A Crash Course on Ethical Travel
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Speaking to the Tourism & Travel students of Seneca College, I give a crash course on the voluntourism industry and the movement towards ethical travel using Operation Groundswell's international service learning model.
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A Crash Course on Ethical Travel
- 1. Backpacking with a Purpose /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// A Crash Course on Ethical Travel for Seneca College, Tourism & Travel
- 2. In 2006, our founders left home to do their own international volunteering. What did they find? Cookie-cutter tours. Make-work projects. Exorbitant prices. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
- 3. VOLUNTOURISM is one of the fastest growing trends in tourism and has become a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s a sector fraught with ethical issues but one bursting with opportunity. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
- 4. CHALLENGES AND ISSUES /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// What’s wrong with voluntourism?
- 5. ETHICAL TRAVEL /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// At the crux of Operation Groundswell’s philosophy is
- 6. WE WANT TO: » Experience the world in a genuine way. » Respect the cultures we interact with. » Make a meaningful difference. » Learn from our local peers. » Foster independence. » Grow, evolve, and continue to engage. » All on the cheap.
- 7. THE BACKPACKTIVIST MANIFESTO » Prepared to Change » Full Live Livin’ » Conscientious » Respect » Humility » Solidarity » Group-Focused » Thirst for Learning » Leadership These core values guide us in all that we do:
- 8. LOOK LIKE? What does that ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
- 12. ADVENTURE A healthy dose of ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
- 13. INDEPENDENT TRAVEL We are adults! ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
- 14. ALUMNI PROJECT FUND It doesn’t stop there. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
- 15. BACKPACKTIVISTS We are building a community of ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Editor's Notes
- We are a non-profit organization that runs international service learning programs all around the world combining cross-cultural education, community service, and off the beaten path adventure Intro myself
- How this speaks to our generation. Want to go out there, explore the world while doing good. Appeals to a wide variety but majority are made up of high school and college students. Many what to boost their resumes, travel with friends, gain cross-cultural awareness.. Etc. Happens in the summer, during gap years (transition between), sabbaticals, alternative spring breaks
- A lot of the organizations that are out there do more for the volunteers than the actual communities they purport to support. Do not consult the communities that they are volunteering with. Building a school, example. Create work and take work from local communities. Issues of exploitation – orphanage tourism Not orphans Psychological effects Parachute effect – unrealistic expectations of saving the world Compounds Prices
- Experience the world in a genuine way: Talk about living like locals and constantly adapting to changing conditions on the ground. Respect the cultures we interact with: We are not there to impose our will or culture. We respect local traditions and ways of doing things. Learn from our local peers: Our volunteer work is never externally imposed. We volunteer exclusively through local partner organizations on projects that have been requested by the community. Often we are in contact with groups simply to learn rather than to volunteer. Make a meaningful difference: We do not participate in “make-work” or “take-work” volunteering!!! And yes, we know that we can’t save the world in six weeks. That doesn’t mean that we can’t make a lasting difference. Foster Independence: This is not a cookie-cutter tour. Our teams are composed of adults and are treated as such. Grow, evolve, and continue to engage. This is a learning and growing experience for our teams, and it doesn’t stop when we return home.
- How do we guide ourselves towards the goals in the previous slide? Using our core values: the backpacktivist manifesto! We created these guiding principles in consultations with the people that know us best. These principles define all OG programs. Feel free to explain all of them, or just pick the three that are most meaningful to you and explain them using a personal experience from your program.
- Our groups are led by two experienced backpackers who spend 8 months planning an itinerary, setting up connections with partners, and building a curriculum that tackles the issues facing the region. Program leaders go through a rigorous (but fun!) training process which includes Wilderness First Aid training. What were your program leaders like?
- Core curriculum Power and privilege, oppression, charity vs. solidarity, environmental sustainability
- Aa system of aid and dependence. We never prescribe solutions without local input, nor do we begin pie-in- the-sky projects only to leave them unfinished. What was the volunteer project that touched you?
- Being a backpacktivist is about seeing the world and we want to be up-front about that! From whitewater rafting down the Nile to hiking a volcano by moonlight, all OG programs include a healthy dose of adventure. Pushing the limits of our bodies (and minds) is critical for us to learn what we are truly capable of. What was your adventure? Please no stories of extreme peril – we do take safety seriously and I don’t want to give them the wrong impression!
- All six-week programs include at least a week of ITT, or Independent Travel Time. This is a chance for team members to practice everything they’ve learned as they find their own food, lodging, and fun. Although program leaders are standing by in case of emergency, participants are entirely self-sufficient during this portion of the trip. Where did you go and what did you do?
- We know that we can’t save the world in six weeks. OG programs are meant to set you on a path towards making your own difference in the world. We equip you with the tools and skills you need to lead a group, raise funds, work with communities, and travel independently. Your engagement with the world doesn’t stop when the program is over, and neither does OG’s engagement with you. Our Project Fund is open exclusively to alumni and program leaders to provide grants towards community led and requested projects in any region we travel to. Past recipients of project fund grants include OG Alumnos, who are building a community centre in Tzibal, Guatemala, and Ghana Medical Help, which provides equipment and training to underfunded area hospitals. G-Roots, also in Ghana, exists to promote sustainable farming practices to increase food availability over the dry and rainy seasons. Our alumni also strike out on their own – you won’t believe the things they’ve accomplished at home and abroad.