Criticisms of Volunteerism
The root of negative volunteerism is the group of people that are uninformed. I would be willing to argue that all subsequent problems stem from the lack of information or research on the subject or service and/or the social issue itself. If volunteers are not informed on the intricacies and complexities of what causes the problem, the history, why it is still an issue today, and where to go from there, they will not reach a conclusion that is a comprehensive solution. If they do not have a solution that encompasses all the problem’s complexities, volunteers will not provide any impactful service.
From here, the starting point being ignorant volunteers, service is not set on a good path. A wide variety of issues tag along with the uninformed, whether they mean for them to or not.
Countries who are aware of the dangers of the uninformed volunteer may choose to opt out of the philanthropic aid. And many do. If the community does not want any outside influence or aid for their problems, there is already a barrier formed between the community and impactful service. This may stem from arrogant volunteers. Too many, myself included, have assumed they know the reasons why this group of people suffer. We think if only this said group of people would just accept our help, because we know everything. And we also know what assuming does. So therein lies my point. It can come across as very arrogant to the group in need if volunteers come in with solutions in mind without asking 1) if the community wants them there and 2) what the community would like help with. Without these crucial questions, the project has no real foundation for impact or efficacy to be built on.
However, this is not the case for some service abroad. International orphanages rely heavily on uninformed volunteers and provide a good example of how a group of well-intentioned, but unfortunately ignorant, volunteers can have a negative impact. Unbeknownst to the volunteer, children are taken from their homes (some with one or even two parents) to be placed in an orphanage. Why? To create profit. Volunteers from around the world see advertisements of orphanages in need of clothes, supplies, education, English language (because maybe if they just knew a little bit of the English ABCs they would be a little better off, right?), money, and rich Americans. The uninformed volunteers see a broken country with poor children who don’t have families or homes to go to. Orphanages depend on people to sympathize for their people. This creates a cycle of dependency. The volunteers that come perpetuate the problem and prevent any real progress from being made. The orphanages make their living on advertising sad children, more volunteers come to visit, more international aid comes for the country, and the need for orphanages goes up when it was intended to go down. This can be seen closer to home, too, through welfare and food stamps. There is no incentive to become independent. Similarly, the international orphanages receiving aid from other countries don’t want to give that up. If the children in the orphanage started to be happy, that would mean a reduction of supplies.
Promises are bad for service too. As someone who seeks opportunities to help in everyday situations, relationships, and friendships, it is very rewarding to provide the one thing that people need, whatever that one thing is. Promises are made to lessen the pain of leaving, of withdrawing the help that improved the social issue or problem, and of severing connections with a community that has touched your life and you theirs. These promises make it easier for the party that leaves, not for the party that stays and awaits the fulfillment. This can actually damage a community even though it provides temporary solace.
Good intentions can further worsen the problem if the actions being taken are not sustainable and well-structured for the futures of the people we are trying to help.
Once criticisms are brought to my attention, they can’t be taken back. Knowledge is a burden and those who carry it have the obligation to act accordingly. This is why I feel I was a little bit more aware for the first time during the GreenWorks trip in Asheville, North Carolina over the weekend 10/21/16-10/23/16.
First, let me start by saying that I was the uninformed volunteer that I talked about in preceding paragraphs. I had no idea what food insecurity meant other than people not having access to food. I didn’t know what sustainability was, and I had never volunteered in any service project that had dealt with any of these topics. By the end of the weekend, I would say not much had changed on that front. However, I realized a momentous shift in my views of impactful service.
The goal of the work we did was to improve access to fresh produce in the community of Asheville alongside its people. I saw the plans myself. There was to be an orchard with 18 beautiful apple trees, a pollinator garden, a stone-paved path, a white picket fence, and all the quaintness and picturesque characteristics that accompany this general idea. However, the group of volunteers I was with were also uninformed and we didn’t work alongside the community. While the community did ask for the orchard and identified that as a need, the orchard itself was flawed from the start. Halfway through planting 18 300-pound apple trees, a couple started to fall over in the ground. Each tree had to be tied from at least two sides to hold it up in the ground. The main roots were cut too short and stuck out of the ground. Some trees were already dead and the rest were given a couple months to live. The orchard wouldn’t survive the winter.
Now there are 18 holes in the ground fit for 300-pound trees where kids in the neighborhood previously played. Asheville was not given access to fresh produce, and the work we did had a negative impact on the land.
Every criticism of volunteerism that I have learned about thus far has made me uncomfortable, sad, surprised, and a little disheartened. However, I would not want to continue going along ignorant of these inherent aspects of service just to be “in bliss” and it has made me think differently, and slower. I take in more details and ask for more after I’ve absorbed the first round. I feel obligated to change the way service is approached to avoid these negative aspects as much as possible.
In order to have meaningful service for both parties involved, community identified need is a MUST. There is no other way. Community-based need is crucial and should be inherent. Service does not work if the people do not want it. Rather than gathering people together who want to do service and deciding the service based on what the group has to offer. It must be the other way around. The community should identify what they would like to see improved, and the people with those skills and abilities to help that specific issue should come together to have a true impact. Connecting with a community partner is an excellent way to ensure good communication between the group in need and the group providing the service. This connects to sustainability by establishing strong connections to avoid some of the negative aspects mentioned above (like unwanted help, misinformed or misguided service, or volunteer-based giving).
Sustainability should be the next most important piece. The goal is not to touch base with as many communities as possible, but to enrich a single community through said partners to provide long-term assistance to ensure progress will be made. The structure of the project itself should include a plan for withdrawing. Part of sustainability is connecting
Finally, the more informed volunteers are about the social issue/problem they are providing service for, the more engaged they will be, and therefore have a better chance of impacting a community positively.