Volunteering properly
Posted: February 5, 2013 Contents: Chapter 3 | Tags: jade keller, matador network, matadornetwork.com, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel volunteer, travel writer, travel writing, volunteer, volunteer traveling Leave a comment »In Chapter 3 volunteering is listed as one of the twelve important niche’ topics. Assuming volunteer writers, well volunteer — Jade Keller of the Matador Network advices the aspiring volunteer on how to be a helper any NGO wants. First, Keller breaks a few assumptions. Take a look at an excerpt of her article,
I’ll start by dispelling the myth that nonprofits should bend over backwards in gratitude for your offered time. Most people, for valid reasons like they need money to eat, cannot afford to donate much of their time. So they can only put in a few hours a month, or, if they want to work in developing regions like South East Asia, Africa, or Latin America, they will come out for a few weeks or a few months, ready to go pedal to the metal…and then leave.
There are some organizations that have short-term volunteering programs, but they are…
Volunteer travel with integrity
Posted: October 20, 2012 Contents: Chapter 3 | Tags: ecotourism, ecotourism.org, sallie grayson, travel journalism, travel writing, volunteer, volunteer travel, volunteer traveling Leave a comment »Chapter 3 reveals that 35 percent of travel editors who responded to a survey said “volunteer” is somewhat important topic to readers. Sallie Grayson, program director at ecotourism.org, offers this advice to travelers to ensure the majority of their funds and time are actually benefitting the host country:
“We suggest that you then ask exactly the same questions of each organization that you contact. As you asses their responses, if the following questions come to mind – ‘Why can’t they tell me how much of what I’m spending reaches my hosts?’ or ‘How do I know that my hosts are being fairly recompensed for their hospitality?’ – maybe you want to think again about choosing to travel with them.”
Grayson, however, neglects to discuss the question: is the time and money a volunteer spends worth more than simply sending…
