More volunteer on vacations
Spending time doing
something different can refresh some workers.
LONG ISLAND NEWSDAY
MELVILLE, N.Y. — Some of us get rejuvenated in the summer by lounging on the beach, camping in the mountains or just hanging out in the backyard.
Then there are people like Cheryl Baldwin and James Costello.
They’re two of a growing number of professionals who are devoting time, energy and financial resources to philanthropic causes — engaging in what’s becoming known as “voluntourism.”
For Baldwin, executive director of continuing education and professional studies at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, her summer project took her to Rwanda. She took 11 days of vacation in July to run a six-day leadership development program for 20 teenage girls called Camp Hope, which she conceived and helped design.
Baldwin had been to Rwanda last October on a research trip, and when she returned with the idea for the camp, a series of developments led to its fruition: first, the name “Camp Hope” popped into her head, then a woman she met at World Relief Rwanda enthusiastically came aboard, and after just one phone call, the financing fell into place.
“It’s rare when everything lines up perfectly and the dream becomes bigger than anything you could have imagined,” says Baldwin. “That’s more fun and exciting than sitting on a beach reading a book or luxuriating in a fabulous hotel.”
For many professionals, such “mission projects” are ways to get “a feeling of inner fulfillment” without necessarily taking on full-time nonprofit work, says Diane Kramer, chief executive of Melville-based PeakSkills Learning Systems, which also runs the Extraordinary Self Program for those looking to make more satisfying life choices.
Such short-term experiences can help breathe new life into careers, and in some cases serve as a “first step to a mission-oriented career,” Kramer says.
Adding some variety
Such new life is sorely needed for workers who feel they are stagnating in their jobs. In a survey of 770 full- and part-time workers in the United States, close to half admitted they felt unmotivated about returning to work after Labor Day.
Of course, such volunteer vacations may not alter the nature of the “ho-hum” work assignments, but participants have been known to return refreshed and with new perspective and a sense of pride, says Rich Wellins, senior vice president with Development Dimensions International, the Pittsburgh-based human resources consulting firm that conducted the survey.
For one thing, their donation of time and skills likely elicited a level of gratitude and admiration that isn’t typical in the workplace, where performance is simply — and rightly — expected.
The growth in voluntourism is a reflection of a desire “to do something to change the world — or at least a small part of it,” says Allen Kay, spokesman for the Travel Industry Association of America. At St. Paul, Minn.-based Global Volunteers, which organizes such travel/volunteer programs, participation has increased 25 percent in the past year, says Michele Gran, founder and vice president.
What to consider
Of course, taking time off with the prime motive to give, not receive, isn’t going to ring the same bells for everyone. It can even be frustrating and exhausting. So give consideration to the following:
UDifferent levels of commitment. It’s important not to mistake this for “a budget travel or tax deduction” opportunity, says Gran. Such programs are “not about making the volunteer feel good about himself. That is a by-product, not our focus.”
UYour skills. If you’ve never held a hammer or nails, or even had the urge to, perhaps you’ll want to forgo helping to construct a house, and instead volunteer for such duties as overseeing meals. After all, you wouldn’t want to return feeling that “I wasn’t helpful because I couldn’t do what they needed.”
UConsider a well-established group. Many religious and community organizations sponsor such trips, and can fill you in on what to expect — for instance, what the living conditions are like and if any amenities are available. Being part of a group also means you’ll have peers with whom to debrief afterward, something that can be important for first-timers who may be “shaken and moved” by seeing such levels of poverty.
• What’s next. Consider how to carry such a positive experience forward. “Set intentions” and “ask if this is the first step to something else,” says Kramer, who tells of a colleague who taught photography skills to children in Zambia; on his return, he put on a presentation for his professional association.
You can also see if there is any tie-in with your employer or co-workers. In Baldwin’s case, her boss is helping her collect items for care packages to be sent to the 20 girls who went through the program.