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"TRAVEL WITH A PURPOSE" SYMPOSIUM

October 19, 1999 San Francisco

 The growing trend of international volunteerism is making a big change around the world. But be sure you do not pack the arrogance that you think you can bring about change in a few weeks. The most important change that takes place may be in your own life and how you use the experience when you return home.  This was the cross cutting theme of the Oct. 19 "Travel with a Purpose"
symposium convened by PIRT at the downtown campus of San Francisco State University.
    Keynote speaker Stefano DeZeraga of the LaFetra Operating Foundation said the emerging concept of "voluntourism" has the potential to affect great positive
change in the world. But the change is not what volunteers can do for the people and communities they visit. It is what they can do when they return home.
    Panelist Rick Beeman of Rotary Project Amigo echoed this saying that some people have questioned why they should pay thousands of dollars to travel to
Mexico when local labor could be hired to do the same thing for far less expense. "When you go and de-lice kids hair, they don't need you to do that for them," he explained. "But you need them. You need that experience of being in the village."   Beeman said he believes this so passionately that he is taking his five-year-old son to ensure that his global reality is based on more than just growing up in the insulated environment of Marin County. He has even been able to gain independent study credit to spend a week experiencing life in rural Mexico.
    Shirabe Yamada of Global Exchange which conducts "Reality Tours" said that sometimes the communication transcends language barriers. She related the story of two mothers -- one from Palestine and one from the U.S. -- who immediately connected with a touch on the forehead. People often return from these tours which look at everything from elections to sweatshops determined
to be activists on U.S. policy on these issues.
    Cross cultural travel also includes people from developing countries coming to the U.S. Lauren Augusta of MESA shared how her organization makes it
possible for agricultural trainers to come and study sustainable agriculture in California.
    Raj Jayadev, one of the first La Fetra Fellows, spoke of the importance of bringing more diversity to international volunteerism. To date, mainly white and affluent students and adults have had a chance to experience this
remarkable opportunity. This has presented a skewed representation of our society, and developing countries have not had a chance to experience the rich diversity of our culture by the narrow sector of volunteers who have been sent from this country. Last summer Raj got a taste for international volunteer work when he traveled to Bosnia as a UN supervisor of local municipal elections. The experience gave him a keen understanding of complexities of working in a different culture. He spent this summer in India exploring his own cultural roots and participating in grassroots economic development
projects with Cross-Cultural Solutions in Delhi.
    The event included a diverse group of exhibitors who had a chance to let participants know how they can help internationally. A special thanks to our exhibitors who included: American Friends Service Committee, The Cultural Restoration Tourism Project, Earthwatch Institute, Global Service Corps, Heifer Project International, International Volunteer Programs Association, Joint Assistance Center, LaFetra Operating Foundation, Lisle, Inc., Overseas Development Network, Peace Brigades International, Visit Ghana/Philanthropy Host Family Services, and World Neighbors.

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