I have to admit I was apprehensive about volunteering at an orphanage. I’m embarrassed to say that I had images of “Oliver” in my mind, with sad, mistreated little kids pleading, “Please sir, may I have some more?” Apparently, there…
Today was Day 2 of our Cambodia volunteer trip with Globe Aware. The day began with a visit to the Cambodia Landmine Museum and Relief Center. The center was started by Aki Ra, a former child soldier of the Khmer…
Image source: Shannon O'Donnell
Welcome back part two of our Ripple Effect interview with Shannon O’Donnell, a travel blogger, speaker, and author of The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook. She regularly volunteers and in 2011 launched her passion project, a community sourced database of local, sustainable organizations all over the world. She is the founder of the website ALittleAdrift.com and tweets at @ShannonRTW.
Image source: Handsonblog.org
Just a few short years ago, volunteering with your family may have sounded like a strange, foreign concept. There have always been outgoing families, ready for adventure. But in the mainstream culture, volunteer vacations weren’t something people did very often. Volunteering has traditionally been under the purview of the young and unattached. The stereotype was of the hippie explorer, wide-eyed and idealistic, with his backpack and bare feet. It was the PeaceCorps—more of a commitment than a discreet project—a two-year foray into a career of service, not a two week vacation with family. But today, that has all changed, and in a big way. Mainstream media outlets are touting the benefits of family volunteering, and families are listening. It’s a great time to have kids. Organizations are catering to young families too—families with five and six-year-olds, kids whose lives can be forever altered by experiencing new cultures in new places.
Image source: Globeaware.org
Part two of my interview with Kimberly Haley-Coleman is focused on volunteer feedback, building a volunteer community, and the voluntourism industry as a whole. Enjoy!