Voluntourism? Gap Year / Crap Year?

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• Oxford University's Centre for the Environment, VSO, Azfady, Madventurer, Humanitarian Centre (Cambridge)
• Tuesday 12 February 2008, 19:00-21:00
• Queens Building Auditorium, Emmanuel College, CB2 3AP.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact events.

Thinking of volunteering overseas (this summer, or in the future)? Will it be worthwhile? Can you really make a difference?

Come and join us in a discussion on the value of overseas volunteering with Dr Jamie Lorimer (Lecturer at Oxford University), Marion O’Donnell (VSO), Mal Mitchell (Azafady), John Lawler (Madventurer) and Ian Steed (Cambridge Humanitarian Centre).

- Are badly planned and supported ‘voluntourism’ schemes having a negative impact on young people and they communities they work with? - Is the volunteering sector catering to the needs of volunteers, rather than the communities they claim to support? - Would young people who want to make a difference through volunteering be better off travelling and experiencing different cultures, rather than wasting time on projects that have no impact and can leave a big hole in their wallet? - What do you think about the value of overseas volunteering?

Dr Lorimer will start by outlining some recent developments in the volunteering sector. Each of the speakers will briefly explain their organizations’ policies and philosophies on volunteering. We will then have an extended discussion, with points of information and questions from the floor.

Afterwards, there will be a chance to speak to Cambridge students who have volunteered with some of the organizations in the past to find out about their experiences of overseas volunteering.

This talk is part of the Cambridge University International Development (CUID) series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All Talks (aka the CURE list)
• Cambridge University International Development (CUID)
• Queens Building Auditorium, Emmanuel College, CB2 3AP

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