Popularized by its inclusion on the typical gap-year agenda for high school students after graduation and regarded as another tick on the CV, volunteering has become a trendy way for wealthy westerners to give back to less fortunate communities. However, despite good intentions from participants, volunteering abroad has attracted substantial criticism over the past few years.
(A) "Are the volunteers actually providing any benefits to the destination countries?" asks Mark Watson, the Executive Director of Tourism Concern, a charity campaigning on ethical tourism issues. More often than not, the answer is unquestionably no.
The demand for volunteer spots in developing countries has led to hundreds of commercial volunteering organizations springing up. Many claim to have noble intentions but pocket the money for profit and send volunteers on unsatisfying, purpose-built placements.
(B) Rather than benefiting local communities, voluntourism can have negative impacts, a number of studies have highlighted. These range from volunteers taking local jobs to child trafficking, where young children are stolen from their families and placed into 'orphanages' to fuel the demand for volunteer placements. These kidnapped children are then subjected to deliberately poor living conditions to elicit higher donations from visiting westerners.
While Watson acknowledges there are companies out there who employ good practices, it's a change in the mindset of would-be volunteers he'd most like to see.
"I talk to a lot of people who say they want to dig wells in Africa. I say what Africa has got quite a lot of is unskilled labor; there are a lot of people out there that can dig wells. The idea that you, as an unskilled worker, have got anything really useful that you can add is slightly arrogant and sort of imperialistic in some ways—white people going out to Africa to help the Africans. I think it's mostly about getting people to be realistic; you're just doing it for yourself, it's a holiday. You're not really going to do anything particularly worthwhile, and that's quite a hard message to get across," says Watson.
Kate Stefanko, Placement Director at People and Places, agrees to an extent, but she thinks volunteering abroad can be beneficial to all concerned if it is done right. "We believe that a carefully placed, thoroughly screened, well-prepared, skilled volunteer can—and does—have a positive impact," says Stefanko. All volunteers through People and Places have to apply for a position. Then, if accepted, the volunteer is matched with an upcoming project that can benefit from their skill set. As a result, well-run efforts can absolutely develop a level of social interaction and understanding that is profound.
1. When do westerners typically do their volunteering?
2. Which of the following would best describe the present attitude towards volunteering abroad?
3. What is “More often than not” in paragraph (A) closest in meaning to?
4. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true about volunteering abroad?
5. What does the word “These” in paragraph (B) refer to?
6. What are children being kept in inadequate living conditions for?
7. According to the passage, what does Mark Watson expect to see regarding volunteering abroad?
8. What message does Mark Watson want to pass to future volunteers through the idea of digging wells?
9. According to Kate Stefanko, volunteering abroad can be valuable if volunteers satisfy the following criteria EXCEPT ______.
10. Which of the following sentences would best complete the last paragraph?