Documentary 'The Voluntourist': Is voluntourism doing more harm than good?
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2015
- IS VOLUNTOURISM DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD?
Voluntourism, the intersection of volunteering and tourism, is often criticised as doing more harm than good to local communities.
In this documentary we ask volunteers why they decided to volunteer, how their experience is going and if they think they are having an impact on local communities.
Please visit the website for more information: www.the-voluntourist.com
If you wouldn't do it in your own country why should you do it in another country? I know for a fact that in my country I would not be allowed to teach at a school or to work in an orphanage. This is such a huge issue especially regarding children, not just orphans but children who do in fact have families.
Hi Maddy! I'm wondering: does your country have a good school system? Regulated and funded by local governments? Are there enough educated teachers in your country? Do parents have money to pay for their childrens' education in your country?
Now think of these countries were volunteers go to participate in a project. Would these children have had any access to education or knowledge without these schools...? These programs are normally not made for tourists but erected by the local communities working together with on profit organisations that have the funds to sustain education for kids and jobs for teachers.
What I am saying is; you cannot compare your own privileged situation with those of people who were less fortunate.
@@itssuus Okay, but that argument only stands if you ignore that countries are not isolated bubbles. We live in a globalised world. And, most likely the situation there has something to do with the situation here. If you care for there, you should care for what's happening here. I am also asking you to look at the privilege speaking from your argument.
@@ceciliehilmer8648 Although I think voluntourism is silly in general. Your weird nationalist country-based argument just doesn't make sense and is just overall annoying. Areas have quantifiable levels of poverty its not just the same everywhere, and different places have different applicable skill sets that will be helpful. Your just kinda talking out of your ass and making up some fake standard that doesn't exist.
@@d.barrett578 My argument is actually the opposite of nationalist. And I didn't make a contra argument through an insult (as you are). I also didn't deny that there are different levels of poverty, in the contrary, I was making an argument of how these are connected and that if you jus open your eyes that you can do a lot from where you live... if you are not just interested in being in exotic places but with a good conscience. What I am saying is that voluntourism is more than jus silly.
I was a substitute teacher in the U.S. Yes, they do throw untrained people into classrooms in the U.S. for short periods of time. I taught in 2 different school systems. Received zero training. I had a college degree and some teacher training, but most do not and the schools don't require either. And most assignments are just one day. Two weeks would be a very long assignment. So apparently it does happen in the U.S.
good film. Even my work as a skilled physician with Doctors without Borders has been criticized for ethics and sustainability. Always ask yourself if you are doing more harm than good. Sometimes it's better to just go and be a tourist and learn the language.
Actually, they even do not help at all, voluntourism is a ego-related trip.
The selfish feeling that YOU, you are doing something to help is much more important in the experience than to know if you actually help or not. the importance is the feeling you have and the movie you make yourself live in.
There are brave young people, but they have been cheated by the international agencies proposing this kind of trip for thousands of dollars a few weeks, using the imaginary of young good-willing students and building this movie for them, and the worse is that these same agencies are giving this money to sometimes pseudo-orphanage which steal kids from their family for get money, or sell them.
Finally, note that it is very strange to have to pay this amount of money (even any amount) while you use your free time to work with people, don't you find? And do you really think that a 2-week experience can be helpful for the children? Of course, you are doing the same that the guy before you did, and the one before him.
A lot of other jobs are possible if you want to help, you can contact local NGO, find job/internship abroad and even start by your own country. Especially, do something in which you have real skills!
And the most important, this fucking agencies are to blame and have to be controlled and punished: ProjectsAbroad, Club TELI, and others. They are flavoring the poverty and discrimination to allow white people from the rich world to live their philanthropist reality show, poor people...
Timothé Delhaise I completely agree with this statement - thank you, Timothé. The other unspoken consequence is that it is tax exempt through a loophole that harms the citizens of both countries and the dependency of the rural areas.
thank you very much for filming this Documentary that give me a thought of what is happening now in Cambodia.
thanks for this documentary! very well made and clear, i agree with some of the other comments would be nice to hear some kids' perspectives as well :) hopefully future researchers/documentary makers can take that into consideration
wow...... The Cambodian guy who says "well, we have a minimum of 2 weeks, but we never close our doors. Some people can come for few days".... great. It is crystal clear they put the wellness of te kids before their pockets.....
I live in Cambodia and this is sooo common. The most of the local NGOs working with kids dont care about their education. They just see them as a way to get money.
+kailastaila which minute?
@@donboscosolomonislands3769 2:07
What a great business, people paying to volunteer.
Great documentary, thank you for this.
Thank you for this amazing documentary
very good documentary!
i think it would've been cool if they interviewed some of the cambodian kids and see how they feel (at least those who are good at english, and if they're not - they could use a translator).
Great documentary!
Great documentary... in my point of view voluntarism has it's own pros and cons. On the positive sides, voluntarism is the best platform for the young generation to give something valuable to other community specifically to the country that have extreme poverty, such as giving them the basic education so that they also got the opportunity to learn like other people. However, from the negative sides, it also can be a risk due to the quit challenging work for the volunteer because they need to do it with willingness and use the energy, time and passion. Besides, the volunteer also needs to take time to get along with the community in order to understand their lifestyle.
But is what they do really valuable to locals :( or is it just a business ?
Amazing video great job
Please activate the settings for adding subtitles. I'd like to translate into Portuguese.
me too. I am brazilian and I would love to send the video for my folks that dont talk English. Please!
Hi Juliana and Luna, thank you for pointing this out. It should work now. Feel free to add Portuguese subtitles, thank you so much!
vc já conseguiu traduzir?
THANK YOU!
I think it can be done only by professional workers such as doctors, nurses or sth like that
As long as you learn about the culture of the country you’re going to and you listen to what the local people need instead of taking charge with the savior complex attitude.
@@leliapurky9462 This, mostly. If you have no skills or education, you can still help, but you have to have the attitute tha tyou're there to learn, and to follow instructions. And that will be mostly simple jobs.
The dutch girl (or polish) I didn´t understand... saying it is amazing because everybody say hello to you when you go to the supermarket....Oh for fuck shake. Of course they do! It is in their culture! They say hello to white foreigners all the time, and they are so happy that you go to their town to spend your money there!! That doesn´t show that you are doing a good job. They think is good for their kids to learn english from a white teacher even if they dont have no fucking idea about teaching. Thye dont know that their kids don´t learn nothing, and that they will be better educated with a khmer teacher that spend the whole year with them.
The idea is if you really want to "HELP" at least be a qualifed profesional for it a Doctor, Teacher, etc. Because if you are not a qualified profesional just a young boy our girl you can do it easily in your own country wherever you came from Uk,Usa, Europe..etc. These people do it as the guy said for the cv, for the experience for after it put it in social media and receive likes, for own interests than "purely help others" those kids actually are just used (recommended inform you after the psychology effects for the kids to get attached to someone and then be abandoned every time, and how the local small industry is affect by these NGOs). You want to help? Visit old people in your own country in geriatrics, volunteer to give food, travel and support the small local business and DONT NEGOCIATE A SPECIAL PRICE, believe me you help then more ,volunteer even in your own house cleaning our reappearing something !! . But of course is not " cool to post it right"😲😲😲😲😲
It mean, I don't think it's that weird that young adults want to volunteer in another country. It's not just about 'saving the world' or helping, it's also about learning about another culture and way of life, and to get ingrained in that culture. I definitely think that there can be value in volunteering in another country. But you have to do it for more than 2 weeks (at least 3 months, but preferably more) so you can get some kind of training, and the jobs should be to assist, with the attitute that you're here to learn and find a mutually beneficial situation. Like, hey, I want to learn a language, or learn how a Cambodian schoolsystem works, so I volunteer, but I see it as an internship, where I carefully follow instructions set up by the local teacher. Some institutions are underfunded. I've worked for one in Bolivia, an after-school program. There were 2 main caretakers in charge, and volunteers were there to lighten the load. We'd make meals for the kids, help with washing up, and help with home-work if some kids needed some one-on-one time. We weren't taking anything away from anyone.
Correction she did not pay 2000 ponds her parents did
this is really a good work as with the help of volunteer tourism we can reach to the peoples who want help as it will also have very positive impact on society o help others .Also their is ample opportunities in volunteer tourism
As a foreigner living 20 years in a developing country I can confirm that the whole volontourism is a huge business, rare "exeptions just confirm the rule" is more than sadly true.
38.000 views but 12 comments.
Wait a minute...
yeah right🤔🤔🤔🤔
of course, no one in the business want's more attention give to critics... cen silent and less attention is the result...
Why do people pay to volunteer? That's like paying your employer for you to be able to work.
then just don't volunteer aymore.
That is not idea, the idea is if you really want to "help" at least be qualifed a profesional for it a Doctors, Teachers, etc. Because if you are not a qualified profesional just a young boy our girl you can do it easily in your own country wherever you came from Uk,Usa, Europe..etc. These people do it as the guy said for the cv, for the experience for after it put it in social media and receive likes, for own interests than "purely help others" those kids actually are just used (recommended inform you after the psychology effects for the kids to get attached to someone and then be abandoned every time, and how the local small industry is affect by these NGOs). You want to help? Visit old people in your own country in geriatrics, volunteer to give food, travel and support the small local business and DONT NEGOCIATE A SPECIAL PRICE, believe me you help then more ,volunteer even in your own house cleaning our reappearing something !! . But of course is not " cool to post it right"😲😲😲😲😲
What Voluntourism can an ex-servieman be engaged in doing?
Work with those who have suffered from the effects warmongering.
No shortage of those.
Lol. Or...you could stop furthering neoliberalism in your own nation?
Not exactly fair and balanced.