Volunteering or Voluntouring: Using Your Privilege to Empower | Kate Orr | TEDxDeMontfortUWomen

In an age of backpackers and gap years, an increasing number of travelers are partaking in volunteer work overseas. However, in recent years, a growing number of professionals are challenging the result of such work. In her eloquent, inspiring and informative talk, Kate Orr explains how voluntourism can lead to more damage than good. She describes how we can work to renovate the volunteer industry, to use our privilege to empower more effectively. [CREDITS: Organising Committee: Jane Hearst, Simon Baines, Max Chikwanha. Events Team: Laura Wilson, Jane Colebourne, Yasmin Ali. AV Lead: Mark Dimartino Marriot. Film Lead and Editor: Peter Hutchinson. AV Student Support Team: Yara Abdalgany, Eva Asante, Joseph Tobin. Speaker Coaches: Sanjaya Pandit, Mark Prescod] A talented primary school teacher, bubbling with energy, as well as a dedicated volunteer. Kate has worked at LRTT (Limited Resource Teacher Training) for 5 years; a charity which believes that quality education should be available to everyone.
Aware of the harmful effects of 'voluntourism', Kate is passionate about educating communities on what effective volunteering entails. LRTT does so by sending only fully trained teachers overseas. Their role is not to teach students, but to deliver CPD to existing teachers in country.
By offering these continual enrichment activities and knowledge-exchange, both local teacher and teacher volunteers alike can seek to become better teachers. They finish the programme with new found motivation to make an impact on the lives of those in their communities. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@nonas2856]

This is an ad for LITTLE. Unless she provides her sources for every other company think she is FOS. I have seen volunteers who did excellent work in the Andes and Rain Forest. What I got from her was her trip was good, but others were not because only she is a good person. Horse Hockey

[@ghoststories4646]

My thought exactly. This seems to be an advertisement for her organization, not a scientific talk based on real data. from experience, I saw unqualified volunteers accomplishing great things. Also, some organizations have the means to form the volunteers on-site, so that the voluntourists don't just improvise. The local hosts usually teach the volunteers and organize their work so that they don't just do whatever they want. Voluntourism in developing countries is not perfect but it is not as bad as most TED speakers picture it.

[@kypzethdurron]

Great talk, well delivered. Good luck to LRTT!

[@McJam0]

This was my year 6 teacher lmao

[@pads-zr9ln]

We do have unqualified people comming over every day, apparently they're all doctors and engineers fleeing war