It is hard to argue that the actual contribution to development amounts to a great deal directly. Whilst
volunteer tourists can get involved
in building homes or schools, they have usually paid a significant fee for the
opportunity to be involved in this work: money that, if donated to a local community directly, could potentially
pay for a greater amount of labor than the individual volunteer could ever hope to provide. This is especially so
in
the case of gap years, in which the level of technical skill or professional experience required of volunteers is
negligible. Hence, it is unsurprising that many academic studies allude to the moral issue of whether gap year
volunteering is principally motivated by altruism - a desire to benefit the society visited - or whether young
people aim to generate "cultural capital" which benefits them in their careers. However, the
projects may play a
role in developing people who will, in the course of their careers and lives, act ethically in favor of those less
well-off.
Volunteering may lead to greater international
understanding; enhanced ability to solve conflicts;
widespread and democratic participation in global affairs through global civic society organizations; and growth
of international social networks among ordinary people. In
this scenario, the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts, an outcome where benefits accrue to volunteers and host communities, and contribute to the global greater
good. However, if volunteering is largely limited to individuals of means from
wealthier area of the world, it
may give these privileged volunteers an international perspective, and a career boost, but it will do little for
people and communities who currently lack access to international voluntary work. Those who volunteer will
continue
to reap its benefits, using host organizations and host communities as
a rung on the ladder of personal
advancement.
(Adapted from Compact Advanced)
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