Reading Between the Lines- Voluntourism Topic- tourism: Should Voluntourism trips be discouraged? It is not uncommon to see on Facebook selfies taken by youths with village children-some half naked some fully naked. Teaching English in Schools, building a basketball court, painting beautiful murals on the walls of new schools and distributing food and healthcare packs to the villages are some activities that are commonly included in the itinerary of such Voluntourism trips. In the recent years, there are a growing number of youths who take a gap year to volunteer overseas. Voluntourism can be defined as ‘a form of tourism in which travelers participate in voluntary work to help communities or the environment in the places they are visiting’ (dictionary.com). In the context of Singapore, such trips are normally termed as Overseas Service Learning Trips (OSLP). They are usually organized by schools to bring students abroad to ‘broaden the students’ world view’ (Poh, 2014) and serve the community there. I have chosen three articles on the effects on Voluntourism. In this essay, I will be taking a closer look at the arguments presented and critic and improve on the current system of Voluntourism. Firstly, a broad over …show more content…
(n.d.). Retrieved from dictionary.com. Frey, N. (2015, January 16). The Daily Nexus. Retrieved from The Daily Nexus: http://dailynexus.com/2015-01-16/voluntourism-great-for-instagram-not-so-great-for-africa/ Jenkin, M. (2015, May 21). The Guardian. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/may/21/western-volunteers-more-harm-than-good Poh, M. G. (2014, November 3). Minstry Of Education . Retrieved from Minstry Of Education : http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2014/11/student-participation-in-overseas-exchange-programme.php Wesby, M. (2015, August 18). Newsweek. Retrieved from Newsweek:
As a prospective International Economics student, I have always aspired to do a study abroad in order to expand my degree, making it as diverse as possible. While I was exploring the potential options for going on exchange for my third year, Yonsei University has been especially attractive to me. The benefits from an exchange to Seoul, Korea, in regard to both academics and personal growth are large and very attractive for my
It combines the travelling with learning opportunities to explore social and cultural issues by volunteering
In this current modern era of our time, it can be seen that an enormous number of students prefer to study overseas in Australian universities. For the purpose of this essay, “overseas study” refers to the act of travelling beyond your country to receive tertiary education. There are numerous reasons as to why universities in Australia are popular. Students may choose Australia universities for the high quality education system, which leads to better job opportunities. Moreover, the student friendly living conditions within a diverse multi-cultural environment.
Imagine living in a small town of 813, which I’m sure we can all visualize very well. Imagine, one day getting the opportunity to fly 3,247 miles south to a city called Quito, in Ecuador. Excitingly, this is the exact contingency my fellow spanish classmates and I have for next summer on June 13th thru June 14th. I know as a student in high school, that sitting in a classroom for six hours a day isn’t very hands on. Sometimes high school education can be less than exciting. But next summer I get the privilege to take my education to whole new country for 13 days. Not only on this trip will I participate in meaningful service, be immersed into a whole new culture and develop leadership skills, but I will also be impacted personally and transformed.
Cedar.wwu.edu. (2016). Social Privilege and International Volunteering. [online] Available at: http://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1085&context=scholwk [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016].
Restoring archeological sites in Machu Picchu. Maintaining trails in Patagonia. Organic gardening in Taiwan. Although it may not seem like it, these three destinations have something in common: They’re all sites that cater to volunteer tourists. Volunteer tourism counts as one of the most unique branches of tourism that exists. It combines adventure travel with altruism. It’s an excellent way to acquire new skills, to exercise existing ones, and to leave your mark on the world.
WEP (World Education Program) is an Australian based, worldwide organization, respected for sending students around the world on organized and rewarding, international exchanges. Established in 2001, the organizations CEO, Carleen Wheeler, has over 25 years of experience in the field and is devoted to providing safe and prosperous opportunities for young people around the world. This website is clearly intended for teenage students who want to get the information they need, quickly and succinctly. It contains many images, pop-down pages, and short, informative bulletin points. The website concisely explains how exchanges can give students a new-found sense of self-confidence, and the ability to confront new challenges as they arise. Hosting
Vidooly provides analytics about different videos, audience interests and content trends that can help brands and video creators make better videos that attract more viewers. They have very unique and interesting working culture. “Working at Vidooly means working in a company where people are watching YouTube/Facebook videos and discussing about the latest Netflix original while cooling their heels over a pint of beer on a weekend”. They offer flexible work hours. Every member of the team works in a casual yet goal oriented setup where self-improvement is at the core of the culture. They encourage everyone to work smarter rather than harder.
Vacationers choosing to spend their limited holiday time and vacation budget journeying across the world to perform volunteer service are a very recent concept. Over the past 15 years, it has grown with such momentum that both non-profit organizations and for-profit advisory services and tour operators are scrambling to match many different agendas.
As I overheard my fellow classmates speaking to each other about how they’re going to spend their winter vacation helping to build a school in a Guatemalan village. What most of us do on our breaks is sit around, go out, spend time shopping or doing other activities. All of these are fun, and it helps strengthen your relationship with those around you. But why sit at home when you can be traveling to the beautiful eastern African country of Uganda with me, this summer.
After a few years of helping just my local community, I wanted to try to get a hands on experience to help another community located outside of my country. For this reason, when I heard of the educational journey to study about Global Change, Families, and Environment in Thailand it excites me so much. I had to tell myself that I need to attain this opportunity or lose it. My interest of wanting to get a physical experience with a community outside of my local community definitely motivate and give me the enthusiasm to choose this particular study abroad in Thailand.
The five questions you might ask yourself, prior to participating in voluntourism would be personal questions to discover suitability.
It was a hot, searing day as the sun beat down on my skin. The lush green palm trees provided me shade as I sat and observed my surroundings. Children, barefoot and dirty, wearing tattered and stained clothes were running around laughing and playing. Their joyous giggles put a smile on my face and warmed my heart as I watched them. During the summer of 2017, I served on a ten day mission trip to Tomohon, a small village in Indonesia. I have been on two mission trips to New York and West Virginia previous to this one, but have wanted to go one out of the country for a number of years. So when I was informed about it, I jumped on the opportunity quickly. Leaving for the trip, I was unsure of what to expect; we were told that we would work on whatever projects came up while we were there. Looking back, we could not have planned the incredible experience that unfolded.
“In 2006 to 2007, according to the data compiled by the Institute of International Education, 582,984 students from all over the world were enrolled in American colleges and universities in a wide range of fields” (Carter, Paragraph 2, 2008). The United States has the highest number of students who are coming to study abroad than any other countries. Each year, the number of international students coming to the United States to obtain degrees is increasing by thousands, and home countries of these students are primarily India, China and Korea, all located in the whole different continent. But what are the motives of students who are crossing the sea to study? Their goal of studying abroad is to experience diversity and to adapt attitudes
Among a hundred of developed industries, tourism is regarded as one of the most promptly growing fields in the world, and eco tourism is one of its ahead rising categories. There are more and more countries has been placing eco tourism sector priority over others for their market growth, because they acknowledge not only its ecological, cultural, but also economic values. More to the point, this sector has a sharp affiliation to the term of mindful or socially conscious tourism; However, it has not been fully understanding by many travellers and tourism associations? Mindful or also called socially conscious tourism is travel without taking advantage of local workers and cultures, but with minimal environmental influences. There is a fact that this industry has brought a huge beneficial to all the world countries’ economic, but people as tourism organization and tourists are exploiting