voluntourism

Fly and Do Good: Volunteer Challenge Week 3

Posted on 09/22/2011 by John Briley | AARP Blog Author | Comments

VolunteeringA few years ago a friend of mine went to Guatemala on a volunteer mission with the Peace Corps. She sent regular updates (when she could get email access), introducing us to the village children, the friends she made, the Biblical rains, lack of plumbing and arresting views she had from her humble block-and-tin home. She reported that she loved every minute of it and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. That’s a common refrain among Peace Corps workers – …

Volunteering On Your Next Vacation

Posted on 07/28/2011 by Reed Sandridge | Giving & Volunteering | Comments

Travel | VolunteeringThis is a guest blog post from Reed Sandridge. Sandridge lost his job in 2009 and did the unthinkable – he started giving away $10 a day to complete strangers! He captured the story of every recipient at www.yearofgiving.org. A frequent writer and speaker on volunteering and micro-philanthropy, Sandridge lives in our nation’s capital. As we settle into the heart of the summer, many people are getting ready to embark on vacation. It’s a time to relax and leave our …

A Passion for Good

Posted on 06/23/2011 by John Briley | AARP Blog Author | Comments

VolunteeringRegular readers of this space know that we are big on passion – namely following yours and seeking volunteering opportunities that allow you do that while helping nurture others’ passions as well. Today’s example is Alexander Souri, founder of Relief Workers International, a for-profit company that runs humanitarian missions in “breathtaking regions of India.” Souri combined his passion for adventure travel – he was born in New York to a French mother and Indian father and has traveled extensively – …

Volunteering: More Room for Men?

Posted on 06/2/2011 by John Briley | AARP Blog Author | Comments

VolunteeringWhat image pops into your head when you hear the word ‘volunteers’? Chances are you picture a woman, which makes sense because most volunteers are female – an offshoot, probably, of the old days when women sought meaningful ways to fill their free time after raising kids. I have encountered this gender disparity over the years – as a volunteer for the Washington Animal Rescue League and, more recently, in applying to volunteer for the child abuse/neglect prevention group Family …

Helping Nobody’s Pets

Posted on 05/5/2011 by John Briley | AARP Blog Author | Comments

VolunteeringI’ve spent a lot of time in the Third World and it never ceases to wrench my heart when I see the street dogs and cats loping, limping and lying around in various states of neglect and poor health. It’s not surprising: This is an understandable byproduct of economies that leave many humans living on the outer margins. But still, I’d like to do something for all the animals for whom every day is scrap to survive. So I was …

Black Gives Back: Inspiring A Community

Posted on 02/17/2011 by John Briley | AARP Blog Author | Comments

VolunteeringAs part of our ongoing recognition of Black History Month, I thought it would be nice to highlight a black volunteering and philanthropic blog called Black Gives Back. Created in 2007 by Washington, D.C., philanthropist Tracey Webb, the blog is a hub for African Americans to help dispel the misperception that they, as a demographic, reside only on the receiving end of charity and volunteer efforts. Webb previously founded – and still runs – the Black Benefactors, a giving circle …