Volunteering abroad

ml2001

Hey, I’ve been searching for volunteer programmes abroad, maybe to do with wildlife conservation or helping communities, but most are around £1000 which I can’t afford. I’d love to volunteer & experience a different culture, so I was wondering if anyone could recommend legit programmes at a lower price?

Reply 1

username2345291

I can't recommend others, but if you're thinking about doing this on a gap year, a lot of people will work for the first half and then go travelling/volunteering in the second half using the money they've saved. £1000 isn't much if you work for a while before hand.

Reply 2

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by ml2001

If you volunteer with girlguiding (at a rainbow, brownie or guide group), then there are a lot of volunteering opportunities abroad, such as GOLD etc.

Reply 3

El Salvador

I've considered it but it's a lot more expensive than going there without volunteering, and as you know, voluntourism actually hurts those places, so I didn't do it in the end

Reply 4

SORCE

It really depends on where you go and which organisation you volunteer with. There are many reputable organisations - particularly within the conservation and wildlife sectors that do genuinely beneficial work and whose volunteers not only help to fund active conservation but are trained in the importance of conservation and the techniques and methodologies required to do it successfully. It is a shame that scam organisations have given the industry such a bad rep. Especially when you consider that a lot of these organisations are non-profit and therefore rely on the volunteer revenue in order to fund projects which actually make a difference. The bad reputation that has resulted from these companies and is putting so many people off volunteering is so damaging to conservation because it is having a massively negative impact on those organisations that actually are legitimate and are doing really good work on the ground. Spreading the message that volunteering is bad for the places being visited will only make the problem worse. I agree people should be ensuring that the organisation they are volunteering with is having a legitimate benefit for the projects and areas they are working on and in. People should also be open about organisations that are having a negative impact, so that others can be aware of it. However volunteering is not damaging full stop, and that message should not be spread.

Original post by The Champion.m4a

I've considered it but it's a lot more expensive than going there without volunteering, and as you know, voluntourism actually hurts those places, so I didn't do it in the end

Reply 5

El Salvador

Original post by SORCE

Volunteering is not damaging "full stop"? The very fact that it requires extensive travelling to get to that destination is already damaging to the environment...

Voluntourism is always going to be for the short-term. No matter how good the programme is, the good effects are bound not to last and the roots of the issues are most likely not addressed, unless there isn't an actual problem to begin with.

Reply 6

SORCE

Again it really does depend on the organisation you are talking about. A lot of NGOs have worked extensively in order to embed their conservation initiatives into local communities and work hand in hand with local branches of government in order to ensure their work does last and that effective change occurs at multiple levels.

In terms of the travel to the place itself - your original post said its cheaper to go without volunteering, so from that perspective if you are going anyway then the volunteering activities don't add to that travel 'expense' on the environment - and as such volunteering is if anything a way to mitigate some of that detrimental impact that your travel is having. Also I think you'll find that more and more of these organisations are encouraging their participants to offset the footprint created by their travel - which many non-profits now facilitate as well as many airlines.

Original post by The Champion.m4a

Reply 7

Bentownsend00

Hi all,

I'm writing an article for students who use Workaway. Would anyone like to say why it's a good idea/why students should spend their summer volunteering?
also, for example - how cheap/how easy or difficult/and any cool stories

I'd be really grateful - and of course, you'll be quoted in the piece which I'll publish the link for on this forum after.

Cheers!

Ben