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I just visited Costa Rica last week, but it was more of a mission trip to build a well. We were in a fairly run-down town far out of the way of typical tourists

by TheGRS 8y ago

I just visited Costa Rica last week, but it was more of a mission trip to build a well. We were in a fairly run-down town far out of the way of typical tourists (though surprisingly we still saw a few pass through!). Got to meet many locals and eat with them, probably wouldn't trade that experience for anything. When we inevitably did some more tourist-y things in La Fortuna it felt kind of weird and unsatisfying. So if you're interested in that sort of unique experience I recommend looking up some nonprofits in need of volunteers.

wenc 8y ago
Not to diminish your good intentions and the obviously profitable experiences that you've gained, but I would be hesitant to recommend voluntourism without any qualifications. There are obviously benefits to the people who go, but there is also potential of harm to the communities visited -- more so than just the usual tourism -- in the name of doing good. Skilled/educational trips like medical missions that provide relief and sustainable/appropriate skills transmission to providers in the local community tend to be the most positive/neutral, but efforts like helping to rebuild schools, etc. with volunteers who have no specific expertise tend to be problematic. (issues include depriving livelihood from local builders, badly rebuilt buildings owing to lack of skill that have to be rebuilt, creating a culture of dependency, damage caused to the dignity of providers in local communities, the constant impermanency of relationships can especially affect children in the local community, etc.). Many thoughtful missions organizations are aware of these issues and try to plan missions trips that mitigate such harm. There's a book called "When Helping Hurts" [1] that guides a lot of the new thinking in this space. Again good intentions are laudable, and we should not be dissuaded from doing good in the world, but acting with discernment and wisdom ensures that actual good, and not harm, is done in the visited communities. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Helping_Hurts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Helping_Hurts
- pjmorris 8y ago
  My wife and I 'When Helping Hurts' last year, and I'd highly recommend it as a resource for thoughtful volunteerism. Beyond the content, I thought it had the best set of questions/exercises I've seen in a book of this kind.
- TheGRS 8y ago
  Fair enough, but I wouldn't go so far as to make people afraid of trying it either, which feels like an unintended consequence of this line of thinking. The organization I went through at least worked out of the community and had experienced locals working for them who were doing most of the actual drilling.

by TheGRS 8y ago

wenc 8y ago

Not to diminish your good intentions and the obviously profitable experiences that you've gained, but I would be hesitant to recommend voluntourism without any qualifications. There are obviously benefits to the people who go, but there is also potential of harm to the communities visited -- more so than just the usual tourism -- in the name of doing good. Skilled/educational trips like medical missions that provide relief and sustainable/appropriate skills transmission to providers in the local community tend to be the most positive/neutral, but efforts like helping to rebuild schools, etc. with volunteers who have no specific expertise tend to be problematic. (issues include depriving livelihood from local builders, badly rebuilt buildings owing to lack of skill that have to be rebuilt, creating a culture of dependency, damage caused to the dignity of providers in local communities, the constant impermanency of relationships can especially affect children in the local community, etc.). Many thoughtful missions organizations are aware of these issues and try to plan missions trips that mitigate such harm. There's a book called "When Helping Hurts" [1] that guides a lot of the new thinking in this space. Again good intentions are laudable, and we should not be dissuaded from doing good in the world, but acting with discernment and wisdom ensures that actual good, and not harm, is done in the visited communities. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Helping_Hurts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Helping_Hurts

pjmorris 8y ago
My wife and I 'When Helping Hurts' last year, and I'd highly recommend it as a resource for thoughtful volunteerism. Beyond the content, I thought it had the best set of questions/exercises I've seen in a book of this kind.
TheGRS 8y ago
Fair enough, but I wouldn't go so far as to make people afraid of trying it either, which feels like an unintended consequence of this line of thinking. The organization I went through at least worked out of the community and had experienced locals working for them who were doing most of the actual drilling.