The VolunTourist™ is a premium Newsletter for the Travel Trade. For those interested in discovering what is happening in the world of VolunTourism™ and seeking emerging practices, general information, and case studies, this is your Source.
 So You May Know
Could Voluntourism See Significant Growth During Obama 2.0?
From The Publisher
Prevailing wisdom holds that a U.S. President awaits a second term in office in order to leave the proverbial legacy for which he will be known and remembered. With four years to concentrate on this life-long remembrance, we can only speculate as to the nature of Obama's legacy. What is interesting, and presents an opportunity rarely encountered, however, is the fact that the United States will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of its National Park System while Obama is still in the White House. Equally intriguing is the ambitious goal the U.S. has to increase its inbound tourism numbers to 100 million international arrivals by 2021. Could a facilitated and coordinated effort to develop a robust U.S. Voluntourism Initiative, centered initially on the National Parks, enhance America's image abroad by engaging international visitors in preserving these great open spaces and providing them opportunities to interact with the citizens living in the surrounding gateway communities? >>Read More>>
FEATURE ARTICLE 1
Voluntourism: What To Look For In 2013
By David Clemmons
Another year has come and gone. Voluntourism saw some dramatic changes in 2012 – the significant "decline" of the middle man and the "rise" of the independent voluntourist, for example. We saw Kickstarter and other crowd-funding outlets play an important role in the creation of documentaries, books, and even voluntourism journeys. We saw the media directing its attention to the negative impacts of voluntourism, while a number of NGOs, bloggers, and outspoken individuals initiated a notable campaign to put an end to orphanage tourism, broadly, and orphanage voluntourism, more specifically. We saw a measurable increase in the number of animal-centric voluntourism programs across the globe, including those creatures found in the oceans and waterways of the world. And, another set of voluntourism guidelines was published. What can we expect in 2013? >>Read More>> global perception that sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a burgeoning 'AIDS orphan crisis', coupled with growing trends in volunteer tourism as reported in Time of 26 July [2007] (Vacationing like Brangelina), has produced a potentially high-risk situation for already vulnerable young children in the region, asserts LINDA RICHTER.
 FEATURE ARTICLE 2
"Is Luxury Voluntourism On The Decline?"
By David Clemmons This "question" found its way into my inbox in late November 2012 from a senior editor at Conde Nast Traveler. Intriguing indeed, given that more than four and half years had passed since Conde Nast originally covered voluntourism in May 2008. I responded to the original email which prompted a more detailed response including requests for insights and answers to a series of questions. What follows is some of the correspondence between us along with answers to the questions posited by the senior editor. >>Read On>>
UnXpected Your Letters To VolunTourism.org
Thank you for your letters, questions, and comments to VolunTourism.org. >>Read On>>
Wisdom & Insight "How To Save The World aka. Where Should I Volunteer?"
By Amy Evangelista, Voluntourista.org "A Project" Blog
Amy Evangelista did something not completely irregular in the world in which we live today. She quit her job as a volunteer coordinator for a large NGO in Oregon and "set sail" as a voluntourist into the world. She even incorporates the word into her blog -- "Voluntourista: A Project." The following post appeared on her blog recently and touches on a number of points that are at once relevant and applicable for those considering becoming voluntourists. Enjoy wisdom that is rooted in experience garnered from practicing a "voluntourista life." >>Read On>> climate change wasn't something on your radar as a voluntourist or voluntourism operator in the first decade of the new millennium, then it most assuredly will be in Decade 2.0. In order to discover what impacts climate change will have on VolunTourism, we might first consider how VolunTourism might impact the effects of climate change. Even a cursory analysis reveals that there are indeed projects that could be adopted by voluntourists and voluntourism operators to counter the consequences of climate change. If Copenhagen polluted your positivity, then the least we can do is proactively review what the VolunTourism Community can do in regard to Global Climate Change in the year and years ahead.
 VT-Lines The Harming-Helping Equilibrium That Is Voluntourism In Today's Media
Read enough articles on voluntourism via the blogosphere and/or media outlets and you will feel like you are watching a metronome at a piano instructor's home. Depending on the time-beat, you do not know how quickly an author will switch sides -- harmful or helpful -- to express a particular point of view on the subject. With such indecision, the question, which is likely becoming more pertinent, is: "whether all of this 'harmful-helpful' rhetoric is, well, harmful or helpful itself?" >>Read On>>
3-Q's Digging Into "The VolunTourist" Vault: Answers to VIQs Part II
For this issue, we continue our celebration of ten years of VolunTourism.org and dig further into The VolunTourist Webcast archives to come up with three questions and answers on the subjects of Communications, Faith (religious practice), and Corporate Social Responsibility and their respective connections to VolunTourism. You'll hear from Peggy Bendel, of Development Counsellors International, Richard Duerksen, of Maranatha International, and Donnell Ocker, of The Whole Planet Foundation, as they provide answers for this issue's 3-Q's. >>Read On>> point that can be made about VolunTourism is the fact that it is opening wider the door of creativity for entrepreneurs who wish to integrate their business activities with the fulfillment of a social purpose. Fortunately, there are some excellent resources and publications offering practical advice to support you in the ongoing operations of your noble ventures. Jeff Klein, author of Working For Good, is one wisdom outlet you can access. Here are Jeff's responses to my 3Qs for this issue.
 Supply Chain
Where The Serengeti Meets Voluntourism: UNITE the World with Africa
While Africa, and Tanzania in particular, has provided the backdrop for numerous volunteer travel engagements over the decades, the majority of these experiences have still focused on what visitors can bring to the continent in the form of voluntary service and in-kind contributions. UNITE the World with Africa, however, is just as eager to expose travelers to the touristic opportunities, including such options as a safari and a hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro. If the goal is to unite visitors with people and places, can there be a better combination than volunteering and touring within the context of a given destination? >>Read On>>
Study & Research with Dr. Nancy McGehee The Experience Of Children With International Volunteer Tourists: A Case Study In An Orphanage In Ghana
For this issue of the research forum section of The VolunTourist Newsletter, we are pleased to share highlights from Ms. Hanna Tabea Voelkl's recent field work from the summer of 2012. As a fullfillment for her Master of Arts in 'Children, Youth, and International Development' at Brunel University in London, UK, she conducted a qualitative case study in Ghana that focused on the experiences of local children in an orphanage with international volunteer tourists. The purpose was to gain an understanding of the children's perceptions of the experience and the nature of their relationship with the volunteers. Furthermore, the study aimed to gather knowledge about the volunteers' impact in terms of actual sustainable development in the children's lives. >>Read On>> most of our regular readers know, there is much debate over what benefits short-term volunteer tourism can bring to international development. As a fulfillment of her MSc in Development Studies (2009) at London South Bank University in the UK, Jenny Morgan undertook a study of the volunteer tourism industry; in particular, assessing what benefits it can bring to international development. Following a review of relevant literature, Jenny, using both quantitative and qualitative questioning, questioned the four main actors within the volunteer tourism chain: sending organisations; previous/current volunteers; partner organisations and host organisations/projects. In total, Jenny conducted 42 surveys over 2 months, and what follows are the major findings from her study. | Volume 8 Issue 4 Contents
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