person who been in care.

http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/barnardos_today.htm

Reply 16

999tigger

Btw they go abroad becayse they are paying for their degree and its a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a contrasting culture and how child care works. Rest of their life to experience the UK system.

Reply 17

Jammy Duel

Original post by 999tigger

Btw they go abroad becayse they are paying for their degree and its a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a contrasting culture and how child care works. Rest of their life to experience the UK system.

You mean the average Briton never ever goes abroad unless it's to "help" poor people by doing more harm than good, and people accuse me of beings stuck in the 19th Century.

Reply 18

999tigger

Original post by Jammy Duel

You mean the average Briton never ever goes abroad unless it's to "help" poor people by doing more harm than good, and people accuse me of beings stuck in the 19th Century.

That is not what I said or meant until you attempted to twist it.

The question was about people (presumably students to be) doing gap years and not the average Britain.

I never said never goes abroad I said its a once in a lifetime opportunity. There wont be many students who get a gap year again to work in their chosen area for a year. People tend to get jobs and families.

You arent stuck in the 19th century you are just 100% idiot.

Reply 19

Claire461