Meaningful Travel Tips and Tales First Time Volunteers
By GoAbroad and GVI
Volunteering abroad for the first time can seem overwhelming and no one knows that better than GoAbroad and GVI, who put their heads together to come up with a comprehensive resource for first time volunteers. The main point: It’s not “voluntourism.” It’s work, hard work so you must be ready to put in a little elbow grease and prepare for some growing pains. Here you’ll also find all the best info on how and when to apply, the best possible program options for you, scholarships and grants, and many other things you’ll need to know.
Goabroad.com
The Volunteering Lens of COVID-19: Data Highlights
By Statistics Canada and Volunteer Canada
This report presents select findings from a recent Volunteer Survey by Ipsos. It gathered data on the inspiration and source of volunteer opportunity, ability to volunteer during COVID-19, the experience of current volunteers during COVID-19, and the experience of those who could not volunteer or were unsuccessful in their attempts. It also looks at post-covid intentions.
Volunteer.ca • Statcan.gc.ca
Doing Good Better
By William MacAskill
While a researcher at Oxford, William MacAskill devoted his study to finding out how we can really make a difference. He found that we often decide how to help based on assumptions and emotions rather than facts which often leads to ineffective outcomes. As an antidote, MacAskill developed “effective altruism”—a practical, data driven approach that uses evidence and careful reasoning to select opportunities.
Avery
Little Princes
By Conor Grennan
This is the epic story of Conor Grennan’s battle to save the lost children of Nepal and how he found himself in the process. Part Three Cups of Tea, part Into Thin Air, Grennan’s remarkable memoir is at once gripping and inspirational, and it carries us deep into an exotic world that most readers know little about.
William Morrow Paperbacks
Hoping to Help
By Judith Lasker
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people travel from wealthier to poorer countries to participate in short-term volunteer programs focused on health services. Churches, universities, non-profit service organizations, profit-making “voluntourism” companies, hospitals, and large corporations all sponsor brief missions. Hoping to Help is the first book to offer a comprehensive assessment of global health volunteering, based on research into how it currently operates, its benefits and drawbacks, and how roles might be organized to contribute most effectively.
ILR Press
Building a Kindness Army
By Katie Dahlheim
The Lowcountry Blessing Box Project is a network of more than 200 anonymous food donation sites with the motto “Leave what you can, take what you need.” This is the story of the unexpected movement it created. More importantly, Katie Dahlheim presents a step-by-step blueprint for anyone who wants to establish a successful network of free pantries.
Self-published
Travel with purpose
By Jeff Blumenfeld
People often wonder how they can explore the world and help the less fortunate.
That’s where voluntourism comes in—a mix of both travel and volunteering. Is it hard work building wells and schoolhouses or excavating dinosaur bones? Yes, it is. But voluntourism here doesn’t take a particular skill, just plenty of sweat, the desire to see the world and leave it a better place. These are stories of inspiration from everyday people, all of whom have definite opinions about the best way to approach your first volunteer vacation.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers