Discussion about entry: Language, Cultural Immersion, and Volunteering – Off the Beaten Path
This is discussion about Language, Cultural Immersion, and Volunteering – Off the Beaten Path.
This is discussion about Language, Cultural Immersion, and Volunteering – Off the Beaten Path.
Comments
Thank you for your comments, your response means a lot to us. We can really see the benefits to most volunteer as they spend more time in the community and start to feel more closely connected to their host’s lives.
We speak personally with many of our volunteers during and after their programs and, informally, we get a lot of very positive responses. We also formally measure the impact to the volunteers through a written feedback process. Unfortunately not everyone responds and I suspect that those who have had a harder time adjusting are less likely to respond. We use the feedback, both positive and negative, to improve the program and to better prepare participants for the difficulties they may face in adjusting.
One thing we learned early on, through formal and informal feedback, is that the first three or four days are the hardest for most participants. They often feel out of place, home-sick, and sometimes depressed. With our local partners we have started to focus on providing extra attention through the first week to make sure they have the best opportunity to work through this difficult period. We also mention this and let participants know they should expect this when we communicate with them pre-program. And, to get them past this period as quickly as possible, we fill days with a lot of activities – the thinking is that by limiting the idol time participants will be too distracted to feel out of place.
We have not been looking at re-adjustment to “normal” life after their program, but that is a good idea that we should definitely consider when re-working our feedback forms.
Bkilcull – Ocotal, Nicaragua is a great place to immerse where you won’t get the feeling of being preyed on. Visitors are still a novelty, but that is likely to change in the coming years. Safety is a huge consideration for us. We work closely with families and staff to try and create a safe environment. As you hinted, as tourism becomes more mainstream safety will probably become even more of an issue. Thanks for the feedback.
I think this program is great! Personally, I would be 100% more inclined and confident to volunteer knowing I had a few week training and adjustment period before I was thrown into my new environment. The origins of your innovation section really enabled me to fully understand your innovation and the importance of it. Do you have any measurement of the impact of the volunteer’s life after they return to their home country? Do they ever have any trouble re-adjusting to their “normal” life? Maybe that should be included in your measurement of success. I think expanding this program to other parts of the world would be great and I wish you the best of luck!
I loved this organization because it is something that interest me. When I travel I always try my hardest not to be a "typical tourist." I try to speak the language of the country I am in and immerse myself in the locals ways. However, it can be difficult to do sometimes because certain countries are very geared to preying on tourists and having them see what they want them to see and not what the country is actually about. I like that the organization does not look at the country/community that they are working with as a "in need/aid" but as a partner. I think that if the organization advertises its' availability to give language and cultural immersion to travelers who would otherwise not receive it than they would have a strong advertising campaign. I think that the organization should also be careful about the countries that they are working with since most of them are developing countries and there can be safety hazards.