Irresponsible Tourism

Responsible Volunteering : I felt useless

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:09:15 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: I felt useless
Posted: 14 May 2012 at 11:09

We were in an area where nobody needed us, and where we could make little to no difference. We couldn�t speak the language and had been told beforehand that it wasn�t necessary, so we had next to no input. I felt useless. I was acutely aware that I was there for two reasons and two reasons only: to attract attention, because I am white, and to attract money, because I am white. It was made quite clear to us at the end of the programme that the money the UK government invested in the programme, in return for Nepal taking on UK workers, paid the wages of several of the Nepali staff. They didn�t need me � they needed my government�s money. I spent all day every day being stared at like I wasn�t a person.

http://rachelrtw.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/what-i-learnt-in-nepal-why-a-bad-travel-experience-isnt-the-end/#comment-74

Volunteering and Child Abuse : working with children - our mistake

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:40:08 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: working with children - our mistake
Posted: 30 Apr 2012 at 16:40

One of people and places� core values is that volunteers will work with local people, not instead of them � nowhere is this more important than in projects where childcare is the primary focus.

Vulnerable children need care and nurture that is both consistent and culturally appropriate.

We prepare all volunteers for their placements as thoroughly as we can (some volunteers even say we over-prepare!)

During this preparation, we explain and emphasise that no volunteer will be on their own while teaching or tending children (and if they do find themselves in that position, we will support their stopping work.) Teachers, social workers, counselors, nursery nurses, teaching assistants � all need to be working with local professionals and staff � otherwise, where is the skills transfer? Where is the sustainability and is it ever ethical? Volunteers will not be working alone with the children.

So why has it taken us 5 years to realise that the category �working with children� on our site was misleading?

Not one of our volunteer programmes is designed for the volunteers simply to �work with children�.....
to read more about our mistake click the link below

http://blog.travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk/?p=3087

Responsible Volunteering : "why you shouldnt volunteer with A Broaderview"

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:05:09 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: "why you shouldnt volunteer with A Broaderview"
Posted: 08 Apr 2012 at 14:05

Interesting from Steph Jackson http://ourmaninhanoi.com/tag/voluntourism/
- how can potential volunteers trust "independant " reviews if this is going on - my answer - if you can't talk to the person who posted the review then maybe you shouldnt trust it?

Responsible or Irresponsible Volunteering? : Global Village Hope - beware

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:38:13 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: Global Village Hope - beware
Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 07:38

and another article on the same man including Global Village Hope http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30652829/detail.html

Responsible or Irresponsible Volunteering? : Global Village Hope - beware

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:31:06 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: Global Village Hope - beware
Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 07:31

read about the founders recent indictment for fraud and human trafficing
http://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-man-indicted-human-trafficking-money-laundering/story?id=15897558#.T12jAYc7U1I

Gap Years and Irresponsible Volunteering : Government volunteer initiative - missed opportunr

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:11:07 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: Government volunteer initiative - missed opportunr
Posted: 13 Feb 2012 at 13:11

This article in the Telegraph today by Andrew Gilligan

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9076851/Gap-year-holidays-that-reveal-the-madness-of-overseas-aid.html

makes very disturbing reading - what a wasted opportunity � what a waste of money!

I wrote about our concerns about the effectiveness of such a programme � unless very well designed and supervised � in a blog back in July 2011
http://blog.travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk/?p=2037

after the publication of a DEMOS study done for the UK government for this very initiative -International Citizen Service.

Here�s an excerpt of my blog

"Please ICS � if this initiative does not become the victim of budget cuts and goes ahead � please take this opportunity to set a gold standard for gap volunteering � young people do have skills � and WELL prepared and WELL managed they can make a positive difference. Some of the young volunteers we have placed have been amoungst the very best."

- Sadly, it looks like the important recommendation by DEMOS that meaningul work is found for these young volunteers has not been followed � this is a real lost opportunity � these young people do have skills and there are many communities who could benefit from those skills � but they need to be matched.

This is from DFIDs own report after phase one of this initiative !

The participants� own concerns that they are just being given a state-subsidised gap experience were reflected in the official evaluation report for the pilot phase. Evidence of development impact from their work, conceded the report, was �weak,� with only �tenuous and insubstantial positive impacts� in many placements. There was �considerable under-utilisation� of the young volunteers, leaving them �frustrated and aimless,� with key problems being their �lack of specific skills� and their �lack of grit�.

mmmmm I am getting crosser as I type � but maybe this article is wrong????????????

Who is responsible for designing this programme and preparing and matching the young volunteers? Are they accountable ? What are the improvements that have been put in place for the second phase?

Where is the money being spent? Who are the sending organisations with which ICS is working?

Will anyone answer my questions?

Volunteering and Child Abuse : SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:53:35 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 05:53

"A change is Gonna Come" an update from Friends international on a recent report from Cambodian Governemnt on Orphanages http://www.friends-international.org/blog/?p=2404

Report Irresponsible Tourism : Tourists cause fires in Chile

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:32:00 +0000

Author: goodwinhj
Subject: Tourists cause fires in Chile
Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 00:32

The first one occurred in February 2005, when an inferno that lasted 10 days destroyed more than 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres), or approximately 7 percent of the park. It was sparked by a gas stove used by a Czech tourist in a grassland area where camping was not authorised. The disaster was such that the Czech Republic quickly offered help to restore the damaged sectors and sent Czech experts. The forest cooperation project �Assistance to renew Torres del Paine National Park ecosystems damaged by the fire� ended in December 2010. It ran for five years and included reforestation with 180,000 Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio)plants.

In February 2011, a new fire was again cause for grief. An Israeli tourist who lit a bonfire in an unauthorised area initiated it, although it did not have the same catastrophic consequences because rain helped control the flames. The tourist was expelled from the national park and declared an unwelcome visitor because of his irresponsibility.

Most recently, on December 29, 2011, another Israeli citizen caused the second fire in one year when he tried to burn some toilet paper. The devastation, in this case, was far worse. So much so that volunteers from all over the world came to offer help, including Australian firefighters. Until last week, CONAF� the government agency in charge of managing protected areas in Chile � still had staff putting out blazes in different sectors of the park.

Volunteering and Child Abuse : The toursm industry "inadvertently" encourages

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:02:43 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: The toursm industry "inadvertently" encourages
Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 09:02

and here is an update from Cambodia http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1689750.php/Neglect-exploitation-revealed-in-Cambodian-orphanages

Volunteering and Child Abuse : SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:49:26 +0000

Author: sallie grayson
Subject: SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
Posted: 27 Jan 2012 at 06:49

More background on orphanage tourism in Cambodia http://aussietraveladvice.com/cambodia-children-as-tourist-attractions/