Despite
recent stats suggesting that Gen Ys are less civic-minded than others,
digital platforms designed to
encourage and
simplify volunteerism are proliferating. Increasingly, Ys seek charitable experiences that align with their passions—and
voluntourism, a mash-up of “volunteerism” and “tourism,” satisfies their dual love of doing good and traveling widely. Innovative takes on the trend seem poised to attract and inspire new participants in the
voluntourist movement.
The Voluntourist: After losing his father to a sudden heart attack, journalist
Ken Budd was left questioning his purpose in life. So, in 2006, on an impulse, he signed up to volunteer for the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort, after which he committed to two weeks of teaching in Costa Rica. Over the course of the next year, he found himself taking on four additional far-flung volunteer assignments. Budd chronicled his extensive voluntourism experience in a recently released memoir,
The Voluntourist. Equal parts introspective narrative, travel tale, and
source of advice for future voluntourists, the book relays the story of Budd’s literal journey and interior mission to “
live a life that matters.”
American Volunteers: In May 2011, dedicated
voluntourists Aaron Frumin, Brendan Gordon, and Michael Ward captured four days’ worth of footage while wrapping up a hurricane recovery project in New Orleans. One year later, thanks to funding raised in a
successful Kickstarter campaign, that footage has been transformed into the pilot episode of
American Volunteers. The series aims to document the benefits of traveling to serve—namely, the opportunity to make positive changes while seeing the world—and raise awareness of grassroots volunteer efforts. Proponents of
on-the-go do-gooding can follow the show’s progress
via Facebook, or take part in a
Twitter campaign to persuade a network to pick up the pilot.
