tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19949369.post2793629165645927445..comments2023-05-30T15:53:20.991+08:00Comments on safe shores: Volunteering Abroad: a good choice?Hannah Karen H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08155306382273115267noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19949369.post-70021632916459728452015-07-31T13:11:54.842+08:002015-07-31T13:11:54.842+08:00Mmm definitely, and it's a great place to star...Mmm definitely, and it's a great place to start with young teens for the reasons you stated, to open their eyes and hearts to the reality of things. I guess my main learning point was that efficiency in allocating manpower, making 'good' use of the volunteers' time, isn't necessarily the most important thing for organisation. Yeah so a lot about it for the volunteer is about the "otherness" - getting to know a foreign culture, immersing oneself in a different community. So that experience of a new culture must be a big motivating factor for the volunteer too, more than just "helping someone, anyone".Hannah Karen H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08155306382273115267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19949369.post-41195610862756106072015-07-30T06:20:52.282+08:002015-07-30T06:20:52.282+08:00I think you've totally got it right down pat! ...I think you've totally got it right down pat! Totally agree with the thoughts, except that there are certainly lots of merits in overseas volunteerism too. After an intense 2-week Overseas Service-Learning with my students, when we summarise all the good that has come out of their service to the<br />community or orphanage there, we pose this idea to the students through a series of<br />questions... Now that they have experienced service through the OSL, they are convinced of the importance of the human factor when providing the service...and they can provide this human factor back home in SGP too, because there are also orphanages, homes for the elderly, associations for the handicapped, etc... And we introduce the list of organisations they can go to to volunteer, when they feel appropriate, at the various stages of their lives. But yet, though it doesn't matter where in the world we extend help to, say, a child, try saying it to THAT child ... For a child or community that has been helped or befriended by foreign strangers (at first), it is an experience of and connection with the bigger world out there through the foreigner's interactions. The understanding and acceptance of a basic differences or similarities in race, culture, maybe religion , etc. The idea of hope because they don't feel rejected in their corner of the world within their country, but instead, have friends who come from the world over who make a little difference to their perspectives of life. But an important fact, perhaps, is the hyphen hidden within the term Service-Learning...that equal to the amount of service that has been performed, is hopefully the amount of self-learning and self-discovery of the student. An overseas volunteer programme is a good start for some who eventually feel what you now feel...also good for a breather to learn fresh perspectives from a different culture, etc. And it adds to one's lifetime experiences, and connection with a community and another country.michael honoreply@blogger.com