Young voluntourists say: Volunteer at home? No thanks
Students feel voluntary work in Singapore is more demanding, but volunteering overseas is exciting
Shuli Sudderuddin, Straits Times 23 Dec 07;
UNDERGRADUATE Winnie Lui has been on three overseas trips to do charity work in the past three years.
In Cambodia, she conducted English lessons, and in the Philippines, she helped to renovate a youth centre and paint its walls.
But once back in Singapore, the 22-year-old did not continue with any volunteer work. Instead, she becomes like any regular youth here - spending her time attending gatherings with her friends and shopping.
'I go overseas for such trips because I get to meet different people and experience a completely different culture,' she said.
Miss Lui is just one of a growing number of young people who turn to overseas expedition projects to fulfil their desires to serve the community, but choose not to lift a finger when back in Singapore.
These overseas trips, known as 'voluntourism', span roughly three weeks and involve serving a foreign community through education or physical labour.
The new chairman of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), Mr Stanley Tan, raised this concern in a recent interview with The Straits Times.
Mr Tan, 51, urged young Singaporeans to help their country rather than engaging in 'superficial activities'. He said: 'Giving is also about helping an elderly lady to cross the road, to take photographs of events for a charity here and helping it to archive its history.'
However, it does not seem likely that more youths will start turning to home ground to spread charity.
Undergraduate Lee Nuan Xin, 21, is a member of the National University of Singapore Students Union Volunteer Action Committee (NVAC), and has been an active volunteer since junior college. She noted that she has seen the number of overseas projects increase dramatically in the past three years.
Miss Lee estimates that NUS organised seven trips to Cambodia this year, compared with one in 2005.
'Students want to see the world. At home, they feel like they are doing compulsory school work with nothing special to it,' she said.
An avid social worker, she volunteers at the National University Hospital every week.
Miss Karin Ke, 21, who spent three weeks in Bago City in the Philippines in May, agrees that community service overseas feels less commercial than activities like flag-selling in Singapore.
'It is a great way to meet like-minded people who are also interested in travelling and helping poor communities, and to see unique places,' said the student, who managed a home stay with a Filipino family, where she learnt about their lifestyle. 'That it is for a good cause is the icing on the cake,' she added.
Mr Glynsen Wong, 23, joined Miss Ke on the trip and helped fed malnourished children and painted a school.
He said: 'Overseas, there is an immediate benefit, and the results are more concrete because you can see what you build or paint.'
'Here, you visit old folks or children, and you have to give them 100 per cent commitment. You have to go for a long time before you can even tell if you are helping them.'
Parents have mixed feelings about 'voluntourism'.
Miss Ke's father, Mr Kuoh Seh Seng, 55, said: 'I told my daughter, if you want to help, help Singaporeans. But when she returned, she was more appreciative of Singapore and the privileges that she enjoys here.'
Miss Lui's mother, Ms Margaret Lui, 54, said she wanted her daughter to leave her sheltered home and learn about poverty.
'She could learn these lessons better in an environment where people are less spoilt,' she said.
Schools have also encouraged students to participate in these trips to achieve greater awareness.
National serviceman Lim Qi Han, who went to Myanmar two years ago when he was in National Junior College, said: 'I feel that my school encouraged it for the learning experience.'
The 19-year-old felt that volunteering overseas and locally were equally meaningful, but said the overseas trip was more memorable than merely selling flags.
Ms Jenny Ong, the founder of Blossom Training, which trains leaders for Youth Expedition Projects, said leaders are trained to show participants economic and social issues through their services.
'Going overseas is a great platform for character development and service-learning,' she said. 'Participants enjoy it because it is exotic.'
However, the NVPC still advocates volunteering at home as the proximity of the location facilitates sustainable engagement.
Seasoned volunteers such as Miss Lee also continue to hope for more help on the community service scene in Singapore.
'We are so well-to-do and have so many resources. We should use some of them to help our people,' she said.
Students such as Miss Ke feel inspired by committed volunteers, but admit they would have trouble following in their footsteps.
'To be effective at home, you would have to volunteer every single week, no matter what. And I just don't have the stamina to do that,' she said.
