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LISTENING 1 Voluntourism Activity A., C., Pages 34, 35

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(Music) Chris Christensen, Host: Amateur Traveler, Episode 125. Today we talk about volunteer travel, or voluntourism. Find out what kind of person is doing this kind of travel, what they’re doing when they get there, and just who it is they’re meeting. On today’s Amateur Traveler. Christensen: Welcome to the Amateur Traveler; I’m your host, Chris Christensen. I’d like to welcome to the show Linda Stuart. Linda is the executive director of the Global Citizens Network. Linda, welcome to the show, first. Linda Stuart: Thank you Chris. Glad to be here. Christensen: What is the Global Citizens Network? Stuart: Global Citizens Network is a nonprofit organization based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, that’s in its 16th year. We’ve been providing cross-cultural expeditions to indigenous communities around the world. Christensen: OK, and so what we’re talking about on this show is volunteer travel, or voluntourism is the other phrase that’s been used. Let’s start with the why. Why after I’ve been working so hard for the whole year would I want to go and work someplace else? Stuart: Yeah, that’s a great question. We’ve seen an increase over the last couple of years in individuals, families, groups, couples that are interested in an experience where they feel like they’re able to contribute, or give back, and so while going to see new lands, meet new people is still very enticing, there is something to be said about going and doing good, and that is an opportunity that Global Citizens provides with its crosscultural trips and the service aspect on the trip. And there’s an opportunity to meet others, meet friends, see new places and new lands, taste new foods, but then in addition, there’s an opportunity to work on a service project that will make a contribution to the community where we’re partnering.

Christensen: Before we get into

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can you tell us a little bit more about what are the ranges of opportunities when we talk about volunteer travel? Stuart: Everywhere you turn around now, you’ll see volunteer opportunities. Voluntourism is on the rise. And one thing that our organization has maintained over the last 16 years is the opportunity to travel and volunteer together as a team. And so we do solicit intact teams, but also individuals are welcome to come and join us on any group trip. There is a wide range of opportunities. Others include individual placement; some are in rural areas versus urban areas. Others may be more of a tutoring or English teaching placement—

Christensen: Mm-hmm. Stuart: —others may be in orphanages. Our organization partners with indigenous communities and works with them on small-scale development projects of their choice and so it often focuses on physical labor, construction of health clinics, schools, community centers, et cetera. But other projects may include, for example, in a village in Guatemala, in Cantel, we’re partnering with the Mayan Peace Center on youth empowerment projects. And that is, again, of the community’s choice and by their initiation and direction. So in Cantel, there’s the center where the youth come and they learn about Mayan weaving, medicinal medicines, traditional dance, et cetera, and our presence there is really to also kind of validate the culture and the preservation of the culture. So that’s a really significant project that we feel like we’re working on. So there’s a wide variety of opportunities for people if they feel like they want to go together as a team, if they want to go as an individual, if they want to go 50s and older, there’s also an opportunity for baby boomers and senior citizens to be together. And one thing about GCN is that we are an age-diverse organization so families, children eight and up are welcome on our program.

Christensen: Can you describe your examples of people who volunteer for

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Stuart: Well, two-thirds of our volunteers are women. Christensen: Interesting.

Stuart: The other demographics of our volunteers would include, as I just mentioned some sort of family combination. But I would say that the majority of the people that travel with us do range between probably 30 and 55 years old. And then the second group after that would be the youth, because the one area I guess that we don’t see as many is the kind of the university-aged individuals, and that’s because I think oftentimes they’re looking for credit or possibly more of a longer-term program and our programs are short-term. Christensen: Mm-hm.

Stuart: They’re one to three weeks long and so. . . . There are many motivating reasons for this kind of experience, in addition to giving back and contributing. Another one is the camaraderie and sharing that meaningful experience with a family or, like as you mentioned, allowing children to have that kind of eye-opening experience and seeing not it’s us versus them, but it’s us all together. We do stress that there’s always something for everyone, and so while maybe the construction on a health center, sometimes it can be as simple as hauling some sand, assisting in sand—the project usually occurs in the morning, followed by a community lunch and in the afternoon there’s opportunity for interacting with the community members in weavings and classes and lessons, learning, educational forums at the clinics. I mean, there’s always such a wide variety because the goal is to really immerse yourself in the daily lives of the village people and to see how they live.

Christensen: So what was your so involved in volunteer travel?

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Stuart: Well, as a youth I was fortunate enough to have an experience to go on an alternative project when I was in high school. It was very eye-opening for me. It was an ecological project in Dominica in the Caribbean. And it was my first taste of what alternative travel is, and everyone is pretty aware of a lot of what the mass tourism opportunities are, but I was really touched by that experience and very moved that at that time, someone was raising my awareness and my realization and my conscientiousness about supporting the local economy . . . versus buying all the souvenirs that you would buy on a cruise ship per se. And so there was something that really resonated with that experience for me. And then just kind of prompted a lifetime of seeking those kinds of experiences, learning a second language, doing research and study abroad in college, and just one experience led after another, so . Christensen: And then if you could get a little more specific in terms of what we would expect if we actually went someplace with GCN, what countries are you in, first of all? Stuart: We partner here in the United States, with several Native American reservations — Christensen: OK.

Stuart: —as well, First Nations in Canada. We are in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala. We’re in Africa, Asia, Kenya and Tanzania specifically. Christensen: And what’s the average group size? Stuart: Our groups are small. They range anywhere from 4 to 12. Christensen: OK. And then what kind of cost, I know it’s going to vary depending on whether we’re going to Arizona or Tibet.

Stuart: Our program fees range

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depending, yeah, on where you go and for how long. If it’s a week to three weeks long.

Christensen: And that’s not counting airfare, I assume? Stuart: Airfare is in addition to that as well as any visa costs or any immunizations that would be needed. Christensen: OK. Stuart: But the program fee does cover your lodging, transportation, food, and a portion of it goes to the project.

Christensen: Well, I thank you so much for coming on the show and telling us a little bit about this different kind of, uh, opportunity for travel and just appreciate you sharing your experience with us. Stuart: Great. Thank you....