1st Edition
Learning and Volunteering Abroad for Development Unpacking Host Organization and Volunteer Rationales
Learning/volunteer abroad programmes provide opportunities for cross-cultural understanding, partnership-building, and cooperative development, but there are also significant structural challenges and inequality of opportunity issues that result from these partnerships between host organizations in the Global South and learning/volunteer abroad for development (LVA4D) participants from the Global North. Learning and Volunteering Abroad for Development aims to unpack the complex benefits and disadvantages of learning/volunteer abroad programmes, using insights from the volunteers who travel abroad and the communities who host them.
Based on empirical research within both volunteer and host communities, this book provides students and scholars with an alternative framework for a more careful and nuanced analysis of international volunteering programmes, highlighting ways to improve critical reflection, development outcomes, and intercultural competence.
Supported by a website with additional learning resources, this book is an integral resource for senior undergraduate and graduate students interested in going abroad, as well as for scholars or development professionals who are leading or researching such programmes.
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Learning\Volunteer Abroad for Development (LVA4D) Starts with Unpacking
Chapter 2: An Overview of the Diverse Volunteer Abroad Options, Trends and Motivations
Chapter 3: LVA4D and Cross-cultural Engagement
Chapter 4: Skills Development and Testing a Career Choice: Capital Accumulation and Perceived Benefits
Chapter 5: It’s All About the Timing: A ‘Place’ for Adventure and Travel
Chapter 6: Having an ‘Impact’ and Other Helping Narratives
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Understanding Rationales and the Possibilities for Effective Practices in Volunteer Abroad Programs
Biography
Rebecca Tiessen is Associate Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada.
"International youth volunteering is often portrayed as bad or good for development. This book sheds light on how it can be valued and improved, taking into account the structural inequalities at the root of global injustice. It highlights the crucial importance of solidarity, deeper global citizenship and most importantly doing what local hosts need and want." — Peter Devereux, Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Western Australia
"This important and timely book is essential reading for anyone designing, facilitating or participating in student learning/volunteer abroad programs. It tackles the complexity of the pedagogical and ethical tensions involved in cross-cultural teaching and learning, through critical insight into the experiences of volunteers and their host partners in developing countries." — Nichole Georgeou, Director of the Humanitarian and Development Studies Research Initiative (HADRI), Western Sydney University, Australia
