How Does A VolunTourism Trip Stack Up With 2010 New Year’s Resolutions?
Dorthy.com and Harris Interactive (R) recently came out with the results of their 2nd Annual New Year’s Resolution Study. Not surprising, health and fitness is at the top of the chart with 63% of all respondents interested in losing weight and 69% of women listing this as their top priority. Men, on the other hand, 59% of them, list money, in this case saving and/or investing it, as their ‘numero uno’ resolve.
What may surprise you however, is what Jordan English Gross, founder of Dorthy.com, calls, “A Shift In Priorities.” Women and men seem to be aligning on several items:
- “Closer ties with family and friends” (25%)
- “Traveling more” (18%), and
- “Giving more time and/or money to charity” (16%)
All three of these items, but in particular the last two, should get the attention of those folks in the VolunTourism Community.
For those who are unfamiliar with Dorthy.com, it is a reverse search engine dedicated to assisting those who are intent on gathering information to assist them in the process of achieving their goals & objectives, but most of all, their dreams. In English Gross’ words:
As you know Dorthy.com lets you create living pages about anything your’re interested in, want to learn, or achieve. Each page you create searches the web 24/7 for the most relevant content providing collaborative and actionable results that learn from your activity, enhancing and customizing with each interaction. Combining this powerful search application with the introduction of the first topic-based social network makes Dorthy.com the ultimate online service for people looking to find, follow, or achieve anything.”
Could be a valuable tool for those interested in planning a voluntour in 2010 as part of their resolutions to ‘travel more’ and ‘give more time and/or money to charity.’
VolunTourism As “Conspicuous Compassion”: Does It Undermine Traditional Moral Precepts?
For one of the Morning Edition segments from 22 December 2009, Tovia Smith covered the emergence of ’selfish’ altruism - as she puts it, “But how blessed is it when you give in order to receive?”
In “‘Selfish’ Giving: Does It Count If You Get In Return?,” Smith starts off by introducing us to cause marketing & cause branding for corporations via an interview with Carol Cone, founder and chair of Cone, Inc.
Editor’s Note: Some of you may remember “VolunTourism & The M3 TRAV3L3RS” from The VolunTourist Newsletter (Volume 2, Issue 4) several years back. In it I referenced research from one of the annual Cone Studies - The 2006 Cone Millennial Cause Study - regarding Millennials and how important voluntourism could be for this demographic group. I spoke with Carol at that time, and offer this excerpt from our conversation:
From working with clients over the years we have discovered that in this demographic group there is a growing emphasis on volunteering and community service. In elementary school, middle school, and high school, and even at the collegiate level, students are volunteering.”
But what are the motives behind this desire to give. Is it altruistic? Does it need to be? Or is it possible to give and receive with the intention of accomplishing both objectives?
Smith moves from her conversation with Ms. Cone to a conversation she had with Dr. Richard Weissbourd, a Harvard University professor and psychologist. Clearly, his answer would be a resounding ‘No’ to the final question posited above. In his words:
‘I do feel like, as a country (the U.S.), we have lost a sense of morality for its own sake… You should just be generous to be generous. You should do what’s right because it’s right, not because of what you get back…
I worry that that’s what kids begin to think giving is — serving your needs and other people’s needs. And they don’t have an image in their head of another kind of giving: a tenacious, low-profile kind of altruism that’s really just about another person, and not about you… And I think we’re in really deep trouble as a society if that sense of morality for its own sake evaporates.’”
Smith continues her story by offering an alternate perspective to that of Dr. Weissbourd via an interview with the author of The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan, Mr. Jeffrey Solomon - -
‘We live in a society where it’s increasingly about ‘me,’ he says. ‘You ignore your market at your own peril.’”
Then, as part of her wrap up, she mentions, without uttering the word ‘voluntourism,’ this emerging travel trend in the following paragraph:
The real issue becomes not what givers are getting back, but how much they’re actually giving. Is the company that is painting pink ribbons on rain boots really sharing the profit? Is the high school senior who is volunteering in Costa Rica really making a difference in the life of sea turtles?”
Smith brings up a good point, here, and all in all, her piece is worth reviewing. It is balanced and leaves lingering, thought-provoking questions for anyone within the VolunTourism Community.
It Should Be Noted…
To think that what Smith describes in her article is only related to those in the United States, particularly young people, I would encourage anyone who is truly serious about discovering what is more likely the truth about altruism across populations throughout the world to give Dr. Walter Rehberg’s article, “Altruistic Individualists: Motivations for International Volunteering Among Young Adults in Switzerland,” a thorough reading. What he discovered is very much in alignment with what Dr. Nancy McGehee, John Lee and I discovered in the 2008 Voluntourism Survey Report. Altruism isn’t dead, per se, but it hardly stands alone anymore, either.
From the abstract of Dr. Rehberg’s article:
Qualitative analysis revealed 12 different motives which could be categorized into three different groups: A first group called ‘Achieving something positive for others,’ a second group named ‘Quest for the new,’ and a third group of motives labeled ‘Quest for oneself.’ Motivations of young Swiss adults for international volunteering clearly show the characteristics of ‘reflexive’ volunteers. Most respondents displayed a combination of motives while for only 11% of them altruism (’Achieving something positive for others‘) was the one and only driving force behind their interest in international volunteering.”
Something to think about, indeed.
The VolunTourism Legacy Continues At Travelocity
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jeffrey Glueck, former CMO at Travelocity. We were in New Orleans at the time, and Jeff was there to launch a new carbon offset initiative for the company by commencing the planting of more than 30,000 trees in an area northeast of the Crescent City. The primary objective was to assist Mother Nature in recovering from Katrina and potentially mitigating the amount of damage that could be caused by future storms through the strengthening of the natural buffers between tidal surges and areas of human habitation.
As we breakfasted, Jeff took time to share with me some of the details of his honeymoon with wife Amy Ziff during which time they spent nearly a week volunteering in an orphanage in Rwanda. I could tell from the way he expressed himself - verbally and non-verbally - that it had left a lasting impression on him. Therefore, ‘Travel For Good‘ - the overarching initiative he was launching for the company - was also slated to have a voluntourism component to it - ‘Good For Travel’ indeed.
So, earlier this year, when it was announced that Jeff was moving on to become the CEO of Skyfire, I had some reservations as to whether Travelocity, without its ‘internal champion,’ would maintain its connection to voluntourism. When voluntourism champions have departed in the past, I have noticed dramatic changes within organizations. Clearly, continuity of leadership and passion for a cause or issue are infinitely important in keeping socially responsible efforts on track. Granted, to suggest that Jeff was the only steward of Travel For Good would be a misrepresentation of the collective energy put forth by numerous members of the Travelocity Team. Still, when leadership changes, priorities and passions often follow suit.
Thus, it was a lovely surprise to see the new Travel For Good site launch this past week - replete with a section dedicated to none other than ‘voluntourism.’ Although the ‘voluntourism partners’ have remained virtually the same since the programs inception, roughly three years ago, the commitment to offering ‘change ambassador grants’ for individuals to participate on these trips has not fluctuated. It is this unwavering commitment to connecting travelers with unique causes and issues in destinations around the world that might lead one to say: ‘Good For Travelocity.’
What Price Courage? - Supporting A VolunTourist’s Right To Complain
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action…
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
I jotted Shakespeare’s words down a couple of weeks ago in the midst of gathering research for an article. After I had spoken with Nancy Trejos, Washington Post Staff Writer, and author of this week’s gem: “How Can We Help?,” I realized how applicable they were in this particular situation.
Truth be told, I hadn’t seen her piece yet, but we had discussed her experience. It wasn’t good. The combination of her story and the recent description of Lindy & Sarah Richardsons’ experiences brought forth a thought that I had previously entertained -
How many people actually have negative experiences or unmet expectations on voluntourism trips, yet are shackled with guilt or uneasy feelings about saying: ‘Hey, I paid you money to deliver a product/service and in my opinion your organization didn’t deliver!’?”
A Lose-Lose Proposition
I liken complaining about a voluntourism trip, most especially when it is run by a nonprofit organization, to standing up during a religious service at a temple, synagogue, church, or other religious venue and yelling ‘You Lie!‘ when one disagrees with an interpretation of a scriptural passage. It isn’t going to go over well. From every angle you can be flanked, drawn, and quartered. And if you look at some of the comments already posted in connection with Nancy’s article, you will see this bearing out. The over-ripe tomatoes are being catapulted at will. But why?
Frankly, this should not be the case. Voluntourists should have every right to voice their opinion about these experiences and receive courtesy from the commentating public as to the inherent value of said expression. Voluntourism organizations should step forward, express gratitude, and either compliment or defend individuals for having the courage to do so. We must all be willing to recognize the treasure trove that complaints represent. And, what Nancy gives us is something worth celebrating - a ‘cave of wonders’ to behold.
Final Thoughts
When Nancy and I spoke several weeks ago, I was downright excited. I immediately thought of the implications:
- Two respected NGO placement organizations (one U.S.-based, the other Italian-based)
- In-destination NGOs/grassroots organizations to handle the day-to-day experience for voluntourists
- A recommendation from an outside source
- Additional, experienced voluntourists involved
When taken in context, this simply should not have happened; the ingredients for success were there. The least we can do is take the time to explore the outcome more deeply, to ask the difficult questions, to discover the sapphires of sagacity pearls of wisdom awaiting extraction.
To this end, Nancy has agreed to join me for a special episode of The VolunTourist Webcast on Friday 18 December 2009 at 1pm ET. We will discuss her motivations to take the trip, the impetus behind sharing her challenges, and what advice she has for would-be voluntourists. I am very much looking forward to the discussion and hope you will join us.
Re-”Thinking” VolunTourism For Decade 2.0
It’s time for a transition, insomuch as we are moving from a decade that truly shaped the introductory developmental steps of VolunTourism into the second decade of the new millennium. In Decade 1.0, we saw natural and man-made disasters of unprecedented caliber and their subsequent influence on the formation of VolunTourism.
We also saw the emergence of an approach to travel and voluntary service that is still very much in its infancy. Looking back at what I thought about VolunTourism in 2000, I realize that some of my thinking has changed; the fundamentals, however, are intact, yet there is some re-tooling to do. Where to look for inspiration?
Fortunately, I don’t have to look too far. The cover story of the December 2009 issue of Foreign Policy magazine is ”The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers.” The opening salvo reads:
From the brains behind Iran’s Green Revolution to the economic Cassandra who actually did have a crystal ball, they had the big ideas that shaped our world in 2009. Read on to see the 100 minds that mattered most in the year that was.”
I will not comment on who made or did not make the list. I simply recommend that you take the time to read through the entries. Some of the names are likely familiar to you; others, well, not so much. For me, what I found to be particularly helpful were some of the comments by these thinkers as to who influenced their thought, what’s on their reading list, or what they thought was the best idea or worst idea of 2009. Here are a few that I picked out:
- Rajendra Pachauri #5 - “Best idea of 2009: Vegetarianism as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
- Malcolm Gladwell #19 - influenced by Richard Thaler, Gary Klein, Richard Nisbett, Iain Pears
- Chris Anderson #24 - “Worst idea: Regulating bloggers.”
- Esther Duflo #41 - “Reading list: The Emperor, by Ryszard Kapuscinski; The Biographer’s Tale, by A.S. Byatt; In Xanadu, by William Dalrymple.”
- Esther Dyson #70 - “Best idea: Train unemployed workers to be teachers and build retirement homes next to orphanages.”
It is a long list, 100 people, with quite a number of economists, as you might imagine in a year that was dominated by economics. Nevertheless, I have found this to be very helpful in beginning the process of constructing some guidance for the journey that lies ahead.
It was in a conversation last week with Linda Chew, Managing Editor of Travelanthropist.com, I had a chance to hear the ’sweet’ words of my original thoughts on VolunTourism. I was immediately inspired; instantaneously the years did roll back when she said,
What I like, and we talk a lot about volunteer travel on our website, what I like about the idea of volunteer tourism is the idea that it’s a combination of tourism and volunteering. I think that the two parts are very essential for it to work well. You know, a lot of people volunteer and neglect the tourism part, but I think tourism really provides the backdrop to understanding the destination - the people, the culture, and the pride of the nation. I don’t think you can fully appreciate the people without knowing about their country or getting to know and seeing their country.
And the volunteer part is very important as well, because it is a very tangible part of what you can do for the people or the place. So, I really believe that if you have the two, in a good proportion, you really do get a full experience out of that travel.”
The key to moving forward will be to maintain the connection to the core values and principles upon which VolunTourism was established. These have remained unchanged, despite the adoption of the term by others who have re-purposed it over time. VolunTourism is travel. VolunTourism is voluntary service. These are true statements. But VolunTourism is something else, something emergent and continuing to emerge. And it is this very thing that inspires me each and every day.
As more minds around the world begin to explore VolunTourism, we will continue to see interpretations of what it is and what it means. Creative license will be at a premium. My hope, however, is that regardless of the creativity and ingenuity that is applied, we will invariably, like the compass pointing north, return to the conscious realization that it is truly a combination of voluntary service and travel & tourism.
It is from these foundational roots - ‘balanced engagement rooted in reciprocity‘ - that we can re-tool, re-formulate, and refine in Decade 2.0. I’m looking forward to the learning and sharing - as Linda says, “we are all life-long learners.”