January 16, 2005: Headlines: Alternatives: Service Exchange: Boston Globe: In a service exchange, so much gained
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January 16, 2005: Headlines: Alternatives: Service Exchange: Boston Globe: In a service exchange, so much gained
In a service exchange, so much gained
In a service exchange, so much gained
In a service exchange, so much gained
By Robert Preer, Globe Correspondenet | January 16, 2005
Caring for injured seals on islands off the coast of Scotland. Helping on an archeological dig in France. Maintaining bridges in the Amazon rain forest of Peru. For people who have the time, energy, and money, a world of opportunity in service travel awaits.
Scores of nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad now welcome individuals willing to donate their time, be it a week, a year, or anything in between. They include environmental groups, scientific and research institutions, government agencies, community development organizations, and educational institutions. Also, the last decade has seen the rise of clearinghouse agencies, some for profit, which function as matchmakers, pairing volunteers with charitable organizations around the globe.
Volunteer vacations can be thought of as short-term versions of the Peace Corps, which was the model for the first service-oriented travel programs. Although there are no precise data on volunteer travel, people in the industry and those who study it say the sector grew slowly but steadily in the 1970s and 1980s, then took off in the 1990s.
''It is definitely a growing part of the travel industry, and it has grown relatively quickly," said Doug Cutchins, director of social commitment at Grinnell College in Iowa and coauthor of ''Volunteer Vacations: Short-term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others" (Chicago Review Press).
Service-oriented travel was one of the first segments of the travel industry to bounce back after Sept. 11, according to Cutchins. He said it got a boost from President Bush's call for Americans to dedicate two years of their lives to public service.
The rise of service-oriented tourism parallels that of eco-tourism, and both are, in part, responses to concerns that conventional tourism sometimes harms the cultures, economies, and environments of developing countries. Travelers who choose volunteer tourism have a variety of motives. Some have a sense of moral duty; others see it as part of a religious commitment. Many programs are affiliated with religious groups.
''Some people say, 'This is how I show my love for the Lord,' " said researcher Michael Ray Smith, who conducted extensive interviews with the service-oriented group Baptist Men of North Carolina. The organization's volunteers respond to disasters around the world and help with rebuilding.
''Then you have the people who say they do it to see the looks on people's faces," said Smith, who teaches mass communications at Campbell University near Raleigh. ''And you have other people who say, 'I do it because I think I'm supposed to do it. It's something I can do.' "
Cutchins believes volunteer vacations satisfy the zest Americans have for multitasking. ''We hear it all the time. People say, 'I want to volunteer, and I want to go on vacation.' This is a way to do both," he said.
Others do it to learn languages or other skills or to understand another culture. ''People are interested in getting a deeper sense of the places they visit and not just the sightseeing routine," said Nina Jacobi, a former editor of the ''Let's Go" travel guides.
LeeAnn Johnson, managing director of i-to-i Volunteer Travel, in Denver, said some people go to figure out things about their own lives.
''We are seeing an increasing number of career breakers, people in transition," Johnson said. ''They use it as a time for soul-searching."
All ages can participate in volunteer travel, although young adults and the newly retired are most numerous. Some programs accept families. The cost of such trips varies widely, from $20 for a weekend project in the United States to $3,000 and up for longer foreign travel.
Similarly, the range of accommodations is huge, from a city hotel to a mud hut in a village or a tent in a forest.
Travelers interested in service vacations should do some research first to be sure they will be comfortable with accommodations, the tasks they will perform, and the preparation they will receive. It also helps if you share the goals and values of the organization.
Camaraderie among volunteers can be a big part of the experience, and specialists say it is also a good idea to find out in advance whether there is a profile of likely participants, including age range and motivations.
Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com.
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.
When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
| Ask Not As our country prepares for the inauguration of a President, we remember one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century and how his words inspired us. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." |
| Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help? |
| The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005. |
| Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia." |
| Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors. |
| The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn. |
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Story Source: Boston Globe
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