Short-Term Or Long-Term: Is One Better Than The Other?
Some of you may have read Dr. Nancy McGehee’s Research Forum in the latest issue of The VolunTourist Newsletter. She hosted Ms. Jenny Morgan, of the Overseas Development Institute, who wrote her master’s thesis on volunteer tourism and offered a summary of her research for volume six, issue two: “Volunteer Tourism: What Are The Benefits For International Development?”
In her piece, Ms. Morgan raises some of the criticisms of volunteer tourism (voluntourism) including the length of the engagement by the volunteer tourist. She reiterated some of the commentary that has been offered by such entities as VSO, Tourism Concern and others, as well as academics, who have been critical of short-term commitments by voluntourists.
This past week, however, we received some new information on this matter of short-term versus long-term commitments from Tiana Rodrigue, of the University of Toronto, Scarborough. Ms. Rodrigue’s thesis is entitled “Rethinking Short-Term Aid: The Benefits of Short-Term vs. Long-Term International Volunteerism.” She sums up the pros and cons of short-term engagements in her conclusion:
This shift has harnessed both critiques and promoters. On the negative side, there is a perception that newer programs (especially the pay-to-volunteer programs) have shifted the way in which organizations practice development. This has contributed to fears of a development increasingly led by profit-seeking initiatives where volunteers become the drivers of placement goals and characteristics. Shorter term placements may also encourage project implementations that are ill-placed and inappropriate given the context. The hosting of short-term volunteers are also said to place greater burdens on partner organizations as they require greater psychological exertion than do long-term volunteers. On the positive side, proponents argue that past criticisms of short-term development may be mitigated by an increasing realization for the potential benefits accrued through short-term, intense knowledge transfers. Shorter term placement may also provide greater opportunities for professionals to go abroad and share efficiently driven tangible skills. Supporters of this transformation claim that the proliferation of short-term placements has not been completely negative. They suggest that one must not refute the positive impacts that interim positions may provide in the developing world.”
What did she discover through her research? I suggest you read the full conclusion, but here is a short snippet:
Overall, the findings suggested that short-term volunteers are more efficient and more often accomplish the organization’s short and long-term goals. Long-term volunteers on the other hand were more often seen as going beyond mandate expectations. The conflicting results emerging out of the evaluation of volunteer benefits suggest one of two possibilities. First, that there are no existing correlations between the benefits accrued by short-term and long-term international volunteerism. Second, that there are differences between both groups.”
What Ms. Rodrigue has confirmed through her research is, well, more research needs to be done. We really do not know whether one approach is better than the other. Each approach has merit; should this surprise us? Perhaps. But, I think there is something else at work here.
I have been reviewing the work of Barry Johnson, author of Polarity Management. In his book he discusses ‘tradition bearers’ and ‘crusaders’ and their respective inabilities to see the entirety of a dilemma. “… tradition bearers are essential to the health of the system,” he writes. “They are the ones who encourage the organization to breathe deeply and get the most out of each breath.” On the other hand, “… crusaders are essential to the health of the system. They are the push to inhale when the organization has been exhaling too long or the urge to exhale when the organization has been inhaling too long.”
When it comes to short-term versus long-term volunteering, we have ‘tradition-bearers’ and ‘crusaders.’ What we may not like is that both of these perspectives are, inevitably, necessary, if we are to make the most of VolunTourism. We are clearly seeing these perspectives as they play out in the criticisms and responses to criticisms of short-term volunteering. Dr. Johnson suggests that rather than seeking a solution to ‘a problem’ that we learn how to ‘manage a dilemma,’ in this case, between short-term and long-term placements. (I’ll touch more on Dr. Johnson’s work in the next issue of The VolunTourist Newsletter.)
Getting back to Ms. Rodrigue’s study, the item that struck me most was the finding that recognized the importance of clearly defined, well-described projects, and how this was of particular importance for short-term engagements. This is a theme that has reverberated throughout the VolunTourism Community over the years – well-defined ‘job’ descriptions make a significant difference for voluntourists. (I will discuss the connection between volunteering and ‘work’ as it relates to “setting yourself up for progress” in the next issue of The VolunTourist Newsletter in Part 2 of “How To Make The Most Of Your VolunTourism Experience.”)
No doubt this short-term/long-term debate will continue to rise to the surface of conversations as VolunTourism continues its evolutionary journey and adoption around the globe. At some point, we will move beyond the debate. For now, suffice it to say, at least we are getting access to research that is actually addressing the issue and will, hopefully, help us better understand this as ‘a dilemma to manage’ rather than ‘a problem to be solved.’
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