Ethics of international volunteering - Six Steps to Ethical Volunteering

By: Alex Knott

Alex Knott works as the Director of Outreach and Curation and an EdGE Mentor for Omprakash. The company has a network of 180 grassroots organizations around the world and helps find them volunteers and funding. Read below for her thoughts on how to give back responsibly.

Photo by: Omprakash

We’re glad you’re concerned with the ethics of international volunteering and that you are keen to find a way to volunteer as ethically as possible. As an aspiring international volunteer, you are entering an industry that has become increasingly commodified, impersonal and, in some cases, downright unethical – you’re right to be wary.

But what does it mean to volunteer ethically? Along with taglines like “make a difference”, “find your purpose,” or “give back,” many organizations in the business of selling volunteer trips claim that their programs are ethical, but rarely do they attempt to explain how their programs actually fulfill this promise.

At this point, we have to come clean: we don’t have a definitive guide to ethical volunteering, or straightforward guidelines to achieving this goal. Fifteen years in this industry has taught us that there are no golden rules to ethical volunteer travel, and has made us skeptical of those who claim to offer this unequivocally.

Photo by: Omprakash

We don’t believe that achieving ethical volunteer travel can be as simple as following a few simple steps --“don’t volunteer in orphanages”, or “put the community’s needs first” -- suggested by organizations that, after all, are in the business of ‘selling’ volunteer placements. Defining “ethical” in simplistic terms not only ignores the many shades of gray in any attempt to engage abroad, but also avoids more fundamental questions about the structure and objectives of volunteer programs.

Rather than following simple steps to achieve “ethical volunteering”, we suggest that honing your critical thinking skills, questioning your assumptions, reflecting on your positionality within larger structures of power, and embracing complexity are some of the most powerful things you can do before, during and after your international experience.

Although we don’t offer straightforward guidelines, we have compiled a list of questions to ask yourself as you contemplate volunteering abroad. What does ethical volunteer travel entail? Here are the 6 questions we think you should ask yourself when considering volunteering abroad…

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1) Why do you want to volunteer abroad?

You might have already had to answer this question numerous times; perhaps it’s a question you’ve been asked by parents, teachers, friends, bosses, and others, or perhaps it’s a question you have asked yourself as you think about your intentions and goals, and begin to plan your trip.

Of course, most people approach volunteering with a variety of intertwined motives and goals, some related to their own personal goals, and others related to some sort of “impact” in their host community. While everyone’s particular ideas of, and objectives for, volunteering are unique, we have noticed general patterns amongst volunteers’ reasons over the years. Take a moment to think about your own reasons, maybe jot them down. Then take a look at the following list -- do any of these seem familiar?

To solve world issues To serve others in need To break out of my comfort zone To experience the world To gain a sense of purpose To gain valuable experience To give back To escape my Western bubble To learn about how other people live

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You might recognize some of your own reasons in these commonly articulated motivations. As you went through them, did some reasons seem better to you than others? Did any seem problematic to you? Should motivations be “selfless,” or is it equally legitimate, and perhaps more realistic, to be primarily motivated by your own personal learning and growth?

2) How will you engage in an unfamiliar community?

While we believe it is extremely important to reflect upon your intentions and motivations, even the best of intentions may still lead to unintended consequences.

In our experience, most volunteers approach their field positions with the desire to do something. We certainly understand the desire to address issues in ways that have direct, tangible outcomes, but how can volunteers figure out what to do in a place with which they are not familiar? How might reflection fit in to this process? Where might dialogue fit in?

In thinking about international engagement, we often use the terms “culture” and “community” to describe the contexts of our volunteering. International volunteering almost always involves engaging with an unfamiliar “culture” and “community,” but what do we really mean when we talk about a “culture” or a “community,” and why is it so important not to over simplify such concepts?

3) What is the expected outcome of your field position?

You may have already discussed the goals of your volunteer position with your host organization (if that’s the case, we’re excited to hear that you’ve already been in direct communication with your host organization!), but what do expect to come out of your field position in the long-term?

How can you continue to work towards long-term social change, even after the end of your field position, and how might your international experiences actually provide a “springboard” for your continued engagement in social issues abroad and at home?

How can storytelling, both during and after your field position, be a powerful force for social change? What makes a good story, and how can you bring in diverse voices to tell a ‘polyvocal’ story?

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4) Who will you be working with?

Many of the most crucial and enduring experiences volunteers describe from their time abroad are linked to relationships with people at their host organization and in their host communities.

So, as you begin to think about volunteering abroad, “who will I be working with?” is a particularly important question to ask. Hopefully, you will have the chance to begin to cultivate relationships with your host organization, and potentially others in your host community, before even leaving home.

If you are thinking of volunteering through a volunteer organization, rather than applying to work with a specific organization directly, this might be a good question to ask them as well. If they attempt to hinder, rather than facilitate, your ability to connect directly with your host organization in advance, this might be a red flag. If they ‘place’ you in a position with an organization before you’ve had the chance to meet the organization you’ll be working with, you might want to reconsider.

How does the question of connecting with your host organization relate to the ethics of volunteering?

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5) Whose interests are at play: why does your host organization want you to volunteer with them?"

As a related point, it might be important to ask yourself why your host organization wants you to volunteer with them: are you being invited because the host organization relies on donations (or ‘fees’) from volunteers, or because they truly ‘need your help’?

While the first reason may be particularly important to question (as relying on volunteers’ donations might lead to mission drift, with host organizations devoting most of their attention towards volunteers’ needs), it might also be reasonable to question the assumptions underlying the second reason.

Even without paying a fee (as is the case when volunteering through Omprakash), is there nevertheless a tacit expectation that volunteers will be involved in future advocacy and support the organization going forwards? Even taken at face value, is it reasonable to expect that volunteers can really make so much of a difference?

6) Where do you fit in?

In our experience, some of the most transformative realizations that volunteers have during their field positions arise from reflecting on their own positions of privilege, and on how they fit into systems that perpetuate inequality.

How is your life intertwined with the lives of those you are trying to ‘help’? How does your lifestyle impact the lives of others in vastly different parts of the world? What does it mean to engage in a resource-poor community as a person of relative privilege?

Asking these questions before, during and after your time abroad can help to make you more aware of the challenges to ethical engagement, and enable you to make more informed decisions and work towards more egalitarian interactions, both while you’re abroad and after you’ve returned home.

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