Global Youth Volunteerism: Pitfalls and Potentials

I'm interested in knowing what resources you find most valuable in learning about the culture in a country you're going to volunteer in

In my interviews with Peace Corps volunteers I have heard over and over stories of young people who went to a developing country with what they thought was the right trianing and found they had to learn on the job - and did. The experience was good for them an for the people they worked with. I have yet to har a story of a young person who did harm by learning on the job. In many ways this may be the important lesson for both the volunteers and the locals - locals discover they have much to teach the rest of the world, and young Americans learn to listen.

A good source of information is the Peace Corps on the Edge podcast series here on social edge. The stories of former PC volunteers tell us much about learning cultures and about specific cultures.

Great conversation, Nathaniel and Jon! Hi to you both.

From my experience, I believe that it's extremely important to distinguish between different models of international youth volunteerism. I've often seen it done very poorly, and I've also seen it done very well. In my experience, there are two fundamental differentiators:

1) PRIORITIES. What is the priority of the organization that hosts the volunteers? If the organization's priority is to give youth an international volunteer experience, I'm always skeptical. If the organization's priority is to fulfill some other mission - education, micro-finance, engineering, etc - then I'm listening.

2) TRAINING. What kind of training do the volunteers receive? Without strong training, youth volunteers will flounder and they are prone to make mistakes that can indeed be damaging to the cause With strong and comprehensive training, youth volunteers can be incredible allies and resources for global social change.

In FORGE, we've experienced first-hand the critical importance of emphasizing to our university volunteers (our Project Facilitators) the fact that - to be blunt - it's not about them. We are not shy about telling people that if they are looking for an enriching international experience, FORGE is not for them. If they are looking to work like crazy and make big sacrifices to enact often-thankless on-the-ground change, then we might be a good fit.

We've also watched the way in which comprehensive training for youth volunteers (BEFORE they travel) transforms the effectiveness of the work they are able to do, and also exponentially decreases the mistakes that they make. FORGE's impact has directly correlated with the extensiveness and quality of our training process (which always emphasizes the fact that they will never have all the answers and they must depend on the local community for solutions).

Overall, well-trained college students and young adults can be invaluable to international development organizations because they offer a huge base of untapped resources and skills. But, preparing them to be so is a very time consuming and sensitive process. In FORGE, we've figured out how to do this at almost no financial no cost (we have committed Alumni who act as Team Coordinators, spending 7 months intensely training teams of 8-10 Project Facilitators before they depart to Africa where they partner with refugees on community development projects), and our Project Facilitators produce extremely high quality work that other organizations we work with on the ground would be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for from their traditional staff. Still, working with non-professionals is something that requires a lot of oversight, planning, guidance, and care. But if these things can be accomplished, what carefully-screened and trained university student volunteers can bring to the mission is incalculable.

Kjerstin,

It's been a while since I last had the pleasure of speaking with you (I met you at Nathaniel's during IYVS two years back). It was so nice reading your post, as I feel that you have, more aptly than I have abstractly done below, highlighted the importance of the importance of the transformative process of comprehensive training.

Very best, Alex

Hello Mum,you have spoken very well about the issue of volunteer program,but i also want to inform you that when you are addressing this program you left out disability volunteer project. i must say that most of the volunteers that are sent to africa end up in orphange homes,street children organization.

i want to know from you if people with disabilities and disability organizations are not part of the volunteer project. when you come to africa disability ngos are realy fighting to get some small group of volunteer groups from the rich countries. i hmbly write to address some this problems

thank you mum.

FORGE sounds like it does great work.

I have been involved in volunteerism for more than 30 years, in the same program, with the same goal of helping inner city kids reach jobs and careers, by expanding the adult support and learning network available to them. What I know now from this many years of experience, and from many other life and work experiences, is far greater, and more sophisticated than what I knew when I first became involved. Thus, my impact can be greater (I hope!).

I'm now serving on the Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, while leading the Tutor/Mentor Connection (http://www.tutormentorconnection.org ) and Cabrini Connections (http://www.cabriniconnections.net).

The state commissions manage the National Service programs in most states (AmeriCorps, Vista, etc.) thus, this discussion is very relevant to the work they do and the concept of national service.

I feel there are two types of volunteerism.

a) the manpower type, where you spend time doing a task, such as feeding the hungry, building a park, painting a room, helping people recover from a disaster, etc. There are many examples of this and millions of people are engaged in this form of volunteerism at one or more times in their lives. They don't need much preparation for many of these roles, although some, such as disaster relief, probably require a good deal of training. However, volunteers in these roles are not necessarily building something that requires constant growth in their experience, or in the results from the time they spend as a volunteer.

b) this leads to the second type of volunteerism. This is service that is intended to resolve a problem. It could be working as a task force to build a new school. Or it could be working to help a 5th grade youth be starting a job when he is 25. Both take a long time.

In this type of volunteerism I feel we need to be thinking of the applied time/talent of many people who are working to solve problems that will take many years to solve. If we apply short term volunteers to solving these problems we'll mostly get random acts of kindness and not the type of progress toward results that we should get from the billions of dollars of manpower that is put into service all over the world.

I focus on long-term volunteerism and feel that one of the most important things we should be doing is collecting the experiences of volunteers, professionals, researchers, and people served, so that each wave of future volunteers could learn from the collective experience of all previous volunteers.

I'd love to see the organizations who supply volunteers (AmeriCorps, colleges, etc.) adopt specific causes, and even specific organizations, so that new volunteers could pick up from where previous volunteers left off, so that the projects they, or someone else starts, could be continued by the next person out of a long line of potential volunteers. In such partnerships, the people supplying the volunteers would have as much responsibility for preparing them for service as the organization who receives them and puts them to work.

In this concept of volunteerism, some groups need to take the role of facilitator, or intermediary, collecting information about specific social issues (poverty, hunger, famine, health, etc.) and about the work being done around the world, in specific locations, to solve those problems. With this knowledge serving as an intermediary role, new people coming into service could learn and prepare for their role, and veteran's leaving direct service could stay involved in a variety of ways for the rest of their lives. Without this knowledge, there is a lot of redundancy, and a lot of reinvention.

I think universities are ideally suited for this role and have been searching for university partners to work with the Tutor/Mentor Connection in our efforts to create an infrastructure that would support thousands of site based tutor/mentor programs operating in every big city in the country.

I'm glad to see that this discussion is hosted by students at Northwestern. I'm in Chicago and would be delighted to find a way to connect with some of you to talk more about these concepts.

Well, I’d say the discussion is off and running. Thank you to Patrick, Kjerstin, and Daniel for setting the tone for what should be a high-quality conversation. I want to highlight a few themes I saw in your posts and pose a few questions based on these themes.

First was this idea of young people as assets that came up in Patrick and Kjerstin’s comments. We are fortunate at Northwestern to host the Asset Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) and its directors, Professors Jody Kretzmann and John McNight. Kretzmann and McKnight have spent the last 30 years developing a new framework for community development that identifies and mobilizes the assets that already exist within marginalized communities, rather than always focusing on problems and deficiencies in these communities and then applying remedies to solve those deficiencies. For more information on the ABCD approach, go to www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd. A major strand in ABCD thinking is that young people should be viewed as assets for communities rather than “challenges”. Young people are full of gifts, skills, curiosities, and resources that, when supported by real opportunities for action, can bring about positive change in communities. I think organizations that utilize young volunteers often see young people from a glass half-empty perspective without knowing it. Do any of the organizations you work with ever seem to be asking themselves, “What can I have this person do that they won’t screw up and that won’t cause me more stress?” Conversely, organizations should be asking themselves, “What unique assets, gifts, skills, or resources do young people bring to this work that another type of person might not? And, correspondingly, how can we develop opportunities that fully utilize these unique assets?

And so I ask, what unique assets do young people bring to different types of shared global problems that we might overlook?

A second theme I read into your comments is the importance of having young volunteers learn from the local community in which they’re serving. This places local community members in the role of teacher—thereby reversing entrenched power hierarchies all too common in the international development world where the outside “expert” comes to solve problems for the local “victim”. Overcoming this notion and creating more equitable relationships across borders is a major goal of our work at the CGE. One strategy we’re interested in is transforming university accreditation policies so that community organizations are empowered to give our students credit for the vital knowledge they provide—oftentimes more than any lecture-based course could afford.

And so I ask, what other strategies can we use to ensure that more youth volunteer opportunities abroad provide opportunities for local community members to teach lessons that allow them to share their unique knowledge and experience?

Third, I saw an interesting tension in Kjerstin’s post. On the one-hand, we need to tell young, often quite privileged students that, when it comes to international volunteerism, its not all about them—contrary to what our “me first” culture often tells them. On the other-hand, in order to maximize the benefit for those they seek to help, we need to focus intently on training and supporting young people before they engage in volunteerism projects. So, it comes down to figuring out a way to build in them a focus on others by developing a sort of focus on the self….a seemingly difficult proposition that FORGE has navigated very successfully.

And so I ask, how can we convey to young people the idea that its not always about them while at the same time focusing intently on their training and development?

Finally, Daniel highlighted the need for developing long-term volunteer relationships with specific causes, and even specific organizations so that new volunteers can build on work that was done by their predecessors rather than doing work that is redundant, thereby making it possible for volunteerism to solve problems. I couldn’t agree more! At the CGE were trying to develop a concept of “relational” or “connectional” change in which we prioritize the creation of a long-standing relationship with a particular community or organization so that the volunteer projects students can do build over time and contribute to an ever-deepening relationship. It seems we’ve gotten to a point in the world of global problem solving where people see the limits of disjointed, charity-based humanitarianism that responds only to basic needs and then moves on to the next disaster. We know that in order to actually solve problems we need to make long term commitments and prioritize relationships with people that can evolve as realities change.

And so I ask, what are the best ways to structure opportunities for young people to be involved in this way? What opportunities exist that you can share?

In addition to these 4 new questions, I want to reiterate those posed at the outset:

Who is the primary beneficiary of global youth volunteerism – the volunteer or the host community or organization? Who should it be?

What are situations in which it’s inappropriate for young people to volunteer abroad?

What are some strategies for increasing the short and long-term impact of global youth volunteer experiences while minimizing unintended harmful consequences?

Related, what is the role of educational institutions in preparing people for this type of global engagement experience?

What are some real-world examples of “effective,” or on the other hand “harmful,” global volunteer projects?

What are your experiences?

I'm currently enrolled in the Master's International program in Environmental Engineering at Michigan Technological University. It's one of many programs across the country where grad students can earn credit toward a masters degree through Peace Corps service, but the only such program in engineering.

I've been constantly impressed

I apologize for the cut-off post above, this is my first post and I misinterpreted the meaning of the save button.

Like I was saying, I've been constantly impressed by the curriculum the program has developed in only 10 years of experience. In addition to the normal engineering coursework, there are two courses designed specifically to prepare the students for their service abroad. One of these, taught by a professor who is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, focuses on community development and deals with many of the issues being discussed here.

Better still, students who complete their service return to campus to write and defend their theses. Not only does this provide a friendly atmosphere of eager ears for the returned volunteers to share their experiences while they readjust to American culture, but it's also sustainable education for the new students on campus.

All of this is in place to ensure that the students leave with the proper mindset. As one professor put it, it's his goal to beat the idealism out of us, or at least down to an acceptable level.

But what may shock you most is that many of my classmates are already in this mindset before they even set foot on campus. Many of us sought this program out because we've had experience with some of the flimsier volunteer organizations and aren't eager to repeat mistakes. I had the pleasure of being part of a group of students that got to sit down with the deputy director of the Peace Corps while she was on campus to give the graduation keynote. Many of the things she heard at that meeting are echoed in the discussion above.

My point is we're not as oblivious to our roles as you might think.

I am a youth from South Africa and in my experience with youth volunteers is that they are always from developed countries, and do not have the right or correct approach when dealing with issues when they come here. I think that empowerment should be the end goal, so that when the volunteers are gone people can continue to implement what they learnt in a sustainable manner. As an African I understand the psychology behind being an African, our self-esteem and self perception is very low and it is exacerbated by mostly white people coming to be our savoiur. Further engraining the idea that black people have capacity and capability. And this is something that can't be helped, for instance when I was at university and students from the USA would come as exchnage students for a semester, what they had to say and what thet thought of Africa was mindblowing and discouraging, especially coming from educated young adults. If we want to ensure that volunteerism spreads you need to target the youth in developing countries so they are capacitated to run projects. This will assist on many levels, importantly it will give credence to the idea that Africans can do and help themselves.

The spirit to empower our brothers and sisters,the spirit to secure the right of our people to belong in the same class as theirs The spirit of ensuring equal treatment even in so potential issues such as Volunteerism

Greetings from Jinja, eastern Uganda!

It looks like we’re off to a great discussion!

I wanted to comment quickly on one of the tensions we’re already observing on the board which is the question of who benefits from youth volunteerism. FORGE has made a clear organizational decision about this: it’s the refugees the students work with. They’ve designed their program to reinforce that.

I think that in many situations, however, this gets murky. Young people (of whom Jon and I count ourselves – having just graduated from NU in 2006 and stuck around to run the Center for Global Engagement) and students are by definition, learners. Our ‘job’ is to make it through whatever school we’re in with as much knowledge as possible, and hopefully prepared to begin applying that knowledge in some meaningful way.

One of the things that we noticed, as students researching our peers engagement with both local and global issues, is that the depth of growth that happened when people volunteered made them feel that they were the people gaining the most – and perhaps, in purely developmental terms they were. One of the biggest problems we noticed was that they felt guilty for this, rather than trying to harness that learning as an intended outcome of their engagement.

Echoing Ntombenhle’s discussion, we also noticed that exacerbating the feeling that ‘learning’ was an illegitimate outcome of volunteerism was a problematic power structure – namely that 19 year olds were telling people with generations of experience what to do to solve their problems. They were the “servers” or “donors” and so when they were served with knowledge, it seemed to reverse the intended role – however problematic that role was to begin with.

Luckily, as Brendan so rightly noted, young people passionate about global change are taking on rather than shirking from the responsibility to deepen our understanding and aptitude of global problem solving.

With our ENGAGE Uganda program – through which 17 students in teams of 5-6 will partner with community organizations to design and implement a shared project, and which will feature a community blog right here on Socialedge.org starting in a few weeks – we tried to change a few of these problems by addressing them in the structure of our program:

1. Because this is a Northwestern University program, it must be as much about learning as “service.” To that end, we found host organization partners who were willing to add ‘teachers’ to the role of functions their community organization was already playing. Many simply didn’t have the time to think explicitly about educating students about their culture, customs, attitudes towards problems, etc, but for those that did, situating the host organization as teacher in addition to simply ‘volunteer host’ fundamentally changed their sense of our relationship. We have further build in learning by having students prepare with two lead-in courses, as well as two courses which happen throughout their project exchange. 2. We tried to redefine the nature of the relationship between students and host organization, but having them collaborative via distance communication to design a project which advanced the mission of the organization, and which utilized the assets, talents, and interests of all parties – students and organizations alike. 3. I think we agree on a fundamental level with Daniel about the idea of maintaining long term connections with specific organizations or projects. As a university, we have an endless supply of students, so we’ve endeavored to create a program that each year, new students can return to the same hosts in Uganda and continue to grow and foster a mutually beneficial long-term relationship.

We’ll see how this works very soon!

As we move forward, I have a couple questions for you.

1. For the FORGEs and other organizations out there, what are some of the materials you use to prepare students for their volunteer experiences? 2. For international youth or members of global NGOs, how have you found young volunteers when they come to your countries? What are your perspectives on their engagement? What are the best things they can contribute and what are some general pitfalls to avoid?

To respond to Nathaniel's question about training materials, FORGE uses a 7-month training process with a 15-week curriculum (email me if you'd like to see it - kjerstin at FORGEnow dot org). We have weekly reading assignments, project development assignments, and fundraising assignments. These assignments are all discussed at weekly team meetings facilitated by a veteran Team Coordinator.

As for resources, we mostly use articles and book chapters, but we've found a few books to be particularly relevant. The Selfish Altruist is wonderful for reminding young idealists that they must always carefully monitor their own intentions, motivations, and culturally-constructed belief systems because these can easily and insidiously infect their "altruistic" work. A perfect complement to the Selfish Altruist is "How to Change the World" - a book that does an incredible job at inspiring people to take action and affect social change, but that I think should be balanced with some more cautionary advice about the ways in which "good intentions" can go wrong (especially as social entrepreneurship gets glamorized, there is more of a potential for people to go down the wrong path ala the Selfish Altruist).

For those of you out there who haven’t read this, check out Ivan Illich’s “To Hell with Good Intentions”

It’s the granddaddy of global volunteer criticism and while there is much to argue with, much of what he says is too salient to ignore. This is one of the early articles we have our students read, and work with them to wrestle through it and come up with their own meaningful answers to the criticisms he hurdles.

http://www.swaraj.org/illich_hell.htm

It also provides a foundation for our work (as well as one of our clearest short explanations): The Center for Global Engagement helps students move beyond their good intentions to produce responsible, effective, and sustainable change.

Hi, my name is Nikolai Smith, and I am a student participating in Engage Uganda this summer, a program started by the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement. I will be in Gulu in the North, and I will have a weekly blog on Social Edge that will be starting soon. For now, I would like to look at the posts that were made so far in this discussion.

Aspasia, in terms of your inquiry, the resources we sought out for learning about Ugandan culture came from many places, the most important was the organization that we are volunteering with. We have been in e-mail contact with Chaford-Uganda, the organization that we are working with in Gulu, for over two months now asking them different cultural questions that relate both to the projects we plan on working on and life in general in Gulu. We have also sought out different sources on Ugandan culture from outside sources like those of NGOs who have worked in Gulu and sources that deal directly with volunteers interacting within the Ugandan culture, such as Stan Burkey’s book on Self-Reliant Participatory Rural Development that uses Uganda as a case study.

Patrick, I am very surprised that you have never heard of a Peace Corps volunteer who did harm by learning on the job. At the International Youth Volunteerism Summit (now called the Global Engagement Summit), I heard from several different facilitators stories of Peace Corps volunteers who did more harm than good during their time because they did not have sufficient training before their work or guidance during it. Maybe this is not the norm or maybe the Peace Corps volunteers that you interviewed did not want to share that aspect of their work, but I think myself and others, as Kjerstin mentions as well, have heard of enough similar volunteer experiences that have done harm to realize that it is a problem that needs to be recognized for these trips. I am also surprised that the volunteers you talked to went into it “and found they had to learn on the job”. To me, it seems that that would be an expectation of Peace Corps volunteers: to adapt to the situation and to learn directly from the people they are working “for” and with.

Kjerstin, I have not heard of FORGE but I am interested if they take University undergraduates of all levels. I also don’t know if I agree with the approach to emphasize that it is “not about” the volunteers. I understand that the work is not for the volunteers, but even if they are working like crazy and making big sacrifices, they do gain a lot from the chance to help people. I assume they are still getting their means provided by the people (even if they are paying for these, the people are still welcoming them as a part of their group) and that they are still learning about the language and sharing experiences with the people even if it is through doing hard work and that this exchange goes both ways in terms of benefits.

Daniel, I like how you divided the types of service, but I think they can blend together in time, at least that has been the case in the volunteer projects I have participated in both within the United States and abroad. These experiences were mostly short-term “manpower” trips, but they are important, not for the manpower that we provided or the work that we accomplished (because often it was short), but important because of what we learned and the potential we have to discuss how to solve the larger problems that the organization deals with and to get others and actually to do something about it. That is why these organizations, ranging from the Sioux YMCA in South Dakota to Catholic Charties in Baltimore to the Catholic Mission in San Lucas-Toliman, Guatemala, all spend just as much time speaking with us about the problems they face as they do putting us to work. The idea, especially directed towards college students like myself, is that we are the future and we will be the ones changing national and international policy, as members “of the elite class and the smartest kids in the world”. I can’t tell you how many different places I have heard that at from the former site of the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago to the rural desolate land of the Cheyenne River Reservation. Organizations believe that we have a great potential to be influenced by not only the work we do, but the things we hear and see at the sites and will take this knowledge and experience and come back to our schools, hometowns and families and raise money or work to influence policy or bring more people to the site to increase the potential for greater change. I do agree with Daniel that this type of work, having short-term trip volunteers become inspired and work towards solving the larger problems of the organization, does not make that much of an impact, though it can and should not be minimized though that is exactly what I am doing, and also is often a scattered approach to solving a problem. Yet, once again, the push that these volunteers create can lead to the type of huge change in funding or policy that is needed to address the problem. I especially agree with Daniel when he discusses the importance of long-term volunteers connecting to the experiences of other previous volunteers and continuing where they left off. In the global projects I have been involved with, this has often been the case as we continue where other volunteers have left off, but since it is often ”manpower” type and short-term service, there is not much to be taught. In terms of local projects like tutoring/mentoring kids in the inner-city, I have done this at 12 different schools and programs in Milwaukee and Chicago, and I feel that I could contribute to an infrastructure that supports site based tutor/mentor programs throughout the nation and I could at least use my experiences to help new volunteers. I think that this can and should be applied globally, though most likely more regionally than cross continent or on such a large scale. I will be in Uganda this summer, but I wish to continue this discussion with Daniel because I believe it does relate to my work in Uganda because some of the skills I bring to Uganda are my background with working with youth in the U.S..

In terms of Jon’s questions, Jon and I have both been on a service trip to the Catholic Mission in San Lucas-Toliman, Guatemala so we both have had the amazing pleasure to work with an organization that recognizes the potential of young people (evident in the large number of colleges and high schools that visit the mission every year) and provides local community members with opportunities to teach the volunteers. They do this by taking all volunteers on a tour of the projects of the mission that is led by a member of the community who works with planning the projects. Volunteers then hear talks throughout their time there from different community leaders and members about their backgrounds and views of the projects where volunteers always are able to ask questions. Volunteers then do manual labor (more specific labor is available if they have a certain background, such as being a dentist or doctor) at the different sites where they are directed by workers of the sites, thus further reversing the entrenched power hierarchy that Jon mentions. I think Jon’s questions really challenge me to reflect on my experiences and to also look to many different channels for the answer. In terms of what unique assets do young people bring, I think it is very, very important not to overlook the organization that these youth are affiliated with whether it be their hometown, school, church, etc. Youth, especially those in high school, still have the ability and often the charm to get all different types of people to donate their money and time. These youth are usually connected to a huge social network that not only includes their friends and peers, but also their parents and family and the family of the friends of the youth. Also, young people are often attached to a specific organization of their own that has resources set aside for young people with initiatives. Universities are a great example and the work that Jon and Nathaniel did setting up the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern is a great example of such an initiative (contact them for ways to get resources from your University!). I think I looked at his second question before and I am not sure how one promotes the knowledge of community members better than the Mission in San Lucas-Toliman. The only other suggestion I have is to send volunteers home with literature from these members about their projects and their work and how much is needed to complete it or start a new project and how volunteers can stay involved even as they leave and through e-mail, this can only incur organizations with the cost of the time to send out this information. Or I think it may be important to provide or heavily recommend that volunteers bring a notebook and pen so that it does promote a lecture-style setting in that these community members are teaching volunteers as much, if not more in my opinion, about different issues. I have learned more (and thought about and reflected over more) from volunteer trips and talks from community members than I have ever done from reading books or attending lectures. In terms of the question that it is not always about volunteers, I think that volunteers have adopted a fair deal of this mindset simply from committing to train for a long-term service project. They understand that they will be sacrificing and doing much work so even if they are doing this to also feel good about themselves or learn about a new culture or some other “self-serving” end, they still are engaging in something that forces them to look at the problems and issues of another group of people. I think if you really want to hammer in the idea, way deep down into the volunteer’s sub-conscience (I’m sorry I just feel that no matter how much training you do and no matter what you tell volunteers about it not being about them, a part of them still looks to how they are benefiting from this experience even if sub-consciously), you do that by making the training and development of volunteers a process that really pushes them to think beyond themselves and to focus exclusively from the perspectives of those you are working with (which I think is problematic, one should take advantage of all perspectives from which they can see a problem) or to really hammer in how hard and sacrificing the work will be (still, when one sacrifices and work hard, I believe they gain something, even if the end does not personally benefit them). I guess I am still naïve and inexperienced when it comes to this type of training, but I believe that it is very hard to get out of volunteers the idea that they also benefit from the training, and I am interested in learning how FORGE and others deemphasize this aspect of long-term volunteer projects.

I would like to look at the original questions that Jon and Nathaniel posed, but I have to finish up packing as I leave in an hour (I'm a smart world traveler). If I get to them now great, if not I hope this conversation is still up and running the next time I can use the internet.

Best, Nikolai ps-I don't know if you've seen the not funny ads, but American Express is allowing members aka not me (but my dad so I may steal his identity) to create a social change project and if you get the most votes, you get 5 million bucks. see below, paz

http://www.membersproject.com/home.action

Hi Nikolai,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify my statement that FORGE's approach of reinforcing the message that "its not about the volunteers"

What "its not about the volunteers" DOES NOT mean is that FORGE is not committed to the experience of its volunteers and that we don't care what our volunteers get out of their experience. We do care very much about both of these things. However, we are convinced that our approach actually enables our volunteers to have a much richer, more meaningful, more honest experience than if they went into a development environment focusing more on themselves. The fact that they are willing to go through 400 hours of training and preparation, spend their whole summers living in a rural African refugee camp, and have to fundraise to cover it all speaks to the fact that they get a huge amount out of it personally. We at FORGE always look for ways to reinforce and enhance positive experiences by our staff. Satisfaction on behalf of our volunteer Project Facilitators is absolutely critical to our growth and the impact of our projects, and we find that it grows naturally out of giving people a channel to effectively partner with and serve a community.

BUT - what "its not about the volunteers" DOES mean is that, when it comes to making decisions, we always start from the premise of "how do we best serve our mission - ie the refugees with whom we work?" Coming from this orientation is exactly what enables us to have such comprehensive training structures and to focus so strongly on partnership rather than service. If our end goal were about the volunteers, we wouldn't need to invest so much into making sure they were prepared. If our end goal were about the volunteers, we wouldnt need to partner with refugees to make sure our projects are sustainable. And if our end goal were about the volunteers, we wouldn't need to set such high fundraising standards (to go toward their projects) and we wouldn't require our volunteers to make so many comfort sacrifices for the sake of giving more funds to projects. There are many more examples.

Ironically, I do think that this approach pays off for the young volunteers that are willing to put in the work. At the most recent FORGE Training Phase evaluation that I attended (before the team left for Africa), many of our Project Facilitators commented on how proud they were of all of their efforts in the preparation stage. After 7 months of intense training, they had a wealth of knowledge about the community they were entering, they had learned about how to enter a community sensitively, the ways in which international development initiatives tend to fail, what types of projects tend to succeed, the history of the people they are going to work with, basic knowledge of the local language, etc. They commented that they have friends who are headed off to Africa who say that they are "not really sure where they are going or what they are going to be doing." These FORGE volunteers expressed a sense of pride and responsibility in knowing that they were so far ahead of the game and thus poised to make so much greater change. By making their work "not about them", the experience actually grows that much richer and more worthwhile.

I hope this helps to clarify that the model I'm discussing does not sacrifice learning or volunteer experience. It does, however, narrow the field of people that are willing and ready to take on the challenge and the higher expectations.

I appreciate the comprehensive responses that Jonathan, Nathaniel and Brendan have given to the first responses. I am familiar with ABCD, and in fact am part of the list serve.

I agree that youth can be assets. I also agree that adults can be assets. However, without some form of infrastructure to help youth or adults connect with a cause, and learn ways they can unleash their assets, it's a bit wishful to hope that this will happen.

When we think of infrastructure, what do we mean? What are the technologies that would support complex problem solving? What are the resources needed to create a distribution of a single kind of service in all of the places of the world where this service is needed? Who is developing leaders for all of these places? Who is creating a flexible funding stream to support the work of these leaders, so they stay in place for more than a few years and accumulate wisdom and experience?

I believe the Internet gives us powerful new tools for collaboration, learning and group problem solving. However, I don't yet see too many places where these tools are fully implemented. Two of the most important tools are Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which enable you to map data spatially so you can create a visual understanding of all the places where there is a problem, and a need for the same type of solution. You can read about uses of GIS and see demonstrations at :http://tinyurl.com/2j5kkw

A second important tool fits in the category of visualization. Tools such as concept mapping enable us to use pictures and charts the way archetects and engineers use blueprints to get many different people to do the right type of work at the right time in order to build buildings, dams, highways, etc.

When people say a "picture is worth a 1000 words" I'm fully in agreement. I wonder how many people will read the long response written by Brendan? Or by me? To really understand a complex problem we need to read many, many books. How many volunteers or even professionals and/or policy makers are really doing the in-depth learning, along with practical application of that learning, that is needed to understand a complex problem?

I've been trying to map the strategy and resources of the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Here's an map of the resources in our Links Library: http://tinyurl.com/23aa9w

My goal in pointing to these web sites is not to draw more attention to the Tutor/Mentor Connection, but to demonstrate what my words are talking about. I would love to see groups of students/faculty at universities here and abroad begin to use maps and blueprints to describe the problems they are addressing and the actions they feel will lead to solutions.

If we do this on the internet, we can create better operating systems, just as the creators of open source technology created a system that now competes with the powerful Windows operating system of Microsoft. This cannot happen until a few pioneers begin to put their ideas on the Interent, using maps and charts.

One of the resources needed by every social benefit organization is money. Yet very few of us are blessed with a Bill Gates type donor, or with the marketing skills it takes to attract consistent funding for many years. Thus, there is a poor distribution of really effective service providers in most cities, or most parts of the world. With a map and database of organizations, we can change this, if we can unleash the power of students in business and marketing schools all over the world. At http://tinyurl.com/2nhbzb you can learn more about what I mean by this idea.

Most of what I've pointed to are web sites hosted by other people, and ideas I've created that encourage use of those resources to solve problems. My information focuses on ways business and university volunteers can be involved in helping kids born in poverty be starting jobs and careers by age 25, 25 years after they are born!!! That's a long time.

However, this is only one of many problems facing our world. Anyone can create a similar database and library of resources, to serve as a resource for everyone else who is interested in solving the problem. Imagine a "world water problem web site" or, "world AIDS web site" where one could look at maps to see where the problem is located, or read articles and visit web sites to learn what the problem is, and who the organizations are in different places working to solve the problem. With this information, intermediaries can connect youth with service opportunities and these youth can still be connected when they are senior citizens.

If you're doing this, please provide a link so others can visit the information you are hosting.

Hi, my name is Nikolai Smith, and I am a student participating in Engage Uganda this summer, a program started by the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement. I will be in Gulu in the North, and I will have a weekly blog on Social Edge that will be starting soon. For now, I would like to look at the posts that were made so far in this discussion.

Aspasia, in terms of your inquiry, the resources we sought out for learning about Ugandan culture came from many places, the most important was the organization that we are volunteering with. We have been in e-mail contact with Chaford-Uganda, the organization that we are working with in Gulu, for over two months now asking them different cultural questions that relate both to the projects we plan on working on and life in general in Gulu. We have also sought out different sources on Ugandan culture from outside sources like those of NGOs who have worked in Gulu and sources that deal directly with volunteers interacting within the Ugandan culture, such as Stan Burkey’s book on Self-Reliant Participatory Rural Development that uses Uganda as a case study.

Patrick, I am very surprised that you have never heard of a Peace Corps volunteer who did harm by learning on the job. At the International Youth Volunteerism Summit (now called the Global Engagement Summit), I heard from several different facilitators stories of Peace Corps volunteers who did more harm than good during their time because they did not have sufficient training before their work or guidance during it. Maybe this is not the norm or maybe the Peace Corps volunteers that you interviewed did not want to share that aspect of their work, but I think myself and others, as Kjerstin mentions as well, have heard of enough similar volunteer experiences that have done harm to realize that it is a problem that needs to be recognized for these trips. I am also surprised that the volunteers you talked to went into it “and found they had to learn on the job”. To me, it seems that that would be an expectation of Peace Corps volunteers: to adapt to the situation and to learn directly from the people they are working “for” and with.

Kjerstin, I have not heard of FORGE but I am interested if they take University undergraduates of all levels. I also don’t know if I agree with the approach to emphasize that it is “not about” the volunteers. I understand that the work is not for the volunteers, but even if they are working like crazy and making big sacrifices, they do gain a lot from the chance to help people. I assume they are still getting their means provided by the people (even if they are paying for these, the people are still welcoming them as a part of their group) and that they are still learning about the language and sharing experiences with the people even if it is through doing hard work and that this exchange goes both ways in terms of benefits.

Daniel, I like how you divided the types of service, but I think they can blend together in time, at least that has been the case in the volunteer projects I have participated in both within the United States and abroad. These experiences were mostly short-term “manpower” trips, but they are important, not for the manpower that we provided or the work that we accomplished (because often it was short), but important because of what we learned and the potential we have to discuss how to solve the larger problems that the organization deals with and to get others and actually to do something about it. That is why these organizations, ranging from the Sioux YMCA in South Dakota to Catholic Charties in Baltimore to the Catholic Mission in San Lucas-Toliman, Guatemala, all spend just as much time speaking with us about the problems they face as they do putting us to work. The idea, especially directed towards college students like myself, is that we are the future and we will be the ones changing national and international policy, as members “of the elite class and the smartest kids in the world”. I can’t tell you how many different places I have heard that at from the former site of the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago to the rural desolate land of the Cheyenne River Reservation. Organizations believe that we have a great potential to be influenced by not only the work we do, but the things we hear and see at the sites and will take this knowledge and experience and come back to our schools, hometowns and families and raise money or work to influence policy or bring more people to the site to increase the potential for greater change. I do agree with Daniel that this type of work, having short-term trip volunteers become inspired and work towards solving the larger problems of the organization, does not make that much of an impact, though it can and should not be minimized though that is exactly what I am doing, and also is often a scattered approach to solving a problem. Yet, once again, the push that these volunteers create can lead to the type of huge change in funding or policy that is needed to address the problem. I especially agree with Daniel when he discusses the importance of long-term volunteers connecting to the experiences of other previous volunteers and continuing where they left off. In the global projects I have been involved with, this has often been the case as we continue where other volunteers have left off, but since it is often ”manpower” type and short-term service, there is not much to be taught. In terms of local projects like tutoring/mentoring kids in the inner-city, I have done this at 12 different schools and programs in Milwaukee and Chicago, and I feel that I could contribute to an infrastructure that supports site based tutor/mentor programs throughout the nation and I could at least use my experiences to help new volunteers. I think that this can and should be applied globally, though most likely more regionally than cross continent or on such a large scale. I will be in Uganda this summer, but I wish to continue this discussion with Daniel because I believe it does relate to my work in Uganda because some of the skills I bring to Uganda are my background with working with youth in the U.S..

In terms of Jon’s questions, Jon and I have both been on a service trip to the Catholic Mission in San Lucas-Toliman, Guatemala so we both have had the amazing pleasure to work with an organization that recognizes the potential of young people (evident in the large number of colleges and high schools that visit the mission every year) and provides local community members with opportunities to teach the volunteers. They do this by taking all volunteers on a tour of the projects of the mission that is led by a member of the community who works with planning the projects. Volunteers then hear talks throughout their time there from different community leaders and members about their backgrounds and views of the projects where volunteers always are able to ask questions. Volunteers then do manual labor (more specific labor is available if they have a certain background, such as being a dentist or doctor) at the different sites where they are directed by workers of the sites, thus further reversing the entrenched power hierarchy that Jon mentions. I think Jon’s questions really challenge me to reflect on my experiences and to also look to many different channels for the answer. In terms of what unique assets do young people bring, I think it is very, very important not to overlook the organization that these youth are affiliated with whether it be their hometown, school, church, etc. Youth, especially those in high school, still have the ability and often the charm to get all different types of people to donate their money and time. These youth are usually connected to a huge social network that not only includes their friends and peers, but also their parents and family and the family of the friends of the youth. Also, young people are often attached to a specific organization of their own that has resources set aside for young people with initiatives. Universities are a great example and the work that Jon and Nathaniel did setting up the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern is a great example of such an initiative (contact them for ways to get resources from your University!). I think I looked at his second question before and I am not sure how one promotes the knowledge of community members better than the Mission in San Lucas-Toliman. The only other suggestion I have is to send volunteers home with literature from these members about their projects and their work and how much is needed to complete it or start a new project and how volunteers can stay involved even as they leave and through e-mail, this can only incur organizations with the cost of the time to send out this information. Or I think it may be important to provide or heavily recommend that volunteers bring a notebook and pen so that it does promote a lecture-style setting in that these community members are teaching volunteers as much, if not more in my opinion, about different issues. I have learned more (and thought about and reflected over more) from volunteer trips and talks from community members than I have ever done from reading books or attending lectures. In terms of the question that it is not always about volunteers, I think that volunteers have adopted a fair deal of this mindset simply from committing to train for a long-term service project. They understand that they will be sacrificing and doing much work so even if they are doing this to also feel good about themselves or learn about a new culture or some other “self-serving” end, they still are engaging in something that forces them to look at the problems and issues of another group of people. I think if you really want to hammer in the idea, way deep down into the volunteer’s sub-conscience (I’m sorry I just feel that no matter how much training you do and no matter what you tell volunteers about it not being about them, a part of them still looks to how they are benefiting from this experience even if sub-consciously), you do that by making the training and development of volunteers a process that really pushes them to think beyond themselves and to focus exclusively from the perspectives of those you are working with (which I think is problematic, one should take advantage of all perspectives from which they can see a problem) or to really hammer in how hard and sacrificing the work will be (still, when one sacrifices and work hard, I believe they gain something, even if the end does not personally benefit them). I guess I am still naïve and inexperienced when it comes to this type of training, but I believe that it is very hard to get out of volunteers the idea that they also benefit from the training, and I am interested in learning how FORGE and others deemphasize this aspect of long-term volunteer projects.

I would like to look at the original questions that Jon and Nathaniel posed, but I have to finish up packing as I leave in an hour (I'm a smart world traveler). If I get to them now great, if not I hope this conversation is still up and running the next time I can use the internet.

Best, Nikolai ps-I don't know if you've seen the not funny ads, but American Express is allowing members aka not me (but my dad so I may steal his identity) to create a social change project and if you get the most votes, you get 5 million bucks. see below, paz

http://www.membersproject.com/home.action

On the topic of the potential disorders that can be created by the unfocused or absent-mindedly realized ambitions of a young do-gooder, for lack of a better word, I am brought to consider many scenarios and situations.

In the cases of my experiences with the Peace Corps--which will for now symbolize the globally-engaged citizen generically--I have been friendly with members who have perceivably brought legitimate good to the peoples of the countries to which they have committed themselves. In these cases, members have forged positive relationships with the geography and/or the people/projects to which they’ve contributed time. They have best maximized the capabilities made possible by globalization of both travel and communication technologies, and by doing so they have partially or fully sacrificed many of the privileges available to them with the promise of bettering the situations of those to whom they have devoted their efforts.

I have also known and/or been friendly with members whose service has created an adverse impact on the people/environment with whom/which they have focused their efforts.

In Jamaica, I met a member whose carelessly controlled promiscuity led to her being robbed on two separate occasions after she invited two different men into her room. So that she would not be forced to assume responsibility for her reckless behavior (which was against Peace Corps rules), she feigned ignorance to how, exactly, the crimes took place, claiming that she was robbed out of the blue. By lying in this situation, she has deflected responsibility in the most Susan Smith-like fashion—"It was the black criminal who robbed me, officer" rap—thus helping to uphold racial stereotypes already attached to crime statistics.

I have also encountered what can only be defined as "do-good" vacationers. These are the members who have lazily settled upon the option as a free form of post-collegiate travel. The choice for one to use the experience in order to see the world, not to devote oneself to it, is available to those who have somehow slipped through the screening process and are aloud to run amok in these communities half-heartedly devoting themselves to change. What has not been ethically considered by the vacationers is that while these makeshift vacations may be profitable by way of the numbers of sensitively naïve members of the opposite sex who are attracted these sorts, these opportunities are forged in the backyards and in the hearts of people who are truly expecting help and understanding—not leisure at their, their environment's, and their economy's expense.

From a sociological and philosophical perspective, the most unfortunate member is he or she who can be defined as textbook-married Marxists, Leninists, and socialists, who have somehow ended up signing up for this peculiar experience because they have not fully researched and understood their options. They end up lazily accepting an all-expenses paid opportunity to symbolically sing the praises of democratic capitalism by encouraging dependence on aid--not infrastructure-building--and the production of surpluses of US agribusiness commodities.

In my experience with people who have subscribed to a reality in which they have committed themselves to some sort of global service, I have been awed by the number of these people that I have met who have appeared to not fully considered the implications of their dedication. The aforementioned examples of Peace Corps members are not exclusive to Peace Corps members, but to anyone who has grandiose visions of "saving the world" without full consideration of the implications of this phrase. Ultimately, there must be a reconceptualization of the mentalities and beliefs that typically precede service and the conundrum that we presently face is that some of these realizations are occurring through trial and error on the ground under the pretense of "service." These thought processes should be preemptively considered, and are being considered by programs like the Center for Global Engagement out of Northwestern, and various other projects in which veterans bestow upon candidates for global outreach experiential insight and facilitate these sorts of conversations. Out of these conversations come questions in the vein of:

What is my impact, culturally, physically, and emotionally in the area? What is the point of my doing impact? Why am I driven to do this? Are my actions truly altruistic?

I recently met a mother and her 22-year-old daughter, who told me that she was excited to work some sort of sea turtle project in Costa Rica. Her mother expressed to me her concern that the money she was putting into her daughter's experience could probably have been better put into some sort of pre-existing infrastructure in the country. I was pleased to find that the mother was asking relevant questions, and she explained her sentiments when she said, "My husband and I are of a generation where we wanted to see a lot of change, and then it didn't really seem to happen, and now she wants to do it so it seems important to encourage her regardless of what we think is possible." While I am not supportive of her cynicism, here I was presented with an example in which experience had been translated into asking necessary and basic questions. I responded by going through what have become the motions, telling her that her daughter's experiences might possibly instill in her a degree of understanding that will sincerely inspire devotion to change. Cultivation of change-makers is important, and giving her this money is a symbolic vote of approval as well as tangible and necessary support (for her daughter). I hope, though, based on what I have described above, the daughter has preemptively considered her role. Of course, endless numbers of leaders, agitators, and advocates were inspired by a trans-cultural experience, in which they were better able to sympathize with those they felt it important to mobilize.

It is here, I believe that I understand the potential context of the recent wave/revival of Che Guevara imagery among teenager fashionistas in industrialized nations, and its relevance in this fashion--a swath of potential change-makers for whom an experience with the exploited might dramatically change their perspective--willingness to participate--and had they put their money into an interesting cultural experience, even within their own country, rather than a t-shirt, the Rage Against the Machine discology, and a semester abroad to Ireland, they, too, might have been inspired rather than become jaded do-nothings or zealous, arm-chair advocates.

Revisiting our Peace Corps friends mentioned above, and the do-good culture of varying persuasions they symbolize, we come to realize that the experience itself isn't enough. A preexisting mentality that must be cultivated beforehand. As I've seen in these examples, just because a potential positive cross-cultural experience exists does not necessarily imply that it will be a positively transformative one. The experience will either accommodate some degree of constructive curiosity, or the individual might tarnish the environment in which the experience takes place with stubborn ignorance or, in the case of the member in Jamaica, institutional racism. As described in the other examples, it is also possible that the member fails to understand the entirety of the context of their service and its impact, and as a result, they use environments and people in need in order to come to realizations that fundamentally should ha e been in place before the experience.

It is for this reason that groups like the Center for Global Engagement and other leadership summits take young people who are "just naive enough" to devote their selves to positive global change and get them asking these questions before their experiences are extremely important. With people, environments, and economies at hand, the stakes are too high for high volumes of potentially globally-engaged people to go on coming-of-age poverty tours or to taint potentially positive situations by bringing to them an ignorance that might have been unstuck had the volunteer/advocate asked important questions about their intent before they embarked.

I look forward to engaging with other interested and concerned parties here and considering, responding to and discussing any comments or criticism.

Alex

Hey again everyone,

Thanks for your participation in what's already a wonderful conversation!

I wanted to post quickly on a couple quick points.

1. Mapping Daniel, I think that your sensibility about the power of mapping is RIGHT on. Indeed, this is one of the principles behind the success of asset-based and community mapping approaches: by seeing a visual representation of how resources are distributed, you enable people to better utilize those resources.
2. Change.org & Mapping One of the most innovative and complete programs emerging in the host of web2.0 tools for activists is Change.org. Change.org is a social networking site for activists of all shapes and sizes, helping like-minded people form "change" communities through which they can fundraising, suggest common actions or volunteer opportunities, and simply discuss and share videos, photos, and articles about the changes they hope to see.

With their "action" feature, they use integrated google maps to demonstrate what activities are going on based in different "change" communities or different regional locations - its one of the best examples of the type of work you're doing put into practice on a broader scale.

1. "Altruism" One of the themes we've addressed without really saying it is what is the relationship of "pure atruism" vs. "self-interest" in motivating the efforts of youth volunteers?

For that matter, do motivations matter more less or equally to the results on the ground?

I'll let Jon discuss this more, as I know he's spent a lot of time thinking and writing about "altruism."

1. Race, Faith, and Crossing Borders I think Alex has cut to the core of one of the most serious and one which we've - to the deficit of this conversation - left unaddressed: race, faith, and crossing borders of power.

Underlying all of this, we must ask what does it mean for American kids to cross borders of race, class, faith, and more to partner with people different than them? What are the challenges and the strategies we can utilize to overcome those challenges to form more authentic, reciprocal relationships?

One of the most innovative examples of an organization doing precisely this is the Interfaith Youth Core, who we've had the privellege to work with in the last few years. IFYC brings youth from different faith traditions together for shared service projects, asking them to find common purpose through shared action.

Check out www.ifyc.org or founder Eboo Patel's new book "Acts of Faith"

What are some strategies for overcoming these barriers and crossing borders that you've found particularly effective?

Check out this interested Op-Ed from Wednesday's Chicago Tribune. It raises some provacative points about the issue of unequal power relationships that we've talked around quite a bit so far in our discussion. I'll be writing back later today with more thoughts on other things people are saying. Thanks for all of your contributions so far!

Africa scripts need rewrite Celebrity efforts may send wrong message about Africans Advertisement

By Zine Magubane

June 13, 2007

In a few days Vanity Fair magazine will debut its first Africa issue

an extravaganza of generous glitterati and anguished Africans. Celebrities are the latest generation of Western philanthropists to take up the "White Man's Burden." Their activism, although well-intentioned, reinforces the image of Africans as helpless victims while overshadowing the significant efforts Africans are making to stem the tide of poverty and disease on the continent.

Christian missionaries, who came to Africa in the 19th Century bearing the ideology of "Christianity, civilization and commerce," strategically packaged and disseminated images of Africans suffering. Ethnographic showcases, where Africans were displayed as freaks and circus attractions, were closely tied to the evangelical enterprise. The publicity material for these exhibits often made reference to famous missionaries and, likewise, missionaries counted on ethnographic showcases to further interest in their missionary work. Because publicity was so strongly linked to fundraising, sensationalism was the hallmark of evangelical charitable appeals.

In ways that hearken back to the 19th Century, current knowledge about Africa is being produced and disseminated via celebrity-fueled spectacles. When viewers see "Brangelina"

actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie -- and their brood in Namibia, or George Clooney being featured in People speaking about Darfur, the Africans in question become, essentially, a colorful backdrop; their only function is to look miserable, as the intensity of their suffering bears a direct correlation to their utility in helping a celebrity build his or her brand.

Christian missionaries depicted Africans as primitives who could only be lifted out of their misery by the charitable actions of benevolent Europeans. Contemporary celebrities, if they are to capture attention and enhance their reputation as philanthropists, must also present themselves as pioneers, bringing ideas about peace, health and prosperity to unenlightened Africans. As a result, they not only traffic in stereotypes of Africans as hopelessly mired in poverty and disease, they also ignore the successful initiatives pioneered by Africans, on the continent and abroad.

Contemporary media coverage would lead a person to believe that celebrity fundraising and foreign aid are the only source of income for Africa's poor. Actually, remittances from Africans living and working in the U.S. and Europe provide one of the largest sources of African "foreign aid." Ghana's diaspora, for example, remitted $3 billion in 2004, more than 40 percent of its gross domestic product.

While it is commendable that many celebrities realize that having paparazzi flashbulbs capture them in refugee camps, rather than in rehab centers, can play a critical role in raising public awareness, nevertheless one has to wonder why celebrities are rarely photographed interacting with African aid workers, doctors, lawyers, social workers peacekeepers or workers from non-governmental organizations. Watching the coverage of celebrities visiting Darfur, for example, one would never guess that of the 14,000 aid workers in Darfur, nearly 13,000 are Sudanese. Anyone watching concerts like Live 8, and seeing the red-carpet coverage of "Ocean's Thirteen", would be hard-pressed to imagine that Africa is host to thousands of talented musicians, actors, playwrights, novelists, fashion designers and models.

Celebrities bring attention to issues that might otherwise be ignored. They would be of even more help, however, if they showcased the efforts of, and worked with, Africans. An old adage holds that if you give a man a fish he eats for a day, if you teach him to fish he eats for a lifetime. Africans know how to fish

if only Angelina and Brad would show Africans helping themselves. ---------- Zine Magubane is a professor of sociology and African studies at Boston College. Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

This is exactly what I've been pointing to for over 15 years. Charities are like stores. They provide a service to the people living near the stores. They need constant advertising to draw customers (which in this case also means volunteers and donors).

If someone were building a database and web site pointing to charities in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, or inner city America, then anyone who has 15 seconds of fame could point to those web sites as part of a shared advertising commitment intended to draw daily attention to these charities.

In the SunTimes today was another story about mentoring and how the long-term connection with an adult volunteer has helped some kids graduate from high school. I think it's a great story and I know the organization does good work. But the story did not have a purpose of using that program as an example of the type of mentoring needed in all parts of the city, especially in the neighborhoods where over 30 Chicago Public School kids have been shot and killed this year.

If they had just ended with a "look here for more information" or "for how to get involved" and pointed to a link on the SunTimes site that links to www.tutormentorconnection.org or www.mentoring.org or other web based intermediary resources, the story could have a strategic impact on making more and better mentor programs available.

This concept applies in all charity endeavors. However, if no one maintains a web library of who these charities are, how do we expect the media, or the celebrities to point to them when they are trying to do good?

I appreciate the comprehensive responses that Jonathan, Nathaniel and Brendan have given to the first responses. I am familiar with ABCD, and in fact am part of the list serve.

I agree that youth can be assets. I also agree that adults can be assets. However, without some form of infrastructure to help youth or adults connect with a cause, and learn ways they can unleash their assets, it's a bit wishful to hope that this will happen.

When we think of infrastructure, what do we mean? What are the technologies that would support complex problem solving? What are the resources needed to create a distribution of a single kind of service in all of the places of the world where this service is needed? Who is developing leaders for all of these places? Who is creating a flexible funding stream to support the work of these leaders, so they stay in place for more than a few years and accumulate wisdom and experience?

I believe the Internet gives us powerful new tools for collaboration, learning and group problem solving. However, I don't yet see too many places where these tools are fully implemented. Two of the most important tools are Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which enable you to map data spatially so you can create a visual understanding of all the places where there is a problem, and a need for the same type of solution. You can read about uses of GIS and see demonstrations at :http://tinyurl.com/2j5kkw

A second important tool fits in the category of visualization. Tools such as concept mapping enable us to use pictures and charts the way archetects and engineers use blueprints to get many different people to do the right type of work at the right time in order to build buildings, dams, highways, etc.

When people say a "picture is worth a 1000 words" I'm fully in agreement. I wonder how many people will read the long response written by Brendan? Or by me? To really understand a complex problem we need to read many, many books. How many volunteers or even professionals and/or policy makers are really doing the in-depth learning, along with practical application of that learning, that is needed to understand a complex problem?

I've been trying to map the strategy and resources of the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Here's an map of the resources in our Links Library: http://tinyurl.com/23aa9w

My goal in pointing to these web sites is not to draw more attention to the Tutor/Mentor Connection, but to demonstrate what my words are talking about. I would love to see groups of students/faculty at universities here and abroad begin to use maps and blueprints to describe the problems they are addressing and the actions they feel will lead to solutions.

If we do this on the internet, we can create better operating systems, just as the creators of open source technology created a system that now competes with the powerful Windows operating system of Microsoft. This cannot happen until a few pioneers begin to put their ideas on the Interent, using maps and charts.

One of the resources needed by every social benefit organization is money. Yet very few of us are blessed with a Bill Gates type donor, or with the marketing skills it takes to attract consistent funding for many years. Thus, there is a poor distribution of really effective service providers in most cities, or most parts of the world. With a map and database of organizations, we can change this, if we can unleash the power of students in business and marketing schools all over the world. At http://tinyurl.com/2nhbzb you can learn more about what I mean by this idea.

Most of what I've pointed to are web sites hosted by other people, and ideas I've created that encourage use of those resources to solve problems. My information focuses on ways business and university volunteers can be involved in helping kids born in poverty be starting jobs and careers by age 25, 25 years after they are born!!! That's a long time.

However, this is only one of many problems facing our world. Anyone can create a similar database and library of resources, to serve as a resource for everyone else who is interested in solving the problem. Imagine a "world water problem web site" or, "world AIDS web site" where one could look at maps to see where the problem is located, or read articles and visit web sites to learn what the problem is, and who the organizations are in different places working to solve the problem. With this information, intermediaries can connect youth with service opportunities and these youth can still be connected when they are senior citizens.

If you're doing this, please provide a link so others can visit the information you are hosting.

Hello all,

Fascinating conversation--I am forwarding this to all of the members of International Impact, a student organization I've been in for the last 5 years that organizes volunteer projects abroad for University of Illinois students. (www.ii-uiuc.org)

A question we often ask ourselves is "what does the impact refer to in our name, 'International Impact?'" Our projects are student-led, short term, at most 4 weeks abroad, over winter break or summer break. No requirements to participate--just an interview process.

We are dedicated to giving any student who wants to have this opportunity abroad the chance to participate. One thing I am personally concerned about is how expensive volunteering abroad can be. Certainly I have complete respect for organizations like FORGE whose members are able to fundraise effectively for their projects. This is certainly always one of our challenges as a group, I know, and we are trying to improve in this area.

However, if you look at organizations like Cross Cultural Solutions..etc...sometimes it costs thousands of dollars to have a volunteer abroad experience. This makes me wonder what demographic of Americans, for example, is actually volunteering abroad? How many are minorities? How many are not college students? Part of me fears that "volunteering abroad" is already a somewhat elitist endeavor that most young people in the U.S. simply cannot afford to have.

When we recruit for projects, the emphasis is on creating a multicultural group with students from all backgrounds (financial, cultural..etc). In this way, students (during long lay overs in Miami or Columbia for example) have the opportunity to learn from one another even before they reach the project site. Then, after arriving in the country abroad, they are learning about that host culture together while simultaneously continuing to understand each other's culture. They begin to question...everything. Why did I spend this money on my plane ticket to Ecuador when this school needs $800 still to be finished? This all seems too overwhelming--what are we even doing here? Who do I think I am?

So what is the "impact" of International Impact? Of course we make a modest impact on the communities we work in. Helping to build a school or a clinic. However, for my organization, we do emphasize that the impact is moreso on the volunteer than the on the host community. For me, we make this point to emphasize the importance of modesty. We are there as students, learning from our host community. You go abroad thinking you will "help people," and strangely enough you realize that YOU are in fact the one constantly in need of help (where is the bus stop? how do i say "traveler's diarrhea in spanish? or, in my situation, breaking my leg and suddenly being helpless...)

I think modesty is absolutely crucial to any project like this. For our projects specifically, in 4 weeks, you will not literally "change the world," although YOUR world will certainly be changed forever. Like the philsophy of Teach for America, we talk about a Ripple Effect in International Impact. The volunteer is impacted abroad, comes home, and that impact (theoretically) ripples out to impact other communities and social groups within the U.S. or wherever that volunteer goes.

In my case, volunteering abroad actually caused me to volunteer more extensively in the U.S. For others, it may cause them to be more politically aware or at least get them critically thinking about issues that are perhaps never brought up in the classes for their major.

More than anything, I want our volunteers to realize they are part of a global community. I want them to see the connections, to see the ramifications. To find common ground with the rural host families we stay with, to be caught off guard when a stranger in Ecuador asks what we think about U.S. immigration policy...etc. You can't understand the U.S. until you leave the U.S. and I think that part of volunteering abroad is about citizenship--American citizenship and global citizenship (if in fact they are different). See, you are responsible for what happens. For better or worse, we are connected.

So I guess I am probably not saying anything too revolutionary--I'm sure you've all come to similar conclusions. The volunteer will certainly get a lot from their experience abroad. So more than making that actual project ABROAD sustainable, I think we should also focus on making that VOLUNTEER sustainable. Make their committment to social justice sustainable abroad and at home. Perhaps all I did in Guatemala was clear rocks for 2 weeks. A modest impact. However, it made me question my own country's role in global politics. It made me more sensitive to immigration issues in the U.S. It inspired me to continue on and keep learning. That is indeed a very sustainable/profound impact. Perhaps then, my general philsophy, for a short-term project through International Impact is Volunteer abroad = catalyst.

Miriam touched on a lot of important points. One of them was to ask the question: "WHO is actually going abroad?" Minority student involvement in study abroad has been a big question for a lot of program designers and study abroad offices over the last few years. Minority students represent 17% of students who go abroad total.

Check out this inside higher education article to read about some of the organizations working to change this: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/06/11/diversity

Here are some links to the organizations they reference:

http://www.bardoliglobal.org/

http://www.diversityabroad.com/

http://www.allabroad.us/

In my role as a Commissioner for the Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, I'm interested in learning how we're documenting the long-term result from short term service (4 weeks, or one or two years). If a young person who spends four weeks doing service, is still involved 5 years or 10 or 15 years later, that young person is now an adult with many life experiences, and many personal and professional resources, that can be drawn into this field of service.

Are any of you documenting this tranformative journey? Here's a link to a Results Mapping web site that illustrates one way to do this: http://www.pire.org/resultsmapping/

Here's an article related to action mapping: http://www.prel.org/products/Products/ActionMapping.pdf

At http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/OHATS/Intro_OHATS.htm you can read about how we're trying to apply this concept in the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Are any of you aware of service organizations or universities who have applied this type of documentation system to learning about the continued involvement of volunteers in a field of service many years after the first period of engagement?

If we can encourage such results, we can grow more leaders, and donors, and have a greater social impact than what might be expected from an initial short term engagement. If we can demonstrate this, we should also be able to create more investment to increase short and long-term involvement in social benefit organizations and networks.

Two important points have risen to the surface that, when connected, provide a pretty significant challenge to those of us that are hopeful about the potential of youth engagement in global problem solving.

The first is the question of privilege and equity in global engagement that Miriam raised directly, but that has been an undercurrent of several posts. We've talked in-length about how this ramifies in the action of engagement...how our desires to do good can be dictated by the skill with which we cross borders of race, class, religion, region, etc. But, this issue goes back further to the motivations we have for becoming engaged. There is quite a bit of research out right now arguing that increases in civic engagement among American youth are uneven, with the greatest increases seen among and wealthier cohorts. Professor Lewis Friedland at the University of Wisconsin even argues that any increases can be explained by increased professional and academic pressure young people feel in this period of global economic and technological change. In a sense, Friedland is saying that increases in engagement are just "resume-padding" efforts by the well-off young people. Check out: http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/WorkingPapers/WP40Friedland.pdf.

Friedland supports this point further by noting that although civic engagement has increased, political involvement and advocacy have stayed more constant...indicating that young people are ready to do direct service, but leery of addressing the more indirect and structural causes of problems. For a resume-padder, this would make sense.

The second is the issue of sustaining engagement beyond the initial experience that Daniel and Miriam brought up. If a strategic investment is made in turing the volunteer into a life-long change-agent (and corresponding the friends/family of the volunteer), why do so few programs put equal weight on measuring/tracking the development of their volunteers and providing opportunities for continued involvement/learning/growth after the experience? Why is there so little focus on reflection after experiences, or on providing support as young people try to find language for what they've been through to share with friends and family back home? Why do international volunteer opportunities so often follow this pattern: Raise money, go, learn/work, come home.

When connected, a stark picture is painted. We have mostly well-off young people motivated to engage by academic and professional goals that have little interest and support to continue their activism/social change activities as they enter the work force.

It doesn't have to be that way, though. Miriam's point about developing a focus on "sustainable engagement" is brilliant. With all the focus of late on "sustainable development" in communities, we should put equal weight on supporting individual engagement that can endure the test of time...and these individuals should be from all backrounds.

A sustainable engagement approach would necessitate a few things from prividers of global engagement opportunities:

1. The creation of assessment/tracking tools that allow organizations to monitor the development of their volunteers...these aren't just reports to satisfy funders, but genuine, qualitative information to assess personal development. 2. Designing more innovative programs that allow people to be involved with global issues/communities that don't necessitate $5,000 travel/expense feels. Check out www.connectivephilanthropy or www.transformabroad for two examples. 3. Developing curriculums that aren't afraid to challenge the motivations of people that sign up for programs and teach them the skills to engage across borders in more equitable and authentic ways. 4. Prioritize reflection before, during, and after the experience so that durable meanings develop that people will apply to future experiences. 5. Provide support for volunteers trying to share their experiences with friends and family from home...materials, conversation starters, etc. 6. Track cohorts of participants for 3-5 years after their experience to see how the experience did/did not affect future choices...use this information to transform your programming. 7. Provide alumni community opportunities for people to remain engaged after people leave the convenience of an educational institution.

Jonathan, that's a good summary, and a good outline of some strategic goals. While I know this discussion started with a focus on doing volunteer service in other countries, I'd encourage you and peers at other universities to try to implement this strategy by connecting college students and alumni with poverty in your own back yard.

Many of the major universities in the US are located in big cities and are surrounded by areas of dense poverty. I think that the analysis of student short term involvment in local efforts might mirror your analysis of involvement in foriegn countries.

Thus, there are lots of opportunities to develop systems of support that encourage long term engagement of students, who later become alumni, in social benefit organizations within a few blocks, or a few miles of many universities.

If one or more teams of students/faculty/alumni can develop a system to support long-term engagement, I feel this could apply to such support in more distant places.

I encourage you to review the wiki space we've created to attract teams from business schools to work with the T/MC on this issue: http://boardfellow.wikispaces.com/

This could be a step toward building such a system of long-term involvement.

What ideas do YOU have for building opportunities for more sustainable and genuine global engagement among young people?

How can we make sure youth engagement opportunities are open to a broader spectrum of people and lead to a spill-over into a life dedicated to civic engagement and positive global change?

Hello all – Jon I miss you buddy, I’ll be back soon!

I really agree with Jon, that we must find ways to build sustainable global engagement, beyond the volunteer experience (and it’s something I’ve been mulling over for a while now). There must be a transition from youth volunteerism to professional activism. This can be done by realizing the real nature of this movement of civic engagement and youth volunteerism. Here’s some questions I had while reading your comments which reflect some of the questions you all addressed: Youth Volunteerism: is it really confined to just youth? And aren’t these youth going to transform into something less youthful (at least in the physical form). The hope is that we can continue to engage the youth but that the youth of today may transition (while retaining some of their youthful excitement and naivety for change) into shepherds for the youth of tomorrow. What is going to happen to this movement towards global youth volunteerism in the next 20 years? (what happened to the activisim of the 60s and 70s?) And how can we ensure that it will continue to grow and develop as the world changes under its effect? First I think it is important to note that it is not just youth that are being bit by this civic engagement bug (this is a huge asset). At least in the health care world (which can really involve almost anything that improves health, from economics to gender relations) groups of all types are beginning to wake up to the potential to enact change in a big way. In engineering, start-up companies are designing new devices (ex. rapid diagnostics for TB, malaria, and HIV) and drugs. Universities and international organizations are organizing conferences around new technologies and strategies to meet needs in resource poor environments. For instance the recent Biomedical Engineering Society meeting held in Chicago in October showcased a special focus meeting on the opportunities for biomedical engineers to address clinical needs in underserved populations in the US as well as in developing countries, this included a large discussion on ways to engage engineering students in project driven volunteer opportunities. The point is, that yes youth are a/the major driving force in creating new volunteer and activism opportunities abroad, but professionals are also interested and involved - some reacting to their students interests and wants, but many reacting out of their own want and need for something innovative, and rewarding. Therefore there should be opportunities for students to transition into a more sustained life of global engagement. This points out a problem. Many students aren’t aware of the opportunities that are sometimes forming right under their noses. A large issue raised at the BMES meeting was that students want more global engagement activities where they can use the skills they’ve been working on in classes to do something concrete, in the community, with lasting effects (some call this service learning), but also that they want more opportunities after University. Some students even go as far as to start their own opportunities through start-up companies, but the vast majority (from my experience at Northwestern University) give up and take the usual jobs which from my experience include consulting, and low profile engineering jobs, and even those that do create their own opportunities need to grow and connect with both existing professionals and new activists. Therefore there needs to be a life-cycle view of the volunteer - something I think a few of you touched on. Then if we look at volunteerism as a step to professional activism, the university can continue providing its main role of preparing students for a professional career; only this career will be steeped in continued activism. Just as students are prepared for taking engineering jobs at Baxter and Abbott, or consulting jobs at Accenture, they can be prepared to take engineering jobs at Abbott’s Global AIDS care program, consulting jobs at RAND’s global health care, and numerous opportunities at NGOs like PATH, one-world health, or start-ups like Chemogen (producing new rapid TB diagnostics), and Benentech. (Would if career services included companies like these?) Some volunteer experiences can even be partnered with these companies to provide long-lasting partnerships that are multi-faceted, focused, and provide options for the future. Northwestern’s biomedical engineering design courses are starting to take this shape, and even offer students a chance to work in South Africa teamed with South African’s students, health planners, and technology managers on design projects that are need-based and locally driven. Other Universities like Duke have similar programs. This project-based approach which some of you commented on is a good strategy for ensuring a positive impact on both parties and is usually something that is sustained from year to year. The gap is making sure opportunities increase and are made available to the bright young minds coming out of these experiences. As a side comment that I think also came up in your conversations, volunteer experiences are very much an experience of privilege and I wonder if more job opportunities were available that offered similar experiences would we see a broader group of individuals becoming involved? I also wanted to comment on the “harm” rather than “good” volunteers can do in a community. I was recently talking to the professor I work with here in South Africa (who I told about his forum and will hopefully pipe in with some comments) about this issue. He likened it to health technology donations many African countries receive from countries such as the US and Japan that, because of poor hind-site do more harm than good. A large percentage of technology is left un-used because of infrastructure differences, human resource requirements, or simply because the plug doesn’t fit the outlet. In response to this the WHO has set guidelines for procuring and donating items that requires planning from both sides of the transaction. Perhaps there should be an informal set for volunteerism as well (maybe there already is?). Both the volunteering institution and the country/community/organization should use a set of guidelines to ensure that the volunteering will provide benefit. I think this is already happening (for instance the Uganda program sounds like they did the proper planning with their organizations) but it’d be interesting to see what we would come up with for general “volunteerism guidelines”. That’s all I’ll say now. There’s so much more I want to comment on, but I have tendancy of just writing anything that comes to my head before I’ve completely thought it through. Feel free to attack anything I’ve said, I could be totally off-base in many ways… My comments are extremely focused on Healthcare technology and development, so I apologize for that. I hope they can be generalized a bit…. I really appreciate and enjoy reading all of your comments, and it's great to see that there are now 2 engineers participating in this discussion (Brendan)! Thanks so much, Sam

Sam, thanks for your comments. I see so many people talking of youth as leaders without reflecting on the fact that youth are youth for far fewer years than they are adults. In order to create a life long engagement I feel there needs to be intermediary organizations serving as facilitators for this life long involvement. This can take many shapes.

I describe the role for hospitals or health care institutions to take this role in this presentation - http://tinyurl.com/2fu2ts . If you know of folks in health care who might want to explore this role, please introduce them to me.

Such leaders could be located in any part of the world, providing linkages to any other part of the world.

When we talk of global youth volunteerism it is obviously the primary beneficiary is volunteer not organizing community, because Volunteer can develop their knowledge, skills and capacities that ultimately lead them to become a catalyst for global engagement and development Volunteer get opportunity to get involve in different network, alliances and organization Volunteer get opportunities to understand and realize intercultural, inter religious aspects Volunteer get updates on new techniques and mechanism on development phenomenon and practice It is also oblivious that organizing community get benefit but it can not be said as primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is not other than volunteers. Volunteerism in abroad is unique opportunity to young people, but dew to such circumstances sometime we have to bound volunteerism at abroad, that may be * Safety first - Crisis at National politics (both volunteer’s native country and volunteering country) * Possibilities of New Threats – Terrorism * Country is in worst situation – War On the basis of objectives set by volunteers, they have to plan either for long term volunteerism or short term volunteerism. Both have its’ own significances. In order to minimizing unintended harmful consequences, volunteer or change maker mobilizing agency/organization must have appropriate strategies for possible threats, with this regards organization must found following qualification within volunteers. Selection form open competition Having quality of sharing of ideas and knowledge Social, political and regional inclusion Eager to learning Belief in social development Volunteerism spirit There are lots of factors that are responsible for this type of global engagement. Among them educational institution is also the major factor that can both create global engagement opportunity and send their students for such kind of programs. Educational institution has massive role in global engagement; they are the open resource and learning centre. Educational institution can be the open platform to the global youth volunteers. For that educational institution have to provide such favorable environment and support as mush as they can. Talking about harmful or negative impacts of global youth volunteerism, for me there is nothing negative in volunteering abroad. Volunteerism is not just a task it’s a spirit comes out from heart and mind. Yes, people often try to involve as volunteer for the shake of individual benefit only, if people do like that, that is not volunteerism, which is just task assigned by him/her inner sense to learning something. But volunteerism has multidimensional aspects and this spirit does not have any harm to individual and society. I would like to mention my case as one of the examples that shows the expanding of benefits, knowledge and skills learnt by global engagement. World Without Borders Youth Dialogue 2005, July 25-29 was my first international conference held at Singapore organized by Youth Challenge. International Youth Volunteerism Summit (IYVS) 2006, Feb 23-26, Chicago - USA was my second opportunity to have global engagement. I learnt much at both programs and each had its own uniqueness. After came back from USA I made plan to organize such conference at my native country Nepal. As outcomes of previously mentioned programs I along with my 24 class mates successfully organized “1st National Conference of Youth Social Workers 2007” Feb 27-28. The conference was huge success and able to give direct benefit to around 200 young people studying Social Work within Nepal. Another major achievement of program was Save The Childen, Norway-Nepal, Nepal Hope USA, Oxfam GB Nepal, CWIN, ORDF, DHL and City Top were supporting organizations. At the same time three colleges of Nepal were academic partners. K and K College, Department of Social Work (My College) was organizer and I was overall conference convener. Conference was consisting of Key Note Presentation, Parallel Session, Team Building Activities, Workshops, Art Exhibition etc. From 1st National Conference of Youth Social Workers 2007 I tried lot to share my learning experiences that I learnt from previous global engagement. I was lucky enough that I was able to share my experiences by organizing such 2 days national conference. For me, volunteerism always supports in my professional and personal life. I do not grab such volunteerism opportunities and global engagement as opportunity only but always try to make it gift of god. My few international engagements are contributing a lot to my career. That’s why I always say that volunteerism and global engagements are not just a task but it is spirit.

Suran Maharjan Guitole - 8, Patan, Lalitpur - Nepal GPO Box 8975 EPC 1693 Phone No. +977-1- 5541510, 5200947 (evening) Mobile No. +977 9841519664 Email - suran@ntc.net.np susuran@gmail.com

With regards to global youth volunteerism I believe that both the volunteer as well as the host community are equal beneficiaries. In economics terms, the reason there is a transaction is that both the suppliers (volunteers) as well as the demand (host community) benefit. I really feel, however, that in order for volunteers to benefit they need to go into situations with a flexible attitude and be willing to learn in addition to trying to help. It is equally important in my opinion that youth volunteers not impose their own beliefs on communities but be willing to try to understand how and why certain communities work the way they do, and how those systems can be improved for the better. I feel that it is inappropriate and dangerous when youth volunteers go into a situation feeling and culturally superior and not learning and teaching but imposing their own views.

#4 With regards to the role of educational institutions, it would be ideal to have some sort of educational training seminars to introduce youth to some of the cultural norms of the recipient community as well as some history of the place which may shed light on why these norms exist. Safety precautions should also be highlighted before students participate in these volunteering events.

Sam and Suran, so good to hear from you! Thanks for your contributions.

A few points I wanted to circle back on from the previous few comments.

1. Bringing Local and Global Daniel, your point about identifying opportunities to engage closer to home is well taken. This is something I've thought a great deal about during my time at the Chicago Public Schools this past year. Almost daily I visit people and communities that suffer from frustrating resource inequities. Its natural to fall into a mindset of "why work over there, when there is so much work to be done right here." We also encountered this when we founded the International Youth Volunteerism Summit in 2006. Why only international? What about the important work students are doing urban and rural communities in the U.S. that is so important. This line of thinking spurred us to change IYVS to GES...or the Global Engagement Summit...and subsequently to describe our future work as global engagement. We realized our focus was not so much on geographic distance, but on the act of engaging with people and issues across some sort of "border"...whether it be racial, class-based, religious, or geographic in nature. The world needs a movement of young people willing and able to transcend entrenched human boundaries in order to realize a new sense of the possible...for us, global captured this better than international. Eboo Patel at the Interfaith Youth Core hits a piece of this larger theme with his work around the "faith line." I recommend his new book "Acts of Faith" that is out in bookstores now.
2. Creating Capacity Building Spaces Suran, I was so excited to hear about your National Conference of Youth Social Workers! You've been working hard since I saw you in Chicago last year. I strongly think that building youth-led spaces for skill-building and networking are a key strategy for capitalizing on the potential of youth engagement. It is popular for larger NGO conferences to have "youth tracks" where students can listen to awareness-based speeches and lectures. But, there are few spaces for young people to come together to think seriously about building their skills in the company of like-minded peers. A wonderful "global" project that students can do locally is to organize an event like this on their campus. It also has the indirect effect of connecting many opportunity providers and nudging them to think more deeply about how they integrate young people into their work. The CGE at Northwestern is available to support young people interested in organizing events like this around the world.
3. Youth volunteerism within a "lifecycle" I liked the way Sam characterized his hope that volunteerism be part of a larger developmental "life-cycle" that ultimately leads to activities focused on effecting deeper institutional and social change. I often say that we need a world of "2nd Actors"...those folks that have the willingness to act for the common good, have the space to reflect on the positive and negative outcomes of that action, and then have the support/opportunity to "act again". This is also the pedagogical frame we use for CGE programs...provide initial action opportunities, use these experiences as a basis for pursuing deeper academic study, and then provide resources to develop new work. Using the 2nd Actor terminology has been helpful to me in explaining what we hope to see in young people as they transition into the professional world.

A final point... Thus far I think the conversation has done a nice job of addressing the sort of philosophical tensions involved with global youth volunteerism. But, we've seen less input on real world "case studies" of success in action. Before our discussion time comes to a close, I hope to see a chorus of posts from around the world with real-world examples that we can share through the CGE in the years to come...

To reiterate what Jon just said, in the final 72 hours of this blog being live, perhaps we could all share some real life examples of any and all the topics we've covered?

On Monday, Jon and I will post a recap of the entire conversation.

Thanks everyone for your participation!

From Kampala, Nathaniel

Hey, I just want to share my experience; am a teacher from Morocco. It was lastyear that i can really say i was a good volunteer. But I still love it(only i still can not find hwo to volunteer here practically again)

I said last year, i did some free work at the local delinquency center, the local old folk center and got memebership in more thatn one local association, and i attended three scout camps till now-we care for kids and youth there.

But in fact i love volunteering in the socila field and hope to find a post there as permanent volunteer.

This is locally, internationally i did a lot to volunteer at any of the alarmed zones in the world , but no response. I did apply to help in the tsunami and katrina and any place be it Africa or Asia or somewhere where help is needed.

The problem is that very enthusiastic volunteers do not find someone to help them fulfill their ambitions. I love that all because it adds to my existence as a human with a true role in life. And you know you get happy whenever you remmeber how helpful you are/were to somebody. Remember the SMILE WE DRAW ON SOMEONE's face...That's all.

Thanks

So its come to our last post! Over the past two weeks we’ve explored a variety of issues, and hopefully we’ve been able to start a discussion that will continue in new forms.

As a form of wrap-up, I wanted to post a few themes I noticed running throughout.

1. Approaches to volunteerism We spent a lot of time discussing approached to volunteerism. Who is the experience? Is it about the volunteer, or the organization? Who benefits most and who SHOULD benefit most? Ilana suggested that each benefits equally and that this is the balance which makes global volunteerism work. Nicky, a participant of the NU ENGAGE Uganda program and Socialedge.org blogger wrote that no matter what, the young volunteer experience has to some extent be about the development of the young person. Kjerstin from FORGE shared her organization’s approach which is to let volunteers know that its not about them in the end, which she believes actually makes the experience even more important to their development. At the Center for Global Engagement, we try to help young people maximize their learning by deepening the process of global engagement, but the question of appropriate and effective approaches to volunteerism remains pertinent.
2. Training We talked about training methods. Kjerstin shared the FORGE training process and some of her favorite resources. We discussed how to utilize assets to improve the sustainability of global volunteer results.
3. Infrastructure and information sharing Running throughout the discussion, we explored how improved infrastructure for sharing information, communicating between volunteers and organizations, and mapping resources and assets could improve the focus and depth of global action. Daniel shared a number of resources, and I pointed readers to Change.org as a new tool for community networking and mapping.
4. Race and Power A number of our posts got into an extremely important issue in global volunteerism and action more broadly: how our actions reinforce or undermine global power balances. Ntombenhle pointed out how far too often, volunteers come to South Africa and do work that reinforces a “white savior” perception. Alex shared an anecdote about a Peace Corps volunteer for whom race became a tool to assuage her own bad situation. Miriam asked the important question WHO is actually going abroad to do all this volunteerism and whether the global volunteer opportunities were limited to a specific group?
5. Different types of engagement Some times, posts help us expand our framework of what ‘global volunteerism’ means. Importantly, Daniel argued that a lifetime of global engagement doesn’t need to take you abroad, you can do work right at home. Sam pointed out how more and more people should and are realizing that their professional skills – engineering, business, etc – can be incredible tools or global change.
6. Resources Finally, I just wanted to recap some of the resources mentioned through the course of the conversation.
7. learning resources The Selfish Altruist – Tony Vaux How to Save the World – David Bornstein To Hell with Good Intentions – Ivan Illich Acts of Faith – Eboo Patel b. organization resources www.change.org b. contributors websites: www.engagementcenter.org www.forgenow.org www.tutormentorconnections.org www.cabriniconnections.org www.ii-uiuc.org http://www.socialedge.org/blogs/engage-in-uganda

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this conversation as much as we have. In the coming weeks, check back regularly on Socialedge.org to read more about the new Northwestern University ENGAGE Uganda program, a training program we created specifically to address many of these issues. Nicky, Ann, and Liz – all participants of the program – will be blogging from Gulu, Kampala, and Jinja, Uganda respectively. Read that here: http://www.socialedge.org/blogs/engage-in-uganda

Additionally, check our Center for Global Engagement website at www.engagementcenter.org. This summer, more than 15 young people doing change projects all over the world will be exploring these issues and blogging their experiences in a shared space.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about the CGE, please email me at Nathaniel ( at ) nuengage.org

Thanks again for your participation,

Nathaniel

Nathaniel, thanks for hosting and summarizing this discussion. I sent you an email inviting you to meet with me during July so we can continue to work to make the ideas more of a reality.

In your summary you pointed to my argument that "a lifetime of global engagement doesn’t need to take you abroad, you can do work right at home." I'd like to expand on that.

A lifetime of engagement to a cause, can lead you to involvement in many local and global places.

Volunteers will move many times in their lives while many of the causes they care about will remain rooted in specific geographic locations in Chicago, and around the world.

If we can keep youth and adult volunteers engaged with a cause through direct service, leadership, learning and virtual networking, the volunteer can become more sophisticated in their understanding of how problems locally are related to problems globally, or how solutions from one part of the world can be applied in another part.

This will lead to many volunteers to use their time, talent, treasure and influence in more strategic and significan ways as grow in their involvement.

i am Oguntoyinbo Stephen an International Youth expert and a Socail enterprenuer based in Nigera,i started my career as a Socail enterprenuer will i was i6 year till now that i am 26.i have live all my life for over 6 year voluteering my time with Children and training Young people on using media to contribute towards Human development.Volunteerizm to me is natural thing to my lifestlye. i hosted an International Youth Voluteer sumiit in Lagos Nigeria in January whre we hosted over 100 Youth Volunteer expert to share thier experience with Youths and Media and its was a great awesome momemnt seeing intrseted Young Nigerian that are willing to volunteer thier time and resousrces towards humanitarian development.

i just came back from a British council Belonging Exchenge program in London and i really learnt alot espeacailly getting Youths from Nigeria to get involve in Volunteeering project at the International level.well i would love if your organization can support us to network or partner with other Youth Volunteer organizations. Thanks Oguntoyinbo stephen +2348026198139

FYI...

Recently, it has been suggested that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded for Tourism. http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/nobel_peace_prize_for_tourism_urged/

Based on some of the questions posed in this discussion, I would like to share some facts on Philanthropic Travel.

1. Related, what is the role of educational institutions in preparing people for this type of global engagement experience? 5. What are some real-world examples of “effective,” or on the other hand “harmful,” global volunteer projects?

Money, Mission & Meaning on Personallifemedia.com: http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/money-mission-meaning/episode011-david-chamberlain-philanthropic-adventures.html

Today’s show explores the power of travel to open our minds and hearts to the majesty of our planet and the human communities that inhabit it. Our guest is David Chamberlain from exquisitesafaris.com: a philanthropic travel company that creates custom-designed luxury experiences for individuals, families, and angel investors to some of the most beautiful and interesting places on earth....

1. What are your experiences?

Learn more about projects that are supported by Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide: http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/philanthropic_travel_foundation_ngo_services/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/100_friends_with_exquisite_safaris/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/world_water_crisis/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/q_fund_philanthropic_travel/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/travel_philanthropy1/

Excerpt from the show: What’s the difference between, let’s say, philanthropic travel and more voluntourism?

David: That’s an excellent question. Voluntourism is a fantastic experience whereby you set the intention to go and participate. In Habitat for Humanity, for example, many people are familiar with taking a week or two and building a house. And so that’s a voluntourism model which requires a certain personal preference, a lot of hard work , and has made wonderful progress in many places in the world for many people; both the travelers as well as the communities that they engage in.

Philanthropic travel, on the other hand, is really an opportunity for those who aren’t inclined to be a carpenter or spend a week or two building something or really working hard -and potentially taking those jobs from local people.

Philanthropic travel gives folks who wouldn’t otherwise venture into the local communities an opportunity to stick their big toe in the water and be the VIP guest of humanitarian outreach projects that are making a big difference in the lives of those communities. So in just a morning or an afternoon at the very minimum, I hope to engage a lot of people who don’t have the preference for voluntourism but want to engage these communities.

Mark: So, it sound like in the voluntourism side of the industry, it’s for people who are really hard core and what you do is provide an opportunity for people who are really looking for essentially a luxury travel experience, whether going out and experiencing fantastic parts of human culture in the planet but also giving them the opportunity to participate in the philanthropic humanitarian endeavor where they can experience that face to face without having a two-week working commitment.

David: Yes, absolutely. It’s just personal preference; let you and your family or your spouse or your partner care to do. There are two different experiences that really shouldn’t be lumped into the same category, although they are both philanthropic and both have wonderful merit.

Mark: Right. It seems like philanthropic travel would have a wider range, a bigger market so to speak, of people who are really interested in that. I think as human beings, we’re all interested in really making a difference in the world and discovering what we can do but don’t necessarily want to make it, our vacation....

http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/

FYI...

Recently, it has been suggested that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded for Tourism. http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/nobel_peace_prize_for_tourism_urged/

Based on some of the questions posed in this discussion, I would like to share some facts on Philanthropic Travel.

1. Related, what is the role of educational institutions in preparing people for this type of global engagement experience? 5. What are some real-world examples of “effective,” or on the other hand “harmful,” global volunteer projects?

Money, Mission & Meaning on Personallifemedia.com: http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/money-mission-meaning/episode011-david-chamberlain-philanthropic-adventures.html

Today’s show explores the power of travel to open our minds and hearts to the majesty of our planet and the human communities that inhabit it. Our guest is David Chamberlain from exquisitesafaris.com: a philanthropic travel company that creates custom-designed luxury experiences for individuals, families, and angel investors to some of the most beautiful and interesting places on earth....

1. What are your experiences?

Learn more about projects that are supported by Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide: http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/philanthropic_travel_foundation_ngo_services/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/100_friends_with_exquisite_safaris/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/world_water_crisis/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/q_fund_philanthropic_travel/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/travel_philanthropy1/

Excerpt from the show: What’s the difference between, let’s say, philanthropic travel and more voluntourism?

David: That’s an excellent question. Voluntourism is a fantastic experience whereby you set the intention to go and participate. In Habitat for Humanity, for example, many people are familiar with taking a week or two and building a house. And so that’s a voluntourism model which requires a certain personal preference, a lot of hard work , and has made wonderful progress in many places in the world for many people; both the travelers as well as the communities that they engage in.

Philanthropic travel, on the other hand, is really an opportunity for those who aren’t inclined to be a carpenter or spend a week or two building something or really working hard -and potentially taking those jobs from local people.

Philanthropic travel gives folks who wouldn’t otherwise venture into the local communities an opportunity to stick their big toe in the water and be the VIP guest of humanitarian outreach projects that are making a big difference in the lives of those communities. So in just a morning or an afternoon at the very minimum, I hope to engage a lot of people who don’t have the preference for voluntourism but want to engage these communities.

Mark: So, it sound like in the voluntourism side of the industry, it’s for people who are really hard core and what you do is provide an opportunity for people who are really looking for essentially a luxury travel experience, whether going out and experiencing fantastic parts of human culture in the planet but also giving them the opportunity to participate in the philanthropic humanitarian endeavor where they can experience that face to face without having a two-week working commitment.

David: Yes, absolutely. It’s just personal preference; let you and your family or your spouse or your partner care to do. There are two different experiences that really shouldn’t be lumped into the same category, although they are both philanthropic and both have wonderful merit.

Mark: Right. It seems like philanthropic travel would have a wider range, a bigger market so to speak, of people who are really interested in that. I think as human beings, we’re all interested in really making a difference in the world and discovering what we can do but don’t necessarily want to make it, our vacation....

http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/

FYI...

Recently, it has been suggested that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded for Tourism. http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/nobel_peace_prize_for_tourism_urged/

Based on some of the questions posed in this discussion, I would like to share some facts on Philanthropic Travel.

1. Related, what is the role of educational institutions in preparing people for this type of global engagement experience? 5. What are some real-world examples of “effective,” or on the other hand “harmful,” global volunteer projects?

Money, Mission & Meaning on Personallifemedia.com: http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/money-mission-meaning/episode011-david-chamberlain-philanthropic-adventures.html

Today’s show explores the power of travel to open our minds and hearts to the majesty of our planet and the human communities that inhabit it. Our guest is David Chamberlain from exquisitesafaris.com: a philanthropic travel company that creates custom-designed luxury experiences for individuals, families, and angel investors to some of the most beautiful and interesting places on earth....

1. What are your experiences?

Learn more about projects that are supported by Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide: http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/philanthropic_travel_foundation_ngo_services/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/100_friends_with_exquisite_safaris/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/world_water_crisis/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/q_fund_philanthropic_travel/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/travel_philanthropy1/

Excerpt from the show: What’s the difference between, let’s say, philanthropic travel and more voluntourism?

David: That’s an excellent question. Voluntourism is a fantastic experience whereby you set the intention to go and participate. In Habitat for Humanity, for example, many people are familiar with taking a week or two and building a house. And so that’s a voluntourism model which requires a certain personal preference, a lot of hard work , and has made wonderful progress in many places in the world for many people; both the travelers as well as the communities that they engage in.

Philanthropic travel, on the other hand, is really an opportunity for those who aren’t inclined to be a carpenter or spend a week or two building something or really working hard -and potentially taking those jobs from local people.

Philanthropic travel gives folks who wouldn’t otherwise venture into the local communities an opportunity to stick their big toe in the water and be the VIP guest of humanitarian outreach projects that are making a big difference in the lives of those communities. So in just a morning or an afternoon at the very minimum, I hope to engage a lot of people who don’t have the preference for voluntourism but want to engage these communities.

Mark: So, it sound like in the voluntourism side of the industry, it’s for people who are really hard core and what you do is provide an opportunity for people who are really looking for essentially a luxury travel experience, whether going out and experiencing fantastic parts of human culture in the planet but also giving them the opportunity to participate in the philanthropic humanitarian endeavor where they can experience that face to face without having a two-week working commitment.

David: Yes, absolutely. It’s just personal preference; let you and your family or your spouse or your partner care to do. There are two different experiences that really shouldn’t be lumped into the same category, although they are both philanthropic and both have wonderful merit.

Mark: Right. It seems like philanthropic travel would have a wider range, a bigger market so to speak, of people who are really interested in that. I think as human beings, we’re all interested in really making a difference in the world and discovering what we can do but don’t necessarily want to make it, our vacation....

http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/

FYI...

Recently, it has been suggested that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded for Tourism. http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/nobel_peace_prize_for_tourism_urged/

Based on some of the questions posed in this discussion, I would like to share some facts on Philanthropic Travel.

1. Related, what is the role of educational institutions in preparing people for this type of global engagement experience? 5. What are some real-world examples of “effective,” or on the other hand “harmful,” global volunteer projects?

Money, Mission & Meaning on Personallifemedia.com: http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/money-mission-meaning/episode011-david-chamberlain-philanthropic-adventures.html

Today’s show explores the power of travel to open our minds and hearts to the majesty of our planet and the human communities that inhabit it. Our guest is David Chamberlain from exquisitesafaris.com: a philanthropic travel company that creates custom-designed luxury experiences for individuals, families, and angel investors to some of the most beautiful and interesting places on earth....

1. What are your experiences?

Learn more about projects that are supported by Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide: http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/philanthropic_travel_foundation_ngo_services/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/100_friends_with_exquisite_safaris/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/world_water_crisis/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/q_fund_philanthropic_travel/ http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/more/travel_philanthropy1/

Excerpt from the show: What’s the difference between, let’s say, philanthropic travel and more voluntourism?

David: That’s an excellent question. Voluntourism is a fantastic experience whereby you set the intention to go and participate. In Habitat for Humanity, for example, many people are familiar with taking a week or two and building a house. And so that’s a voluntourism model which requires a certain personal preference, a lot of hard work , and has made wonderful progress in many places in the world for many people; both the travelers as well as the communities that they engage in.

Philanthropic travel, on the other hand, is really an opportunity for those who aren’t inclined to be a carpenter or spend a week or two building something or really working hard -and potentially taking those jobs from local people.

Philanthropic travel gives folks who wouldn’t otherwise venture into the local communities an opportunity to stick their big toe in the water and be the VIP guest of humanitarian outreach projects that are making a big difference in the lives of those communities. So in just a morning or an afternoon at the very minimum, I hope to engage a lot of people who don’t have the preference for voluntourism but want to engage these communities.

Mark: So, it sound like in the voluntourism side of the industry, it’s for people who are really hard core and what you do is provide an opportunity for people who are really looking for essentially a luxury travel experience, whether going out and experiencing fantastic parts of human culture in the planet but also giving them the opportunity to participate in the philanthropic humanitarian endeavor where they can experience that face to face without having a two-week working commitment.

David: Yes, absolutely. It’s just personal preference; let you and your family or your spouse or your partner care to do. There are two different experiences that really shouldn’t be lumped into the same category, although they are both philanthropic and both have wonderful merit.

Mark: Right. It seems like philanthropic travel would have a wider range, a bigger market so to speak, of people who are really interested in that. I think as human beings, we’re all interested in really making a difference in the world and discovering what we can do but don’t necessarily want to make it, our vacation....

http://www.exquisitesafaris.com/index.php/journal/

I'm glad to see this topic in discussion.

All too often, organizations are so enthusiastic to host or participate in a cross-cultural opportunity that subtle program design flaws go unnoticed and ultimately interfere with the goal. The same trend, unfortunately, also arises in many programs in the home country.

There are many perspectives which must be considered prior to engaging in any type of service, especially one that crosses boundaries of culture, ethnicity, religion, or social class.

1. Will the intended service encourage true understanding for both sponsor and recipient?

All too often, NGOs can inadvertently take an approach which the recipients see as paternalistic or demeaning. Something as simple as the language used in program materials, or the interaction the sponsor has with the client can reinforce negative stereotypes in both parties. The stakeholders can see the sponsor as "glory seekers" that stay a few weeks; help cosmetically, then take photos and leave. Likewise, the host culture can be unwittingly portrayed as impoverished, backwards people in need of rescue. Neither of those generalizations are true, but miscommunication can lead people to that conclusion.

1. Have all participants been trained and screened appropriately?

Participants must have the skills and maturity to engage in the project. Ideally, the stakeholders/recipients MUST be included in the program design and training. Finally, program components should not be "photo-op" sessions but rather well-designed environments where both sponsor and recipients are comfortable and can develop true connections and understanding without cultural barriers.

1. Participants must have a clear understanding of what to expect.

Any volunteers, students, or staff participating need to know exactly what life will be like during the project. If the experience consists of sitting in a hotel conference room debating policy, or camping in a remote village with few conveniences, be clear and forthright about what to expect. Questions to ask include: What type of interaction will there be with the recipients? What will my individual role be? How have the recipients been briefed on our program? What will the schedule be like? Who will I be responsible for, and who will be responsible for me? Where should I direct questions or concerns about the program? How can I politely ask questions about the host culture or environment?

1. Opportunities should be provided to develop friendships and dialogue.

Far too often, this consists of participants and recipients being herded into a reception hall together and left to fend for themselves. The initial discomfort of meeting someone new, especially with differences of language and culture added, could discourage participants from reaching out throughout the entire program. Where possible, one-on-one introductions and interaction should be encouraged, along with free time throughout the program for participants and stakeholders to meet and socialize on their own terms and comfort level.

These are just a few considerations, if anyone would like to discuss further in depth, by all means feel free to contact me. Needless to say, there is no perfect program, and even the best laid plans encounter unexpected challenges. However, the most common and troublesome issues can be mitigated with good preparation.

Dear i'm very happy for your begiing,i thank that it's an opprtunity for the youth leaders such as me. Since 2003 i looking for an organization which can help me training poor and war refugees child through sport activities . It real some african people become dengerous for internet user,but this others suffer to fin international help ,i thing that this is the real for me and the others seriuos volunteers.

I'm not sure if anyone is still following this thread, but want to point you to the special report on National Service in the Sept. 10, 2007 issue of Time. The online version is at http://www.time.com/service

The artilce has an emphasis on getting people involved, rather than keeping them involved and improving the quality of service and impact on those being served. It point to several innovators, including Social Edge.

Have any of you read the article? What are your thoughts?

I would like to involve the National Service Scheme Volunteers from my College (Dyal Singh Evening College,Lodi Road,New Delhi,India) with the Global Youth Volunteerism Projects.

Each year in ghana we run a disability youth volunteer project,this project is both run by able people and disability people organization in ghana and other sister organization africa.the project is to raise the awareness of all inclusion of people with disability in the ghanaian and african community. we believe disabled people in africa and ghana are not giving equal attention in the community,we believe that people with disability are capable of managing their own life and can live independent life when giving the support and the push. this program enble youth with disability to learn of new and modern way of living and also workshop and training are organized for disabled youth who are into various business like art and crafth,sowing and small scale trading.

Volunteering is an act which has to develop from the inner core of human mind together with the feelings thata re not intoxicated with the capitalist thinkings(What one will gain after doing something). The way I see volunteerism which maily is done by the developed youth is more of a tour game.The spirit of volunteerism I wonder why should it be one sided?Why don't we see a large number of youths from the dark part volunteering to the so called brighter one?Does it mean that only on the former that there are situations that are to be volunteered for!sure am not. In the other side there is a need to show our brthers and sisters from Less developed countries,the importance of the attitude of volunteering.With this we can eliminate the mind set of seeing our brothers and sisters who are voluntering as the tourists and hence we can create the brighter world at the end.Who knows!

As a young volunteer myself, I've learned that everybody has to start somewhere. Bringing over young people to developing countries is risky though. Without adequate education on the local culture and customs, what is appropriate and innapropriate and how to build relationships of respect without contributing to a cycle of dependency and colonialism, these young people can hurt the long term organizations on the ground. I think its important to connect the volunteers with local organizations that can offer input and background information that will be pivotal in determining how these young people conduct themselves. Having them spend a lot of time learning through literature, and first hand accounts of nationals, is so important. Also an intense screening process on the motivations of why these youth want to come and whether or not they are willing to adhere to and respect the customs of that society, is crucial. I think the most important part is planning and training. The organization responsible has to be willing to put in the time before hand and not just set these young kids loose. But without them coming over and catching a vision and a passion for those outside their world, we'd be out of the next great innovators, the next great ideas, the next great non profits or socially conscious businesses that are actually driven by love and seeing people empowered, vs. promoting a very close-minded perspective on the world. We've got to get these kids out there. We just have to guide them. Sarita, Exec. Director Zion Project Empowering Girl Child Soldiers