VOLUNTEERS BEGIN TO ASK QUESTIONS

International development charity VSO recently cautioned young people taking a gap year abroad that it may be better to travel rather than to take up spurious voluntary work in developing countries.

The escape from structure and routine that travelling provides is such an important breath of fresh air for young people who have just left the education system. There are so many life skills to be developed and experiences to be had from the independence that travelling provides. We all need time to develop ourselves and our skills before we attempt to help others develop, so is volunteering really the best option for school leavers? Is it perhaps better suited to a more mature demographic with more skills to share?

Has volunteering become a means for young people to spend time away from education and work, without the feeling of compromising their employability? Every job is so competitive these days that many would class a year spent travelling as a literal gap in their CV or resume. In an effort to maintain their 'edge', a period of time spent 'doing the right thing' has become more favourable for young people than simply travelling and seeing the world for what it is. As a result, volunteering has risen in popularity and led to an explosion of companies looking to capitalise on the consumer, tainting the sector with some poorly established programs, and requiring the more responsible organisations to draw up guidelines to assist people with choosing a worthy company.

Perhaps volunteering has come to be seen too much as a rite of passage, and not enough for what it actually is. Similar neglect on utilising the skills of volunteers effectively has contributed to the almost devaluing of volunteer placements.