Is The VolunTourism Community Ready For An Oath?
I was recently asked to read a short article in The Economist (6 -12 June 2009) entitled “Forswearing Greed.” (You can find it online here.) As one can imagine, reading a description of young people gathering to utter words such as “‘serve the greater good‘” or “‘act with utmost integrity‘” or “guard against ‘decisions and behaviour that advance my own narrow ambitions, but harm the enterprise and the societies it serves,’” well, it can certainly raise the excitement level, even if momentarily. [How many of us could actually answer affirmatively that we are in alignment with these worthy objectives?]
VolunTourism, like business schools these days, is no stranger to criticism and questions of integrity; this will only continue to expand, whether it is generated from observers or those who are intimately involved as stakeholders. Taking an oath will not, in and of itself, limit the criticism. In fact, as is the case with the effort described above for MBAs at the Harvard Business School, it may increase the criticism. And there are many questions to be answered:
- Will an oath be necessary for each stakeholder group – communities, operators, suppliers, and voluntourists?
- What will be included in the oath?
- When will the oath be taken?
- Who will measure its value and success?
- What happens to those who fall short on their oaths?
It might prove to be a valuable exercise to compile elements of an oath; even if the oath is not actually taken, it could serve for those who are coming into this space, especially voluntourism operators, to have something to guide them through the process. Guidance is a welcome support for those trying to tackle the responsibility of launching a voluntourism initiative. An oath could be an excellent first step in better understanding what is involved.
It could also re-energize those who have become mechanical in their processes where voluntourism is concerned. Burnout is a possibility even in a remarkable space like this; no one would deny such a statement. And with the competition becoming more strategic via advancements in social networking, search engine optimization (SEO), and website analytics, what may once have been a “feel-good” entrepreneurial effort is becoming a highly-contested, flat-out business.
We’ll see who steps forward to embrace this idea, as it will most definitely need to come from members of the VolunTourism Community.
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